Gimmick/Character changes

[Gonzo]

I was browsing through here and even though I don't watch wrestling at all these days I thought of something. When a wrestler is going to have a gimmick change, character change etc etc., how long do you think they should disappear before reappearing with the new gimmick?

I mean, they can't just change gimmicks from one week to the next and barring a gradual on screen change how long do you believe should they be absent from TV for their change?

I say one month. That is four shows and possibly a PPV. I think that is adequate time for a wrestler's old gimmick to be forgotten enough to the point where you can build a fresh gimmick out of them.

Thoughts?

[SuperSlim]

I would say 2.

[Gouda]

JBL was made turned from Bradshaw in only a week.

Anyways... I'll say.... Two PPVs.

[M. Banana]

i dont think it really matters

[James Steele]

It depends on how radical of a gimmick change it is.

[TerranRich]

And on how believable the gimmick change is, too.

I mean seeing Bradshaw go from bar room brawler to instant rich guy was kinda odd, but the way they pulled it off was believable. It was technically a gradual change, first he changes his looks to his current hairstyle and clean-shaven look, then he turns on Faarooq and then starts to preach about money. Because JBL is basically going the route of the successful formula "play yourself only larger than life", it's working. JBL is playing John Layfield, but to a greater degree. Same with Mick Foley and The Rock and even Triple H. They're all playing themselves, only larger than life.

If you change a guy from a 70's disco guy to a fat chick lover...now that's just going overboard. ;)

[Marcyo]

It depends on how radical of a gimmick change it is.

^ true.

So I'd say it can take 1 or 2 weeks or, in the most extreme cases, 2 or 3 months.

[FourFifty]

It's all a matter of how it's done. Let's take a guy like Maven, who doesn't have that much of a gimmick.
Simon Dean costs Maven a title shot with a botched run in, or a poorly timed chair shot. Later that night we see Maven in the back with a glass of wine as he talks about how pissed off he is. Simon Dean talks about how wine isn't good for you, and how it's NOT a part of the Simon System. Maven uncovers a part of his past.
His family is from Napa Valley, CA. Wine country. This is more than a glass of wine, it's part of his life. Part of who he is. Chicks dig guys who know their wine, so we find out that Maven is really an heir to a winery. He comes out next week dressed nicely, a woman on his shoulder, comming out to something classy. Something new age. He grabs the mic and talks about how it's time to be himself (which is the theme for a change like this) and then Simon Dean comes out and talks about how without the Simon System, he's nothing.
But what if that didn't happen? No, Maven screwed Simon out of a title shot? Simon is in the back with a beer, and he talks about how in ECW that wouldn't have been a DQ, and the match would have gone on? Next week, we see Nova.

It's all a matter of how the wrestlers are. How much of their gimmick is a part of them? Triple H, HBK, Kurt, Kane, Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and JBL are NOT changing gimmicks anytime soon, but for all we know Cena can sell out.

[The_Next_Big_Hook_up]

It's all a matter of how the wrestlers are. How much of their gimmick is a part of them? Triple H, HBK, Kurt, Kane, Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and JBL are NOT changing gimmicks anytime soon, but for all we know Cena can sell out.

You really think they'll have a gimmick change instore for Cena anytime soon? I think not, he's a draw right now, and a damn big one if you ask me. The only way that Vince would let that cash cow go is if Cena's crowd reaction goes south......and given the statistics showing that that the male demographic that they target is anywhere between 14 and 34, I doubt that'll happen anytime soon

[James Steele]

John Cena's real demographic is 10-15 year old fat suburban white kids.

[Sickboy]

What about Eugene? Will he still be dumbass when he gets back? His gimmick died about 2-3 weeks after it started so I think he needs a change, but I just wonder how the crowd will react

[cafctom]

Gimmick's can only really be changed through the use of a strong storyline that causes a believable consequence, as already stated.

For example, if Kane was to somehow get 'burned' again in a storyline, he may then have 3 months away or whatever through 'injuries'. He then comes back with the old mask, maybe Paul Bearer by his side, and his gimmick is then changed back to old school Kane with a logical explanation.

[Chavo Classic]

JBL was made turned from Bradshaw in only a week.

Anyways... I'll say.... Two PPVs.


Official yeh, but it took a while for the JBL character to truely develop. The charcter now is massively different from the JBL two weeks into his turn.

[Chavo Classic]

It's not enough for a wrestler to go away and be off screen for X number of weeks and come back with a new personna. That's just not believable, and it's the Vince McMahon school of thought. Fans aren't idiots

Gimmick changes need to happen in full view of the audience. Fans aren't able to get behind a new character unless they understand where this person has come from. It is essential for those watching to be able to identify and relate to a gimmick in this way.

[Just John]

seconded

[Evolution]

So what happened to Undertaker's powers between 2000 and 2004 when he was riding a motorbike? ;)

[loopydate]

And what happened to poor Matt Morgan that made him start ststststuttering?

[Evolution]

Yeah, at least Goldust got electrocuted by Evolution.

(What happened to Bubba Ray's ststststutter?)

[Londoner]

And what happened to poor Matt Morgan that made him start ststststuttering?


Worst gimmick change ever.

[Londoner]

What about Eugene? Will he still be dumbass when he gets back? His gimmick died about 2-3 weeks after it started so I think he needs a change, but I just wonder how the crowd will react


This thread made me think exactly that.

[Corkscrewed]

he's been long enough that he can come back as a totally different character and it'd prolly be alright.

again, it depends on what you want. shocking event sparks a mental attitude change? A few weeks... or you don't even need to be out. Buried alive and coming back undead? Half a year should suffice.