WWE Superstars in Need of a Gimmick Change in 2015

Finding the right character is a challenge for all WWE Superstars. Sometimes they hit the mark on the first try, but most of the time you will see people try a few things before finding something that works.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley was a snobby blue blood before Triple H changed WWE forever with Shawn Michaels in DX.

John Cena was a rapper, Steve Austin was a movie-star wannabe, Kane was a dentist, Edge was a vampire, and Dolph Ziggler was a cheerleader. The list goes on and on.

Many of today's WWE Superstars just play exaggerated versions of themselves, but there is still a percentage who have goofy or ridiculous gimmicks.

This slideshow will look at some of the current wrestlers who could really benefit from complete overhauls.

Adam Rose

Those videos with the party bus were fun in the beginning, but the Adam Rose character is never going to get Raymond Leppan anywhere.

WWE has already resorted to turning Rose heel and having him feud with a guy from his posse in a bunny suit. Clearly, the powers that be feel like he is a lost cause.

The sad thing is that Rose can actually be a talented wrestler. When he was using his Leo Kruger character in NXT, it seemed like there was nothing that could stop him.

The group of party animals will only last so long. Even The Godfather's stable of "hos" got smaller as time went on. It's a gimmick with no longevity.

Rose needs to take a break, come up with something new and return as a completely different character. It worked for Ryback, so it can work for anyone.

Fandango

Fandango recently went from being a ballroom dancer to having more of a Latin flavor, but the change had a negative effect.

His theme song can no longer be hummed by the crowd, and his new dance partner, Rosa Mendes, isn't nearly as fun to watch as Summer Rae.

What he needs to do is forget the dancing altogether. The reason Fandango became popular in NXT was because he was a funny, creepy guy—not because he could shake his hips.

Curtis Hussey has been with WWE since 2006 but has yet to find any real level of success. After toiling for nine years, he deserves to be given the chance to succeed without a terrible gimmick holding him back.

Everyone in The New Day

The first time Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods teamed up, it seemed like there was a chance the trio could find some measure of success after flopping as singles acts.

Woods was positioned as the militant leader, with Kingston and Big E given the roles of the frustrated talents who were willing to lend Woods their ears.

They were taken off TV for several months and repackaged as a gospel-inspired group with a more positive message.

While the initial video packages were somewhat entertaining, the gimmick has mostly been a flop. The crowd isn't connecting with them, and they weren't given enough space to give their characters depth.

Instead of being a possible reincarnation of the Nation of Domination, these three talented wrestlers were turned into a joke. Unless something changes for them, The New Day will be the next 3MB.

Heath Slater

Poor Heath Slater. This kid has so much passion for the business and just as much personality, but he can never find a role that allows him to advance in his career.

As a part of Nexus and The Corre, he was a three-time tag champion with Justin Gabriel but hasn't been able to get back to that same level in the years since.

While 3MB were good for a few laughs, they were essentially the in-house jobbers. Pairing Slater with Titus O'Neil felt like a desperate attempt to give him something to do; now it looks like that experiment is over.

What Slater needs to do is bring some of the personality and humor that he has shown on The JBL (Not Cole) Show into his character on television.

Playing the goofy but lovable nephew of JBL has allowed Slater to let his hair down and have some fun, and WWE would be wise to take those traits and incorporate them into a new gimmick.

Slater has been a heel for a long time. Let's give the kid a chance to be a funny babyface and see what happens.

Erick Rowan

Erick Rowan was a great addition to The Wyatt Family as the silent and mysterious powerhouse but has failed to make the needed connection as a singles star.

Maybe it's the sudden and unexplained heel turn, or perhaps it's the halfhearted attempt to make Rowan into a strange genius. Whatever it is, Rowan just hasn't clicked yet.

Ever since Survivor Series, he has been unable to pick up a significant victory and has been used to put over Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper on separate occasions.

Rowan needs to either return to his heel roots or make a significant change to his character to make it through 2015 without turning into the next Snitsky.

Cody "Stardust" Rhodes

Some might be surprised to see Stardust on this list. After all, Cody Rhodes has done a wonderful job taking what could have been an absolute train wreck and turning it into something very entertaining.

The problem is that this cannot be a long-term gimmick for the younger Rhodes brother. Taking the Goldust character and tweaking it just enough to be different makes the two an interesting tag team, but there's no way Stardust won't return as Cody Rhodes in 2015.

The first issue with Stardust is that the change in character came out of nowhere. One day, he was Cody Rhodes, and the next, he was painting his face and shrieking like a rabid cat.

After a little while, we accepted the shift in persona because Rhodes was so good, but now he has hit a wall. Without the title or a major feud, Gold and Stardust are venturing close to comedy territory.

While being funny is a major asset for a lot of wrestlers, being a comedy character is all but a death sentence in WWE. Rhodes is the kind of talent who could be worthy of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship under the right circumstances; that just won't be possible with a star painted on his face.

Returning to his old self, feuding with his brother and getting back to rising through the ranks as a singles star is what's best for business and best for Cody Rhodes.

Honorable Mentions

The WWE roster is larger than you might think when you watch its weekly product and see the same 20 Superstars cycled in and out of various feuds.

Sometimes a wrestler will sit on the sidelines for months at a time with no real reason other than the fact that WWE has nothing for them.

The list of Superstars who could benefit from a gimmick change is almost too large to put into one slideshow. Here are a few other wrestlers who might want to think about trying something new:

• David Otunga
• Curtis Axel
• Titus O'Neil
• Los Matadores
• R-Truth

Which WWE Superstars do you feel need to switch up their characters in order to survive another year?

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.