10 Most Uncomfortable Gimmicks In ECW History
The history of ECW featured characters that crossed the line and created a buzz. Controversy helped ECW become a viable alternative to WWE and WCW with a strong diehard fan following. Paul Heyman has a great reputation for putting talents in a position to succeed, but that doesn’t mean every single wrestler had a gimmick that stands the test of time.RELATED: 5 Best (& 5 Worst) PPV Main Events In ECW HistoryQuite a few wrestlers were given characters that came off uncomfortable watching. The stories range from talents who rebounded with better gimmicks to those who never recovered. Heyman booked to the audience that watched ECW, but not everything connected. Find out what provided discomfort for certain extreme wrestling gimmicks.
10 Kimona Wanalaya
ECW utilized the drawing power of sex appeal with a few of the female performers on the roster. Most had relevant roles as managers like Francine or Beulah McGillicutty, but some were just remembered for the odd segments.
RELATED: 10 Controversial Things You Forgot Happened In ECW
Kimona Wanalaya managed multiple wrestlers with little overall storyline presence. The noteworthy segments from Kimona featured her stripping in the ECW Arena during a delay or being a third lover in the love triangle with Beulah and Tommy Dreamer.
9 The Blue Boy
Fans loved the Blue Meanie during his first ECW run as a member of the Blue World Order and Raven’s Nest at different points. Meanie leaving for WWE saw him playing a comedic role with Goldust until the company cut bait less than a year into his signing.
The return to ECW saw Meanie a changed man after losing a lot of weight. A new name of The Blue Boy featured Meanie mocking the audience for their weight and bragging about his new look. The gimmick was a bit cringeworthy and is hard to watch back from the final months.
8 Nicole Bass
ECW signed Nicole Bass after her appearances on the Howard Stern Show for a role with Justin Credible. Bass joined Chastity and Jason Knight to make her presence felt in the matches of Credible during his first singles push in 1999.
The use of Bass was to have her size play a role in stacking the odds against others. ECW intentionally knew that fans would give her a hard time with offensive chants and played into that. Bass did enough to get signed by WWE a few months into her run as Sable’s bodyguard the diva’s heel run.
7 Scotty Anton
The WCW run of Scotty Riggs ended in disappointment after his stints in the American Males tag team with Buff Bagwell and Raven’s Flock didn’t provide long-term results. Scotty used his real last name of Anton when introduced as the close friend of Rob Van Dam.
The one storyline of Anton as Van Dam’s sidekick lacked enough importance to get him over. Anton’s predictable heel turn also left a lot to be desired when he played an over the top heel trying to get fans to do “The Clap” dance with him to X-Pac heat.
6 Joel Gertner
ECW typically used Joey Styles as the only broadcaster for a few years until Joel Gertner moved to the commentary table in the final year. Gertner pivoted from his time in the Dudley Boyz heel faction to play a womanizing character.
The promos featured Gertner making sexual advances towards the women referenced to huge pops from the crowd. One complaint about ECW is that it doesn’t hold up as well due to acts like this not doing them any favors all this time later.
5 New Jack
Some of the ECW gimmicks to make fans feel uneasy were done in an intentional way. New Jack always made sure the audience had no idea what was coming since he pushed the envelope in more than one way.
RELATED: 10 Backstage Stories About New Jack We Can't Believe
The heel side of the Gangstas featured New Jack cutting controversial promos to make fans uncomfortable, like supporting OJ Simpson. However, even the face run of New Jack never gave fans the chance to feel comfortable with his dangerous actions putting him on the line every single match.
4 Jasmine St. Claire
Paul Heyman looked to sign popular adult film stars to create that TV-MA feel for ECW. Jasmine St. Claire was one of the company’s last hires when she joined the company in 2000 with her then-husband The Blue Meanie.
The heel promos from St. Claire were a bit stereotypical and designed for another woman like Francine to attack and strip her. Jasmine eventually worked with Blue Meanie during his time as The Blue Boy with the couple making out to get heat from the audience.
3 Jason
The trajectory of Jason Knight saw him moving from a wrestler in the early years of ECW to a manager. Jason was most popular for his time as the bodyguard of Justin Credible and eventually Lance Storm in the Impact Players.
ECW used the heel gimmick of a ladies’ man to make Jason get heat from the male members of the audience. Jason was often used to play a comedic role in a match before getting embarrassed as his major contribution.
2 Miss Congeniality
WWE fans barely acknowledge Lita’s time in ECW since it is not remembered too fondly. Lita played the character of Miss Congeniality dating fellow heel wrestler Danny Doring. The tag matches of Doring and Roadkill featured her trying to get involved.
ECW booked Lita in a few tawdry segments meant to make her a lewd character. Doring proposing to Miss Congeniality with a condom tells you everything about the awful gimmick given to Lita in her short ECW run.
1 Bubba Ray Dudley
ECW used the uncomfortable nature of Bubba Ray Dudley’s character for the better. Bubba Ray and D-Von were the top heel tag team when leading an entire stable of the Dudley Boyz family. The promos from Bubba specifically made them a hated act in front of live crowds.
Riots were almost caused by the vile things Bubba would say to members of the audience booing or heckling him. Paul Heyman gave Bubba the freedom to push the buttons of the fans in a way designed to take away that level of comfort.
