10 Crazy Proposed WWE Gimmicks We Never Got To See

When it comes to ridiculing ill-fitting wrestling personas of years gone by, we all skew toward the usual suspects - why is Ric Flair pretending to be a a sorcerer with a spaceship? Who thought sticking Typhoon in a bedazzled Stormtrooper helmet (one without an apparent chin strap) was a good idea? Who looked at young and imposing Glenn Jacobs, and decided he needed to pull teeth?

The creative process, if that's what you want to call it, can be arduous and nerve-wracking, as the characters we see on our TV screens often went through a lengthy period of tooling and retooling (and certainly, The Black Scorpion was definitely a tool). In some cases, the finished product may look far different than was originally intended. Sketches from WWE's creative services department have surfaced over the years, showing us some radically different looks for WWE stars.

In this article, we'll examine some of those iterations in which life didn't imitate art, as well as other instances in which a promising wrestler was intended to have a very different gimmick than what we got.

After Vince McMahon's rumoured plans for The Revival before their recent release were revealed, let's take a look at some more gimmicks we ALMOST saw...

When it comes to ridiculing ill-fitting wrestling personas of years gone by, we all skew toward the usual suspects - why is Ric Flair pretending to be a a sorcerer with a spaceship? Who thought sticking Typhoon in a bedazzled Stormtrooper helmet (one without an apparent chin strap) was a good idea? Who looked at young and imposing Glenn Jacobs, and decided he needed to pull teeth?

The creative process, if that's what you want to call it, can be arduous and nerve-wracking, as the characters we see on our TV screens often went through a lengthy period of tooling and retooling (and certainly, The Black Scorpion was definitely a tool). In some cases, the finished product may look far different than was originally intended. Sketches from WWE's creative services department have surfaced over the years, showing us some radically different looks for WWE stars.

In this article, we'll examine some of those iterations in which life didn't imitate art, as well as other instances in which a promising wrestler was intended to have a very different gimmick than what we got.

After Vince McMahon's rumoured plans for The Revival before their recent release were revealed, let's take a look at some more gimmicks we ALMOST saw...

10. Open The Gate

When Dustin Rhodes returned to WWE in 1995, he was a seven-year pro whose character history was very simple - he was a tall and lean good ol' boy with short blonde hair and infectious energy. In other words, he was Dusty's son, and there wasn't much else that differentiated him from his old man, aside from the fact that he was taller and more athletic.

Becoming Goldust shocked a lot of people, but there's no denying that it was a necessary change - it's the role he's most identified with now.

But when Rhodes was getting set for his WWE comeback, different ideas for his look and presentation were bandied about, before they settled on the golden bodysuit and face paint.

One idea from the collection of sketches is labelled "Stargate", which seems to borrow liberally from movie of the previous year. In the sketch, Rhodes' look appears to be based on the Goa'uld, these alien overlords based on the Egyptian Gods, complete with boots designed like sandals, and hieroglyphics adorning his clothing. Perhaps this is where Dustin's brother got the idea to name his dog Pharoah?

9. The Harder They Thaw

When you consider the WWE career of Heidenreich, you must admit - it's unique. The imposing heavyweight initially performed in a quickly-jettisoned angle in which he was to have been guided by a childhood doll, and later he began reading twisted poetry while marching around with children. By comparison, attacking fans and playing the unlikely heir to the Road Warrior Hawk legacy were strokes of genius. But it could have been much, MUCH worse.

Former WWE writer Dan Madigan (who wrote the script for See No Evil) revealed that he pitched a unique role for the tall, blonde-haired powerhouse: Baron Von Bava, a Nazi stormtrooper frozen by the government in the 1940s, then thawed out in 2004, hellbent on wreaking havoc. According to Madigan, when he pitched the idea to a room that included Vince McMahon, he even performed a goosestep to demonstrate how Heidenreich would make his entrance. After making a red numbskull of himself, Madigan sat down to stunned silence, after which a clearly perturbed Vince got up and left for the day. When you can horrify Vince, you've really done something.

