A long string of characters, storylines, and classic matches have been instrumental in WWE bagging the spot. A Superstar’s character determines how far they can move up the ladder and whether their gimmick is good enough to keep the audience engaged for years on end.

Many Superstars carried their gimmicks when jumping ship to WWE, while others were created under the WWE umbrella with Vince McMahon at the forefront.

Let’s take a look at five WWE gimmicks that were created in Vince McMahon’s promotion.

#5 The Undertaker

The Undertaker is regarded as one of the biggest Superstars of all time. After a forgettable run as Mean Mark in WCW, Mark Calaway jumped ship to WWE and was given the gimmick of The Undertaker.

He debuted at Survivor Series 1990 as a part of Ted Dibiase’s band of villains. The gimmick of The Undertaker was that of a dead guy who had supernatural powers. This was a perfect fit for WWE at the time when over the top characters were a thing.

Over the next few years, The Undertaker kept tweaking his gimmick and adding more and more elements to it in order to keep it fresh. His gimmick became edgier during the Attitude Era, and his “Dark Wedding” segment with Stephanie McMahon on an episode of RAW is a prime example of the same.

The Undertaker donned the biker persona in 2000, a gimmick he believes saved his career. The Undertaker registered 21 straight victories at WrestleMania before losing to Brock Lesnar at the 30th edition of the show.

#4 Shawn Michaels

After a long stint in the tag team division alongside Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels turned heel by attacking his partner on Brutus Beefcake’s Barber Shop talk show. This moment kicked off one of the greatest singles runs in WWE history, as Michaels was soon elevated to the main event scene.

He won two successive Royal Rumble matches in 1995 and 1996 and went on to win several World titles. Michaels’ stint with Triple H in DX was a huge hit among the WWE fans during the Attitude Era. Following his WrestleMania 14 match against Steve Austin, Michaels went on a four-year break.

When Michaels returned in 2002, it seemed like he hadn’t lost his touch one bit. His return match against Triple H at SummerSlam was an instant classic, and Michaels never looked back again.

He went on to have many more classics at WrestleMania, earning himself the moniker of “Mr. WrestleMania”. Around a decade ago, WWE dubbed Michaels as the greatest WWE Superstar in history, and many would agree with it if they take a look at his accomplishments.

#3 The Rock

The Rock’s first WWE gimmick of a generic babyface wasn’t something the rabid WWE fans of the 90s wanted to see. He soon began getting booed on a regular basis, with chants of “Die Rocky, die” becoming a regular thing on weekly TV.

Maivia was soon repackaged and turned into a heel. He returned to WWE TV in August 1997 after taking time off due to injury. Vince McMahon had dropped Maivia’s babyface gimmick, repackaging him into an arrogant and self-centered heel. Now dubbing himself as The Rock, he joined The Nation of Domination alongside Faarooq, D’Lo Brown, and Kama. He then began berating the fans for booing him.

The gimmick helped The Rock turn into one of the biggest Superstars of the Attitude Era and resulted in him bagging a string of WrestleMania main events, plus several WWE title reigns.

The Rock tweaked his gimmick when he returned in early 2003, after a short hiatus due to his Hollywood stint. The “Hollywood Rock” character is now widely regarded as one of the greatest heels of all time, even though it didn’t last more than a few months.

#2 Hulk Hogan

In the early 80s, Vince McMahon handpicked Terry Bollea as the Superstar who would be the face of the company for the next several years. In 1984, Hogan won his first WWE World title by defeating The Iron Sheik in MSG.

Immediately after Hogan’s victory, Gorilla Monsoon uttered the iconic line, “Hulkamania is here!” Hogan soon began telling his fans to train, eat their vitamins, and say their prayers. His ring gear saw a massive overhaul as well, as he began donning a red and yellow garb.

Hogan went on to get involved in the first nine WrestleMania main events. He left WWE in the early 90s and jumped ship to WCW. In 1996, Hogan revitalized his career by turning heel and forming the nWo with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash.

Soon after WCW’s purchase in 2001, Hogan made his way to WWE. After a short stint as the leader of the nWo, Hogan embraced his Real American persona again. Many fans argue that Hulk Hogan is Vince McMahon’s greatest creation, but the following name makes a strong case for itself.

#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin

As “Stunning” Steve Austin, Stone Cold enjoyed a successful run in WCW for years on end. He was fired by Eric Bischoff in 1995, as the latter didn’t see him as a marketable wrestler. After a short stint in ECW, Austin made his way to WWE and joined Ted Dibiase’s Million Dollar Corporation.

Initially, he was given the gimmick of “The Ringmaster”. Soon, he realized that the character wasn’t doing much for him, and the Ringmaster gimmick was replaced with that of Stone Cold.

Austin cut a promo on Jake Roberts after defeating him in the finals of the King of the Ring 1996 tournament, and uttered the iconic words, “Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your a**.”

This moment led to Austin becoming one of the biggest Superstars of all time over the next few years. He headlined three WrestleMania main events against the likes of The Rock and Shawn Michaels and was a big reason why Vince McMahon managed to defeat WCW in the Monday Night Wars.

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