Do wrestlers even have gimmicks anymore

[Playaz Eyez]

Like I said, there's stuff I like and some I don't... if there's something strange about that to you, I can't tell you what to do about that.

Yeah, I know what Bret Hart's deal was- that said, it wasn't an over-the-top gimmick. It was his character in wordplay only- it wasn't like he was out there acting like a hired hitman from the mob or some shyt. And that's what I seem to get from the premise of this thread that every wrestler without a super-defined gimmick doesn't have a gimmick at all.

Bray Wyatt's character is nothing like The New Day, which is nothing like Rusev's, which is nothing like Balor's, which is nothing like Ambrose's, which isn't like Miz's, which isn't like Enzo & Cass, which isn't like Cesaro's... these are all distinctive characters who aren't interchangeable with each other. There are some bland/uninteresting dudes on the rosters of course, most of which probably aren't prominently featured for that same reason, but to say there's no gimmicks isn't true... liking them or not is a matter of choice/opinion.

Take everything literal brehs

 

[TransJenner]

Someone mentioned Vince wanting to own them and not have them use there old gimmicks in the indies


Kinda makes sense

 

[DANJ!]

Take everything literal brehs

Lack reading comprehension, breh.

Point is, sure Bret had a gimmick. But it wasn't an over-the-top gimmick, which is actually surprising considering the era it was in. According to the OP though, this would mean Bret didn't have a gimmick at all, since apparently no one has gimmicks anymore... even though we clearly see that the majority of 'em do.

 

[Saiyajin]

Y2J's gimmick is loyal friend

simple but effective he's carrying the show

the lock on his face when he showed up at HIAC with the key and locked himself in

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Lack reading comprehension, breh.

Point is, sure Bret had a gimmick. But it wasn't an over-the-top gimmick, which is actually surprising considering the era it was in. According to the OP though, this would mean Bret didn't have a gimmick at all, since apparently no one has gimmicks anymore... even though we clearly see that the majority of 'em do.

So basically we're in agreement for the most part, except for the fact that a lot of guys right now are floundering with only a modicum of personality/character. What's Neville's gimmick? Zayn? Cesaro ()?, Curtis Axel? Most of the CWs (I know they haven't been there long)??

 

[DANJ!]

So basically we're in agreement for the most part, except for the fact that a lot of guys right now are floundering with only a modicum of personality/character. What's Neville's gimmick? Zayn? Cesaro ()?, Curtis Axel? Most of the CWs (I know they haven't been there long)??

Again, I think Cesaro has found maybe not a 'gimmick', but something that works and an image... he's a lot more of a personality now than when he came there and his gimmick was that he could speak 5 languages. Neville's whole thing is built around his high-flying, it's his tagline and everything. Even though these are not over-the-top things, they're not Drew Gulak or Apollo Crews either. shyt, the most popular star of the last few years didn't have a real 'gimmick' except for a chant everybody loved and a big beard- they could've put a Gladiator costume on Daniel Bryan and nobody woulda given a fukk.

I'm a fan of the late-80s/early-90s era, so I know all about gimmicks... but everybody spent so much time wanting wrestling to be more "realistic", so now we get more "realistic" people and only now does it occur that a bunch of "realism" isn't as fun to watch all the time. And most of those "realistic" no-gimmick guys are the ones who aren't over and will only go so far. The most featured stars right now all have distinctive gimmicks or images.

 

[Playaz Eyez]

Again, I think Cesaro has found maybe not a 'gimmick', but something that works and an image... he's a lot more of a personality now than when he came there and his gimmick was that he could speak 5 languages. Neville's whole thing is built around his high-flying, it's his tagline and everything. Even though these are not over-the-top things, they're not Drew Gulak or Apollo Crews either. shyt, the most popular star of the last few years didn't have a real 'gimmick' except for a chant everybody loved and a big beard- they could've put a Gladiator costume on Daniel Bryan and nobody woulda given a fukk.

I'm a fan of the late-80s/early-90s era, so I know all about gimmicks... but everybody spent so much time wanting wrestling to be more "realistic", so now we get more "realistic" people and only now does it occur that a bunch of "realism" isn't as fun to watch all the time. And most of those "realistic" no-gimmick guys are the ones who aren't over and will only go so far. The most featured stars right now all have distinctive gimmicks or images.

Bryan became larger than life....

Not really sure about Cesaro though. I'm a big fan of his, and do think he has a lot of personality, but I really don't know what they're doing with him. They botched the entire Best of 7 series and them teaming together as well. Neville basically is UK Apollo Crews though.

 

[Spyro]

Maybe I'm just old school, but I'd rather see coming down to the ring "The Lumberjack" vs "The Murderous Minister". Both dressed like their respective jobs, both using weapons that suit their gimmicks.

Rather than "Here comes Sami Zayn vs Neville"

 

[DANJ!]

Maybe I'm just old school, but I'd rather see coming down to the ring "The Lumberjack" vs "The Murderous Minister". Both dressed like their respective jobs, both using weapons that suit their gimmicks.

Rather than "Here comes Sami Zayn vs Neville"

That type of stuff doesn't work anymore tho'... and a lil' of my old school side misses that. But there's another part of my old school side that wasn't fukkin' with none of that Dungeon of Doom type shyt in the 90s, or any of those throwback attempts WWE was trying around '04... because wrestling had changed and got more edgy and 'realistic', etc... a lot of the stuff that worked back in them days, it'd take a lot of reprogramming to make those types of gimmicks work again today.

 

[Hope]

Zayn was huge in NXT, and Neville did his thing. They took away both guys steam. Seems to me Zayn's pop was much lighter tonight. He should get a character modification.

Same with Neville, give him a character, not necessarily a gimmick. I always attest that Neville's problem is that it's all about that finisher. Same thing they did with Evan Bourne. U know the guy is going to win because he ha to hit that finisher, he may do other nice thins, but really not much going on.

 

[dbp]

I think what u wanna say is none of the wrestlers are truly "larger than life"

Most of the 80's OG's were roided up, mullet wearing buff guys with coked up charisma (ala Warrior, Macho, Hogan, etc)

Nowadays, look at NXT, most of these new guys and girls are nerds, female Athletic anime geeks, HS wrestlers, athletic video game players, etc cacs who were molded in the NXT developmental to be cookie cutter robots and thats why none of them pan out.

Thats why neckbeards hold onto Indy foreign stars so tightly because thats all we got.

I can't remember a time when the internet turned on indy guys and smarks as much as right now. Maybe that was the masterplan all along, give the internet dorks what they want so they could see how bad it is, and then long for gimmicks of the past?

 

[jackswstd]

Gimmicks aren't the problem. A lot of these guys & girls lack personality and charisma to pull off gimmicks. They don't carry themselves like superstars. Right now when you look at Nakamura, you see a star. There's no one on the roster like him. Jericho has reinvented himself many times to stay relevant.

 

[richaveli83]

The post in that other thread that said "what if they had debuted the Undertaker as Mark Cameron??"

 

[Berniewood Hogan]

I can't remember a time when the internet turned on indy guys and smarks as much as right now. Maybe that was the masterplan all along, give the internet dorks what they want so they could see how bad it is, and then long for gimmicks of the past?

"I'll work the smarks into shoot heat with the indy darlings so I can push generic CAWS!"

 

[TransJenner]

Gimmicks aren't the problem. A lot of these guys & girls lack personality and charisma to pull off gimmicks. They don't carry themselves like superstars. Right now when you look at Nakamura, you see a star. There's no one on the roster like him. Jericho has reinvented himself many times to stay relevant.

The NXT debut

I became a believer