8. Sleazy Rider

For this one, elements of the original artwork were incorporated into the gimmick we saw, though they seemed more literal in the planning stages than in the execution. You know the story of Shawn Michaels' famed heel turn: donning a leather jacket and a passive smirk, he kicks partner Marty Jannetty in the mouth, before launching him through a plate-glass window, severing the Rockers' union. This moodier, surlier Michaels ultimately became a preening prima donna who fell for Sensational Sherri.

While *that* Michaels took on characteristics of an egotistical lothario, there was apparently an idea to make him a rebellious biker. The provided artwork shows Michaels looking similar to Marlon Brando in The Wild One (or Adrian Adonis, pre-Adorable, the opposite of an amorous ladies man. In the coming years, Michaels did take on some of the biker attire as part of the Heartbreak Kid ensemble (especially the biker cap), but never was that the overriding theme. Instead, Shawn came off more like a male stripper who used biker get-up as part of his stage motif, which sounds very odd when phrased that way.

7. Industrial Giant

If ever there were a wrestler who possessed the dry wit, soft-spoken charm, and calmly-delivered sarcasm of Robert Downey Jr, it would be necessary to make him the focal point of a major promotion. It's hard to imagine anyone in wrestling (or anywhere, for that matter) doing the same justice to his portrayal of Iron Man alter ego Tony Stark, but if somebody were to put forth a good effort on that front, we might see something special. As it turns out, a few years ago, somebody *did* make an attempt in that direction.

Sometime around the time of his dead end run as the maniacal, hissing Stardust, Cody Rhodes filmed a pilot vignette alongside wife Brandi (then WWE ring announcer Eden Stiles), in which Rhodes' affluence, family connections, and cultural standing were emphasised. Titled "Rhodes Industries", it seemed like Cody was going for some of the casual smarm of Tony Stark (with Brandi as a more demanding Pepper Potts), but nothing ever came of the pitch. And hey, who knows how different the wrestling landscape may be today if Cody Rhodes felt like he was being listened to creatively in WWE?

6. Weapon Of Match Destruction

Adam Bomb was ahead of his time in many ways. Built like a combination of Sheamus and Cesaro, the real life Bryan Clark possessed impressive agility for a heavyweight wrestler, while still towering over opponents like an ideal monster heel should. The Bomb character cast Clark as a survivor of the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979, which resulted in him having, shall we say, radioactive powers. Point being, the Adam Bomb gimmick played on Clark's overall physical presence.

When Clark first signed with WWE in 1993, there appeared to be many ideas for him, all of which centered around the idea that he was a certified bad ass. One concept sketch, labeled "Soldier of Fortune", had him brandishing nunchucks and a ninja star. Another depicted Clark in Gladiator-style getup, presumably on his way to maul some poor bastard inside the Coliseum.

This seems to indicate that Clark left McMahon with the usual hoss-boner that Vince tends to get whenever some powerhouse enters his field of vision, and he wanted to see his new muscleman in all sorts of nifty costumes. In the end, goggles and a singlet it was.

5. Hardcore Expedition

Though he has a legitimate background in auto-racing, Bob Holly did well for himself to drop the "Spark Plug" character, and just keep it no frills. Hardcore Holly was the best use of Holly - a no-nonsense ass-kicker with a slight chip on his shoulder, taking more than a little pleasure as he roughs up his opponents. There was nothing goofy or silly about Holly - he was as meat and potatoes as it got (with emphasis on "potatoes"). Which is why this idea, no pun intended, is so far-out.

Current Major League Wrestling CEO Court Bauer once worked in creative in WWE, and, with the new ECW brand heading to the SyFy channel, Bauer pitched a science fiction-themed idea for Hardcore: becoming an astronaut. Holly had been out of action for a while, so the idea was to explain that during his time away, he'd been working for NASA, and had gone into space with a monkey. Holly would then make his entrance in a space suit and accompanied by said monkey, all while keeping a straight face. The fact that this never happened means there's just no justice in this world.

