The Top 25 Most Annoying Wrestling Gimmicks

[JamesG]

In sports-entertainment, a gimmick is the personality, attire, attitude and behavior of a competitor. Gimmicks aren’t solely reserved for those who step into the ring, however, as a host of managers and announcers have also seen their gimmicks become popular or hated by our fans. But what happens when a sports-entertainer is so over-the-top that their gimmick becomes so much more than beloved or despised? What happens when a gimmick just aggravates the hell out all of us? WWE.com presents the Top 25 Most Annoying Gimmicks of All Time, where we find out just what it takes for this elite group of personalities to drive us crazy:




25. Mideon


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/Mideon.jpg


Before Big Dick Johnson oiled himself up and danced the night away, there was Naked Mideon. In 2000, Mideon was armed with only a fanny pack and a thong as he interrupted matches and streaked through arenas, infuriating Superstars and fans alike as he bared his assets around the world.




24. Heidenreich


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Admittedly, Heidenreich scares us. Not for his in-ring power or prowess, but for his poetry and his physical nature outside the ring. Heidenreich’s physical and verbal assault of Michael Cole in 2004 put a stamp on how horrendous this gimmick was, and the psychopathic poet was finally released in 2006, putting an end to the despair.




23. Tiger Ali Singh


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As an in-ring performer, his arrogance and his servant, Babu, made him easily annoying to audiences. Add to that the time Singh spent as the manager of Lo Down – a period that of all things, gave Singh the opportunity to sound off – and you had one of the most infuriating competitors of the “Attitude” era.




22. Mantaur


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Wow. Where do we start with Mantaur? His in-ring offense consisted of charging and mauling his opponents. His manager was the fast-speaking, obnoxious Jim Cornette. Did we mention he was dressed as a bull? Mantaur wasn’t around long, but the combination of his attire, his maneuvers and his manager just equals exasperation.




21. PMS


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Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and The Pretty Mean Sisters, Jacqueline & Terri, showed that when they banded together in November 1998. After feeling the spurn of their respective loves, the Diva duo reigned hell over the male population of WWE, interfering in matches and even bringing on their own love slave, Meat. Thankfully, PMS was short-lived, coming to an end in August of 1999.




20. Battle Kat


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To us, Battlecat will always be the beast that Cringer transforms into when He-Man calls on the power of Greyskull – despite the WWE Battle Kat’s best efforts to make us think otherwise. An extremely short-lived gimmick in the 80s, Mr. Kat, or Battle to his friends, didn’t so much annoy us as he did puzzle us. Who in their right mind would wear a giant teddy bear-like mask and call themselves a cat? Sadly, the man behind the mask passed away in 1998.




19. Max Moon


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In 1992, Max Moon debuted in WWE and quickly became one of the roster’s most painfully annoying gimmicks. Reason one: Max Moon was billed from Outer Space. Nope, that is not a typo. Max Moon came straight from other galaxies to compete in WWE. Did we forget to mention he shot sparkles into the crowd as he entered the arena? The other-worldly Superstar was armed with Tron-like attire (which, ok, was pretty cool) and sparkles. Enough said.




18. Vinnie Vegas


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We all make mistakes. Kevin Nash made quite a few of them (See: Oz), but none more maddening than his 1992 gimmick – Vinnie Vegas – con man and card shark. Vegas was only around a short time, but his biggest gamble came when he left WCW in 1993 to join WWE as Diesel. Apparently, Nash learned from his mistakes. And we can all be happy about that.




17. "Playboy" Buddy Rose


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Rose promised when he arrived on the WWE scene in the early 80s that "big things were going to happen," and they sure did – on the scales! With his cocky attitude and his “don’t you wish you were me” attitude, Rose continually fed his ego (among other things), infuriating everyone in his path with his lavish lifestyle and famous “Blow Away Diet.” Perhaps most annoyed by the “Playboy” was ring announcer Howard Finkel, who was forced to announce the round and robust Rose’s weight at a “slim & trim” 217 pounds.




16. Aldo Montoya


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The Portuguese Man O’ War just irked us. It wasn’t that Montoya wasn’t talented – he was. What bothered us the most: Never in WWE history had a competitor lasted so long with a bright yellow jock strap over his face. Some may argue that this gimmick was just incredible, but we say it just stunk.




15. "Wildman" Marc Mero


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/WildmanMarcMero.jpg


After a stint in WCW as the equally stomach-curdling Johnny B. Badd, Mero hit WWE as the “Wildman.” Although he captured the Intercontinental Championship in 1996, Mero was as popular with our fans as a Kenny G concert, and he had the personality to match it. The best thing about Mero’s WWE stint was bringing in the blonde bombshell Sable, and even that got old quick.

[JamesG]

14. Spirit Squad


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/SpiritSquad.jpg


The New Kids on the Block of sports-entertainment, the Spirit Squad was gifted and god awful at the same time. Fully aware of their skills, Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky & Mikey were in-your-face and over the top annoying. With an array of cheers, an unending energy supply, and the World Tag Team Championship around any two members’ waists, the Spirit Squad was a fixture on Raw – until DX packed them up and shipped them off. DX, we’ve got two words for you: Thank you!




