Recast-a-wrestler

[RedRooster]

When it comes to wrestling gimmicks, you quite often hear things like "only THEY could have made this work", "the character just wouldn't have worked with anyone else" etc. 

So with that in mind, recast the following top wrestlers: 

* Hulk Hogan

* The Undertaker

* Steve Austin

* John Cena

Exact same characters, the exact same career trajectories at the exact same time - effectively, I'm asking you to take another wrestler from ANY era and place them in the exact same slot that person had. Take it as seriously or lightly as you like...

Edited April 15, 2020 by RedRooster
changed "gimmicks" to "characters" for clarity

[tiger_rick]

I think only The Undertaker was actually "cast". The others all evolved into what they became from circumstance and personal involvement. Also, apart from when he was the Vanilla Ice dude, I'm not sure what John Cena's gimmick is. He's just John Cena.

Kevin Nash always strikes me as the other obvious Undertaker. If they hadn't got Mean Mark when they did and sat on the idea for a couple of years, that could have been a thing. I'm not sure he'd have committed to it but it would have been bloody baffling when they started to humanise the character and he became an arrogant prick.

 

[garynysmon]

11 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

Kevin Nash always strikes me as the other obvious Undertaker. If they hadn't got Mean Mark when they did and sat on the idea for a couple of years, that could have been a thing. I'm not sure he'd have committed to it but it would have been bloody baffling when they started to humanise the character and he became an arrogant prick.

Very off topic I know, but Vinnie Vegas was a great gimmick for Nash. It wasn't a "ha ha" spin-off of a Vegas character like the Gambler, and had some potential for a lot of depth I thought, as well as some comedic stuff allowing for his natural charm. 

Always gets lumped in with the "mid 90's WCW Gimmicks" pile a bit unfairly in my view.

Edited April 15, 2020 by garynysmon

[Merzbow]

15 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

I think only The Undertaker was actually "cast". The others all evolved into what they became from circumstance and personal involvement. Also, apart from when he was the Vanilla Ice dude, I'm not sure what John Cena's gimmick is. He's just John Cena.

Kevin Nash always strikes me as the other obvious Undertaker. If they hadn't got Mean Mark when they did and sat on the idea for a couple of years, that could have been a thing. I'm not sure he'd have committed to it but it would have been bloody baffling when they started to humanise the character and he became an arrogant prick.

 

Big Kev was could have fit the Stone Cold gimmick to a degree, too. There was that brief moment where he was becoming an edgy "tweener" version of himself before he left for WCW.

[RedRooster]

5 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

I think only The Undertaker was actually "cast". The others all evolved into what they became from circumstance and personal involvement.

 

I know, but this is purely a 'stuck indoors and bored' time-waster. 

As far as Undertaker goes, I think Batista would have smashed that gimmick. Big Dave seems like a cool guy which makes it easy to forget that he looks absolutely terrifying.

 

[garynysmon]

3 minutes ago, Merzbow said:

Big Kev was could have fit the Stone Cold gimmick to a degree, too. There was that brief moment where he was becoming an edgy "tweener" version of himself before he left for WCW.

Easily his best run in the company. What was McMahon thinking having him as a cookie cutter smiley goof during his world title run? Nash was money if booked right.

[GeronimoJacksBeard]

"Talk about your Psalms, talk about John 3:16...Holly 3:16 says i just whipped your ass!"

[wandshogun09]

1 hour ago, garynysmon said:

Very off topic I know, but Vinnie Vegas was a great gimmick for Nash. It wasn't a "ha ha" spin-off of a Vegas character like the Gambler, and had some potential for a lot of depth I thought, as well as some comedic stuff allowing for his natural charm. 

Always gets lumped in with the "mid 90's WCW Gimmicks" pile a bit unfairly in my view.

Yes. At times he was basically NWO Nash but in a pink tuxedo jacket. I kind of remembered it as a bit of a Wrestlecrap gimmick until I revisited 92/93 WCW last year. He was one of the highlights for me, even as undercard fodder pissing about with Van Hammer. His promo before the Scotty Flamingo vs Johnny B Badd ‘Boxing match’ on one of the Clashes is a good laugh too. The Vinman was good with me. Certainly a massive step up from the Master Blaster and Oz shite he’d been saddled with previously, at least he got to show a bit of personality. And it was enough for Shawn Michaels to get a kick out of, which obviously led to better days for Big Kev. 

Edited April 15, 2020 by wandshogun09

[gmoney]

1 hour ago, Merzbow said:

Big Kev was could have fit the Stone Cold gimmick to a degree, too. There was that brief moment where he was becoming an edgy "tweener" version of himself before he left for WCW.

I don't think he would have had the intestity to pull it off to be honest. One of the reasons why the many Stone Cold rip off have never been near as good is because Steve Austin was like a pit bull and that's something that's usually missed.  

[BomberPat]

if he brought his working boots, Barry Windham as The Undertaker. It would lean more into the "Wild West Mortician" aspect of the character, and wouldn't have had the longevity, but I can picture it.

 

[Bellenda Carlisle]

I don't think you can recast a gimmick 10 years before it was used but I would like to see Sting do the John Cena "bodybuilding main eventer white rapper" gimmick but in 1992, the actual Vanilla Ice era. 

[garynysmon]

1 hour ago, Bellenda Carlisle said:

I don't think you can recast a gimmick 10 years before it was used but I would like to see Sting do the John Cena "bodybuilding main eventer white rapper" gimmick but in 1992, the actual Vanilla Ice era. 

Wow. Given how slowly the industry seems to move now, its a massive mindfuck to think there are only 10 years (less really) separating surfer Sting and the emergence of John Cena.

[gmoney]

I know people refer to that period as his surfer gimmick days, but did he ever carry a surfboard or mention surfing? What about it was similar to a surfer? Dyed blonde hair? That's about half the WCW roster in the late 80s/early 90s. The rest of it was scorpion imagery and a Sgt Pepper jacket. 

[LEGIT]

All recast with people who were around at the time:

Stone Cold Dustin Rhodes

Doctor of Thuganomics Rob Conway

The Undertaker John Nord

Brutus 'the Hulkster' Beefcake

All poundland versions of the original, I must admit. 

 

 

Edited April 16, 2020 by LEGIT

[Vamp]

I could buy Sid as a voiceless version of Austin. He certainly had the intensity. Although you don't get the 3:16 promo.

If we're doing time travel than 92 era Sting might have had a good go at Hulk Hogan. 

 

Edit: Actually, Savage as Austin over Sid as Austin.

Edited April 16, 2020 by Vamp