4. Rasslin' On A Prayer

The Rock 'n Wrestling Era may have faded considerably by the end of the eighties, but come 1990, WWE looked to jump-start its own rock and roll revolution. A wrestler that had just recently debuted with the company was being earmarked for a push as the in-ring version of Jon Bon Jovi, complete with songs written by Jimmy Hart for said wrestler to record lyrics for. So who was this would-be teen idol raring to set hearts afire with his melodic vocals and his killer wrestling moves?

If you can believe it, it was 25-year-old Shane Douglas. It may sound a little far-fetched, before muscling up and spewing venomous profanity as "The Franchise", Douglas was a thin, long-haired kid that looked the part of a typical white-meat babyface. He remembers Jimmy Hart playing the songs for him (two of which were called "American Girls" and "Rockin' Down the Hall"), and having Douglas sing along to see what style of rock best suited his voice.

So what happened? Douglas ended up taking months off in the first half of 1991 to care for his ailing father, and the idea never did reach the charts.

3. Strange Days

If Douglas were meant to play a lively, fan-friendly rock star, this would be the polar opposite. Very few wrestlers can pull off "brooding but charismatic", connecting with audiences the sort of understated yet eloquent angst possessed by iconic Doors frontman Jim Morrison.

The gold standard for that sort of character in wrestling isn't John Morrison, but instead Raven, who mixed dry philosophy with a sociopathic bent, somehow being both covetous and nihilistic at once. That's a thin line to walk, and that's why so few walk it well.

One wrestler who had little interest in easing across that tightrope was Edge. Though the best version of "The Rated R Superstar" was the unrepentant antagonist that schemed his way to the top on the backs of his fallen rivals, he didn't start out in WWE that way. The 1998 version of Edge was a brooding mute, apparently tormented by some sort of unnamed trauma. Worse, the original idea according to Edge was to make him a "modern day Jim Morrison", even going so far as to have him read poetry, meant to play over his debut vignettes. Edge admits he wasn't comfortable with the role (especially that whole Leaves of Grass BS), and the poetry was later given to Heidenreich (we think).

2. Family Man

Nobody else could've pulled off Razor Ramon like Scott Hall did - and don't say Al Pacino, because he's waaay too short. The influence for Razor was obviously Scarface, based on some of the phrases employed by Hall (i.e. "The Bad Guy"), as well as the phony accent. Even the name is a nod to Tony Montana's occupation and addiction, since razors are used to cut cocaine. For such a kid-friendly company, they were a little on the nose (or is it inside the nose?) about what Razor Ramon was representing.

The early artwork for the Razor character goes a little bit beyond the nods to the movie, and seems to cast Hall as something a bit closer to a mafia figure, complete with fedora, sunglasses, and coat. It's not clear of Razor Ramon would have been a crime boss, or a well-paid enforcer for some no-nonsense outfit, but what *is* clear is that it would've been too much. A mafia gimmick could work for some, but a powerful and charismatic figure like Scott Hall was better served speaking for himself, and doing his own dirty work. Until he joined the nWo, anyway.

1. True Hit

Bret "The Hitman" Hart made it to the top of pro wrestling on account of three qualities he had in abundance - unparalleled technical skill, a tireless work ethic, and a permeating sense of authenticity. "The Hitman" is the epitome of the "ordinary guy capable of extraordinary things" in wrestling, a cool and calm hero who doesn't need to be bombastic or over-the-top. That served him well once he found his footing in WWE, but when he was just breaking into the company, he was a colourless curtain-jerker that lacked a hook.

In early 1985, mere months into his Federation run, WWE attempted to give Hart a gimmick: he was going to be a cowboy. Following the first WrestleMania, "Cowboy" Bret Hart was going to ride to the ring on a horse, before dismantling the villainous varmints with his expert mat wrestling. Hart loathed the idea, as he didn't know how to ride a horse, and being from the western Canadian prairies, if you weren't actually a cowboy, you better not pretend to be one. Though Bret would later play a bounty hunter on the 1990s TV western Lonesome Dove, his in-ring persona remained free from ill-fitting gimmicks, and it was the unencumbered "Hitman" that rose to the WWE title.