13. The Genius


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/TheGenius.jpg


Lanny Poffo’s gimmick as a studious, pompous poet in the 80s and early 90s did a whole lot more than just annoy our fans, it got under the skin of every WWE Superstar to set foot in the ring against him. The Genius was unorthodox in the ring as well, making any opponent uncomfortable en route to mild success during his WWE career.




12. "Real Man's Man" William Regal


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Long before he became the powerful General Manager of Raw or the 2008 King of the Ring, Regal spent time donning a construction helmet and flannel shirts. When this manly gimmick debuted in 1998, our fans didn’t know what to think as Regal chopped wood, shaved with a plain razor, and squeezed his own orange juice. (We wish this was a joke.) No offense to the plug-pulling GM, but we actually like him better now.




11. Glacier


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/Glacier.jpg


Straight out of Mortal Kombat and into our living rooms, Glacier drove us mad when he debuted in WCW in 1996. With his extravagant ring attire, laser light entrance and win-loss record comparable to Glass Joe of Mike Tyson’s Punch Out fame, Glacier annoyed audiences for nearly three years before he melted away.




10. Jillian


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/Jillian.jpg


Talented in the ring, Jillian’s accomplishments are overshadowed by her ear-piercing serenading of sold out arenas around the world. Anytime the tone deaf Diva has a live microphone, our fans run for cover before she can belt out one of her ever-infamous tunes. What makes Jillian even more annoying to our fans? The siren-sounding songstress actually thinks it sounds good.




9. Joel Gertner


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“Well, well, well.” The self-proclaimed “Quintessential Studmuffin” was a fixture during ECW’s original run in the 90s, and he made sure that nobody would ever forget his name. From color commentary alongside Joey Styles, to guiding the Dudley Boyz to eight ECW Tag Team Championships, the neck brace-clad, bow tie-wearing Gertner’s irritating ways garnered our fans attention, and also put him on this list. Gertner was last seen begging for a job at ECW’s One Night Stand in 2005.




8. Repo Man


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He repossessed items from people when they couldn’t make payments. No, seriously. His maniacal laugh coupled with the fact that he most resembled the Hamburgler made it easy for our fans to grow worn-out pretty quickly. Maybe we could have learned to like Repo if he actually did something in the ring worthy of accomplishment, but sadly, he didn’t. Even more annoying? Repo keeps finding his way back to WWE for Gimmick Battle Royals




7. Right To Censor


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No faction in WWE history was more cringe-inducing to our fans than RTC. Steven Richards led The Goodfather, Val Venis, Ivory & Bull Buchanan in an aggravating effort to “clean up” WWE of its “scantily clad” Divas and hardcore in-ring matches. Even more annoying to our fans was RTC’s success, piling up victories throughout 2000 and 2001 – and even a World Tag Team Championship before finally relieving WWE of its antics.




6. Bill Alfonso


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/BillAlfonso.jpg


We could’ve kept Alfonso off this list if he had stayed to his roots as a no-nonsense referee, but instead he became a manager and made us all suffer. Blowing on his trademark whistle throughout the matches of those he managed, the only thing more annoying than Alfonso’s noise making was the success of those he led to the ring. The pint-sized pied piper led Tazz, Sabu and Rob Van Dam to numerous titles in the original ECW, all while our fans covered their ears.




5. Dungeon Of Doom


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Arguably leading a collection of the most mind-boggling gimmicks in sports-entertainment history, The Taskmaster was joined by The Shark, Zodiac, Kamala, The Giant, The Barbarian, Meng & Jimmy Hart with the sole purpose of ridding WCW of Hulkamania. The group succeeded in one area: aggravating an entire roster of Superstars, every fan in the seats, and anyone watching around the world. Not only did they not rid WCW of Hogan, they tucked tail altogether when Hollywood Hogan emerged to lead the nWo – annoying us even more.




4. Brother Love


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/BrotherLove.jpg


“I looooooooooooove you.” Brother Love came to WWE in June 1988 and began hosting his Brother Love Show. Immediately, the red-faced, white suit-wearing personality got under everyone’s skin with his evangelical ways, drawing the ire of Superstars like Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior, as well as our fans. His preachy words and underhanded ways made him even harder to stomach, but he is credited with introducing Undertaker to WWE audiences, so maybe he wasn’t all bad.




3. The Shockmaster


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/TheShockmaster.jpg


What annoyed us about The Shockmaster? We are actually more agitated that WCW didn’t capitalize on the moment it had on that fateful day in 1993 when Shockmaster came crashing through the wall. Dressed in jeans, a long black vest and a glittery Storm Trooper helmet, Shockmaster’s unforgettable and embarrassing debut is part of sports-entertainment immortality, although it’s a moment he’d rather forget.




2. Paul Heyman


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/PaulHeyman.jpg


The brain behind the extreme movement, Heyman is an in-your-face, obnoxious know-it-all whose views and opinions on sports-entertainment never seemed to agree with WWE’s ways. His master plan to invade WWE in 2001 with Shane & Stephanie McMahon failed, and Heyman was thankfully removed from his position as Raw’s loudmouthed color commentator, sparing us all from his diatribe.




1. Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart


http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/JamesGrec/JimmyHart.jpg


The original pain-in-the-butt, Hart is easily our choice as the “godfather” of annoying gimmicks. Armed with a megaphone and an unending supply of energy, Hart would bounce around the outside of the ring as he barked out the ever-famous “come on, baby” as encouragement to those under his tutelage. The “Mouth of the South” managed numerous Superstars to WWE gold, and his megaphone was just as dangerous as his words – making him the only WWE Hall of Famer on this list.


http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/top25mostannoyinggimmicks/

[Marvo301]

Can't believe you didn't include Mr. Perfect. I found him very annoying.

[sara]

Two words: Gobbledy Gooker

[Brian Damage]

what about the WWE's "Evil" Bizarro Santa AKA Xanta Klaus

[Marvo301]

How about the super hero wanna be The Hurricane?

146897

[comedyfreak]

I liked Hurricane, whuts up wit dat?

I didn't like:
Mark Mero
The Bushwackers they were more effective as The Sheepherders.
The Red Rooster
Irwin R Shyster
MVP
Val Venis


IMO Jimmy Hart shouldn't be on the list he's one of the best managers in wrestling history.

[Brad Russ]

Can't believe you didn't include Mr. Perfect. I found him very annoying.

Mr. Perfect was actually one of my all time favorite gimmicks. I thought he had the attitude to back it up. And he certainy had the athletic ability to back up the name. I always thought his wrestling ability was extremely underrated, and still think he's one of the best technical wrestlers of his generation.

[Brad Russ]

I'm surprised Duke The Dumpster Droese didn't make the list. That guy annoyed the heck out of me. I'm also surprised Bastion Booger didn't make the list.

[JamesG]

I will say that I think it's a shame that Lanny Poffo never got as famous as his brother, Macho Man, did.

Lanny is a very well-spoken and intelligent person and he had to deal with stupid gimmicks like this "Genius" bit.

[Big C]

To me, I associate "annoying gimmick" with "stupidity" or lack of charisma or success.

The #1 and #2 guys made good contributions to the sport- Heyman did spawn the original ECW, and Jimmy Hart was a manager of champions and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame.

To me, anyone who has good accomplishments can't be considered annoying.

I'd put the Shockmaster #1- Heyman and Hart had their positives, something the Shockmaster did not.

Besides, at least Heyman never tripped when coming towards the ring.

[Zoneboy]

Heyman did spawn the original ECW.

ECW was spawned by Tod Gordon in 1992, Heyman took over in 96.

The Gentrys - Spread it On Thick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25Ii5XZdWlc&feature=related)
Jimmy Hart is the background singer on the left.

[Brad Russ]

To me, I associate "annoying gimmick" with "stupidity" or lack of charisma or success.

The #1 and #2 guys made good contributions to the sport- Heyman did spawn the original ECW, and Jimmy Hart was a manager of champions and a member of the WWE Hall of Fame.

To me, anyone who has good accomplishments can't be considered annoying.

I'd put the Shockmaster #1- Heyman and Hart had their positives, something the Shockmaster did not.

Besides, at least Heyman never tripped when coming towards the ring.

I agree with you about Heyman, I was shocked to see him on the list. Especially at number two no less. :eek: I actually don't really even consider him a gimmick, I just think he's a slightly exaggerated version of his true self. He was a revolutionary in the business, and I've heard from many in the business that say he has one of the greatest minds for wrestling out of anyone they've ever met, so I give a huge thumsdown for him making this list. :thumbsdow He'd be better making a list for most brilliant minds, or something like that.

[JamesG]

ECW was spawned by Tod Gordon in 1992, Heyman took over in 96.

Yeah, it sucks how the whole ECW company just fell apart.

Paul Heyman was a terrible businessman. He was a great showman and had a brilliant wrestling mind but he could not do business. The company ran out of money and he could not pay his employees.

Then Vince McMahon took advantage of this and recruited Heyman's most popular wrestlers by paying them more money than Heyman promised.

Also, the ECW was given a crappy deal with television; Spike TV. They put ECW on the air to see if pro-wrestling would attract viewers to their channel. I really don't think they ever had any intention of really pushing and advertising ECW. Spike just wanted to know that there was a market for wrestling. Once they learned there was an audience, they dropped ECW and made a deal with Vince McMahon. Spike replaced ECW with Monday Night RAW for a few years.

Going bankrupt, losing the big stars to the WWE or WCW, and no television deal were the end for the ECW.

[comedyfreak]

I'm surprised Duke The Dumpster Droese didn't make the list. That guy annoyed the heck out of me. I'm also surprised Bastion Booger didn't make the list.

And don't forget the Honky Tonk Man.

[JamesG]

Just wondering, did anyone actually like Doink & Dink The Clowns?

[Chain Gang Member]

Chris Jericho as a heel(at least the 2002-03 and today one)