Gimmick Battle Royal - 2025

[jm29195]

I've just sat down and watched the Gimmick Battle Royal from Wrestlemania 17. This was done as a bit of a joke and for nostalgi! purposes as I recall when watching it back in the day.

But most of the participants were in their 40's or 50's. Earthquake, memorably was only 38, and the gimmicks were from the mid 80's to the mid 90's basically, so between 6-16 years prior to the event.

So my question is, if they did a Gimmick Battle Royal today, what would it look like, who would be in it?

Careers today mostly seem to have a lot more longevity- Randy Orton, for example, has been around on the main roster for 23 years.

So I'd be looking at doing gimmicks potentially from the attitude era up to say, 2010. 

Say, we go with 20 participants/teams for a match, not nain eventers, or at least not gimmicks where they were main eventers, who would you pick?

(Assuming they are still around, vaguely physically fit, and would do it and wouldnt be cancelled, so no Muhammad Hassan or Eugene).

1. Kurrgan - Oddities or Truth Commission

2. Val Venis

3. Godfather

4. Mark Henry - as Sexual Chocolate

5. Gangrel

6. Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty

7. Steven Richards - RTC

8. TAKA and Funaki - Kaientai

9. Nathan Jones

10. Billy Gunn, Chuck Palumbo, Rico

11. Renee Dupree

12. Mordecai

13. Kendo Suzuki

14. Spirit Squad

15. The Brian Kendrick

16. Kizarny

17. Kerwin White

18. Heidenreich

19. Snitsky

20. Pirate Paul Burchill

What do you think? Feel free to add your own suggestions!

 

 

[Olly1984]

Hornswoggle and The Boogeyman gotta be in there. And The Hurricane too!! 

[TheBurningRed]

Luther Reigns. Trevor Murdoch. Evan Bourne. Those three come to mind. 

[TheScarlettChad]

Simon Dean 

[HarmonicGenerator]

Going with a 20 man setup for the battle royal, and trying to avoid people who’ve since got into trouble, I’ll have…

One of the Spirit Squad

The Godfather

No Way Jose

1-Man-Band Heath Slater

Fandango

Hornswoggle

One of Los Matadores

The Boogeyman

Snitsky

Damien Mizdow

The Bunny

Great Khali 

Tyler Breeze

Matt Cardona but as Zack Ryder

Jamie Noble

Rico

Nunzio

Jimmy Wang Yang

The Hurricane

and Dashing Cody Rhodes to win.

 

Should be terrible / a must-watch.

Edited June 25, 2025 by HarmonicGenerator
Stand back! I should have included Hurricane

[The Gaffer]

1. The Hurricane

2. Kevin Thorn

3. Nunzio

4. Rene Dupree

5. Kenzo Suzuki 

6. Muhammad Hassan

7. Simon Dean

8. Finlay

9. Coach

10. Hornswoggle

11. Carlito

12. Jim Duggan

13. Mordecai 

14. Reverend D-Von

15. Heidenreich

16. Snitsky 

17. Paul Burchill

18. Michael Cole

19. JBL

20. Santino Marella 

 

I've booked this to WWE perfection. Start with a solid fan favourite, Kevin Thorn/Mordecai double duty spot, Coach sandwiched between a Finlay/Hornswoggle beatdown in the middle period, Duggan's the token years later guy because he never seems to fuck off, Heidenreich and Snitsky finally give us The Gaffer's MEGA POWERS EXPLODE! Cole is the non-wrestler spot in his 2011 livery, JBL comes in - in on the gimmick joke haw haw haw - to sort him out, Santino Marella sneaks a win right at the close.

It's a nightmare. 

[tiger_rick]

2000s WWE might be what finally kills nostalgia.

[simonworden]

Ooh fun topic. I'm going to try and avoid too many of the people who have appeared every single time for something a bit special. Apologies if anyone is dead, in prison or a complete wrongun beyond WWE levels.

1. Stevie Richard RTC

2. Adam Rose

3. Syvester Terkay

4. Pirate Paul Birchall

5. Rob Conway as the con man

6. Renee Durpree

7. Armando Estrada

8. Rev D'Von

9. Vito, in the dress

10. No Way Jose

11. El Torito

12. Hornswoggle

13. Simon Dean

14. Funaki

15. Bull Dempsy

16. Deuce

17.Domino

18. Ricky Ortiz

19. Buff Bagwell

20. Hardcore Holly

 

[LaGoosh]

4 minutes ago, simonworden said:

20. Hardcore Holly

What is Hardcore Holly up to these days? He doesn't seem to be involved in the business at all anymore.

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

4 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

What is Hardcore Holly up to these days? He doesn't seem to be involved in the business at all anymore.

His last match on Cagematch is from 2019 for WAW in Norwich in a triple threat. Everyone's ideal retirement match. 

 

[TheScarlettChad]

1 minute ago, Lion_of_the_Midlands said:

His last match on Cagematch is from 2019 for WAW in Norwich in a triple threat. Everyone's ideal retirement match. 

 

He's surely blacklisted for bullying now. 

[Lion_of_the_Midlands]

1 minute ago, TheScarlettChad said:

He's surely blacklisted for bullying now. 

You can't say blacklisted these days...

[The Gaffer]

I was about to write the most obvious shit ever about how the biggest company in the industry openly panders to its soft-fascist overlords and routinely fills its ranks with wrong'uns of all kinds, descriptions and visibility - and how getting Bob Sparkplug Holly to do two minutes in a 'Rumble ain't going to be a problem even if he threw some stiffs a lifetime ago - so here it is I guess. 

[TheBurningRed]

6 minutes ago, TheScarlettChad said:

He's surely blacklisted for bullying now. 

Have you seen some of the people still getting booked after sexual assault allegations? I don’t think him bullying people will get a blacklisting. He’d be a nostalgic draw. 

[SaitoRyo]

19 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

What is Hardcore Holly up to these days? He doesn't seem to be involved in the business at all anymore.

He fucked off from the business and got really into doing survival stuff (living in the woods for weeks at a time and stuff like that). He was campaigning to get on a reality show about it some years back, but it didn't happen. I think he also got back into doing racing stuff/doing up cars for a bit. He showed up on WWE's The Bump (via webcam) during the pandemic iirc. 

As far as a 2025 Gimmick Battle Royal goes...

I'd have The Hurricane and Kenny Dykstra (in Spirit Squad garb) in there, as they're both current WWE producers. I'd also have Deuce and Domino in there, because why not? Ditto The Headbangers. Zach Gowen, who recently showed up in AEW, should get a call. Hornswoggle is a lock. Jimmy Wang Yang and Nunzio, yes. The Boogeyman, Snitsky, Mordecai, Gangrel and Vito in a dress, of course...

To be honest, I think it would take me a long while to come up with fifteen or twenty suitable ones. The thing that was fun about the original Gimmick Battle Royal is that they were all so gimmicky. If you're picking from the Attitude Era and beyond, it becomes tricky, as there aren't too many suitable ones that are available or fit the bill.