The Attitude Era has been hailed as one of the most exciting times in professional wrestling. The ratings and viewing records that were set during the Attitude Era have not been broken since. The Attitude Era wasn’t all great. Some of the gimmicks were great, but there were also some that weren’t.
WWE tried a few gimmicks during the Attitude Era but they all failed. Some of the gimmicks in the Attitude Era were either too edgy or inappropriate for the younger audience. Others were just plain boring. The top 10 worst gimmicks from the Attitude Era are listed below:
10. Perry Saturn (falling for a mop).
WWE punished Perry Saturn with one of the most unusual ways. Perry Saturn was in a shooting contest where he attacked enhancement talent Mike Bell. In order to teach him a lesson, they made him develop on-screen rapport with a mop. They even gave it the name Moppy. Saturn would be mesmerized on screen by a mop, which was uncomfortable for the fans to watch.
9. Billy and Chuck
At the time, Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo made up a tag team that included two of the most prominent men in the WWE. In 2001 and 2002 the tag team revealed their heterosexuality. It was too much to play gay characters in that period and even worse, with bad taste. Chuck finally asked Billy for his life partner in September 2002. They revealed, however, that they were only acting heterosexually for publicity purposes. After the course they went back to their usual face gimmick.
8. Beaver Cleavage
Beaver Cleavage, as its name implies, was another bizarre gimmick of the Attitude Era with unusual sexual fetishes. It was the epitome incestuous relationships. Beaver would behave like a young child, while his mother on screen would comfort him in an intimate way. When the camera was focused on Beaver, he would purposely wiggle his brows. After a win over Christian, the gimmick ended.
7. Mideon Almost Naked
Imagine a man of any age running around the arena in nothing more than a pair boots and a fannypack. Mideon had to perform this feat in the Attitude Era. Mideon played many odd characters in his WWF Run, but his final character was the most bizarre. He would disrupt matches by walking across the arena in a thong and a waistbag. Mideon left the company after a short run in 2001.
6. Meat
Pretty Mean Sisters (PMS), a group of women who are vengeful, made up the stable. The group was made up of Terri, Jacqueline and Ryan Shamrock. The women soon added Shawn Stasiak, or Meat. They were of the belief that Shawn is nothing more than meat. The storyline continued as Jacqueline used Meat to satisfy her sexual desires. In August 1999, the stable closed.
5. The Midnight Express
Bart Gunn, Bob Holly and their manager Jim Cornette enjoyed great success in the South. Along with the Mulligans, they were the new tag team in the company. The men, despite being managed by an acclaimed talker, were unable to gain fan support. The men received no fan reaction and were quickly let go.
4. Tiger Ali Singh
Tiger Ali Singh, a Canadian-American superstar, was on his way to becoming a major star. WWE had big plans for Tiger Ali Singh, especially since they were targeting the Indian audience. Tiger won the WWE Kuwait Cup against Owen Hart. The story did not end well and he was soon seen as a rich heir using his money to humiliate those less fortunate. Fans compared the character to Ted DiBiase, and did not react as expected. He was then sent to Puerto Rico in order to improve his skills.
3. Key
Vic Grimes played Key, a character most famous for his fight with The New Jack. The Road Warrior Hawk was the customer of The Key. The word key is another term for kilo, which is commonly used in drug exchanges. He was the reason Droz was chosen to replace Road Warrior Hawk as part of the Road Warriors tag-team. It was disturbing to see the character, considering Hawk’s real-life demons. He was soon sent to ECW.
2. Kai En Tai
Kai En Tai consisted of Japanese wrestlers, Shiryu and Dick Togo. Men’s Teioh and Sho Funaki were also part of the stable. They were managed by Yamaguchi San. After Wrestlemania 14 they debuted on Raw, attacking Taka Michinoku by claiming he was Americanized. The group’s most memorable moment was when Yamaguchi saw an inappropriate video of Val Venis and his wife. The group lasted only a short time and was abolished completely in 2001.
1. The Oddities
Donald Kallis, aka The Jackyl, formed The Oddities following the dissolution of The Truth Commission. The group was notable for Kurrgan Giant Silva Golga and Sable. Sable introduced the Babyfaces group. Fans never took any of these large men seriously. They were entrants at the 1999 Royal Rumble, before they were released in February that same year.
