Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
Chapter 3: How to Refresh a Character
Hey everybody and welcome back to Zach's How to Guide. Previous editions have included how to bring back Christian into the WWE and how to mainstream ROH. Last week's article about ROH elicited some strong responses from the ROH faithful. One person recommended FX as a possible network solution, one recommended bringing back CM Punk for a one night only match, and another hated the idea after seeing what happened with ECW's first go around with TV.
This week will be a fun subject: how to refresh a character. One of my favorite things in wrestling is when a character completely changes in one week into something new. I don't care what or who it is, if a character is completely revamped I will make sure to watch their new persona live on television and several times on Youtube.
I can recall several instances of this happening in the last few years in the WWE, and here is the scale I would rank them on.
***** Johnny Nitro into John Morrison (Remember when Nitro did a press conference on Raw, and the next week Jeff Hardy compared it to paint drying. Now he is the WWE's hottest character and is a lock to be the next HBK)
**** Bradshaw into JBL (I hate his wrestling ability as much as you do, but in recent history it is the most dramatic change and his promo ability over that time has been second to none)
*** Viscera into Big Daddy V (Same goes for wrestling like JBL, but he instantly became a much cooler character with the new gimmick. Plus, he was in an elimination chamber match just this year. Think that would have happened if he was still the love machine?)
** Funaki into Kung Fu Naki (Yes it's dumb, but its also hysterical. It's also another example of the WWE putting faith into a long standing veteran)
* Chavo Guerrero into Kerwin White (Cool cause he rode to the ring in a golf cart, but what a brutal gimmick)
1/2* Animal into The Road Warrior (Forget about that gimmick when he changed from the badass tag team wrestler into a leather clad biker? Youtube it and you'll see why one star)
All of these gimmick changes were overnight switches. Sure there were hints of a change coming, but its one of those things where if you miss the episode, you come back the next week with jaws dropped scratching your head. I missed one week of Smackdown this past summer, came back and saw Brian Kendrick dancing in a white scratched jacket with a big dude behind him. This is the kind of change I am talking about.
So how can the WWE refresh a character?
Change the name. Let's take another veteran in the WWE who could use a change in character – Val Venis. (Yeah I remember Chief Morley too, but bear with me). Let's for fun call him Mr. Johnson and give him the gimmick of a rich guy who hires big badasses to do his work like Umaga, Mike Knox, and Snitsky.
New music. I'll miss "Hello Ladiessss," but a guy who basically hires mercenaries should have the music of a rich man like JBL.
Switch up the move set. Obviously as a heel, some moves may be different than that of a face, but to completely overhaul a character, most moves should be different.
Well that's my idea. I would love to hear some of yours for which superstars you want with new gimmicks. Shoot me an email at zachlevine86@gmail.com and let me know what you think.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for next week's chapter…How to End the Orton-Rhodes Storyline Already!
