Gimmick (professional wrestling)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Gimmick" professional wrestling – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Part of a series on
Professional wrestling
History History of professional wrestling By year Early wrestling championships Gold Dust Trio 1980s boom Black Saturday 1994 NWA World Title Tournament Monday Night Wars Attitude Era 2000 All Japan Pro Wrestling mass exodus The Invasion Wednesday Night Wars
Notable promotions All Elite Wrestling All Japan Pro Wrestling All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling American Wrestling Association Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Extreme Championship Wrestling Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling Jim Crockett Promotions Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide National Wrestling Alliance New Japan Pro-Wrestling Pro Wrestling Noah Ring of Honor Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling UWF International Women of Wrestling World Championship Wrestling World Wonder Ring Stardom WWE Others
Notable people Early 20th Century George Hackenschmidt The Great Gama Frank Gotch Billy Sandow Toots Mondt Ed Lewis Jack Pfefer Jim Londos Salvador Lutteroth Lou Thesz Mid 20th Century Gorgeous George El Santo Sam Muchnick Mildred Burke The Fabulous Moolah Blue Demon Verne Gagne Karl Gotch Rikidōzan Stu Hart Bruno Sammartino 1970s and 1980s Terry Funk Harley Race Gordon Solie Antonio Inoki Giant Baba Mil Máscaras André the Giant Carlos Colón Dusty Rhodes Ric Flair Jim Crockett Jr. Big Daddy Vince McMahon Dynamite Kid Satoru "Tiger Mask" Sayama Hulk Hogan Randy Savage Hisashi Shinma Akira Maeda 1990s Ted Turner Sting The Great Muta The Undertaker Jim Ross Mitsuharu Misawa Kenta Kobashi Toshiaki Kawada Atsushi Onita Antonio Peña Eric Bischoff Paul Heyman Jim Cornette Bret Hart Shawn Michaels Kevin Nash Scott Hall Vince Russo Stone Cold Steve Austin The Rock Paul "Triple H" Levesque 2000s Chris Jericho Jeff Jarrett Eddie Guerrero Rey Mysterio Brock Lesnar John Cena Hiroshi Tanahashi Místico 2010s and 2020s CM Punk Bryan Danielson Roman Reigns Kazuchika Okada Kenny Omega Tony Khan Nick Khan Cody Rhodes
By region Australia Bolivia Canada China France India Israel Japan Mexico New Zealand Puerto Rico Russia Saudi Arabia United Kingdom United States
Styles British wrestling All-in style Mountevans rules Catch-as-catch-can Cruiserweight X Division Hardcore Intergender Lucha libre Midget Mini-Estrella Puroresu Shoot style U-Kei Women's
Concepts Attire Masks Wrestling singlet Wrestling shoe Backyarding Blading Championship World Heavyweight Dirt sheet Glossary of terms Kayfabe Gimmick Face Heel Shoot Heat Job Push House show Match types Music Rib Ring name Sports entertainment Tag team Weight classes Wrestling ring
Culture Cauliflower Alley Club Cauliflower ear Comic books Films Luchador films Magazines Paintings Gustave Courbet Thomas Eakins William Etty George Luks Ribera Steakhouse Sculpture Ten-bell salute Video games Wrestling personalities in politics Zubaz
Media outlets Botchamania Box y Lucha Dark Side of the Ring Fighting Spirit Magazine Live Audio Wrestling OSW Review Power Slam Pro Wrestling Illustrated Súper Luchas Wrestling Observer Newsletter
Controversies Animals in professional wrestling Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide Death of Owen Hart Mass Transit incident Montreal Screwjob Murder of Bruiser Brody Murder of Rikidōzan Premature deaths Speaking Out United States v. McMahon Vince McMahon sexual trafficking scandal WWE–Saudi Arabia relationship
Lists Attendance records Championships Matches rated 5 or more stars by Dave Meltzer Moves Promotions Rivalries Rosters TV shows Wrestling families
Related topics Combat sport Comparison of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts Martial arts Mock combat Pankration Sport wrestling Amateur Catch Shoot Submission Lancashire Luta Livre Pehlwani Stage combat Theatre
v t e

In professional wrestling, a gimmick generally refers to a wrestler's in-ring persona, character, behaviour, attire and/or other distinguishing traits while performing which are usually artificially created in order to draw fan interest. These in-ring personalities often involve costumes, makeup and catchphrases that they shout at their opponents or the fans. Gimmicks can be designed to work as good guys/heroes (babyfaces) or bad guys/villains (heel) depending on the wrestler's desire to be popular or hated by the crowd. A tweener gimmick falls between the two extremes, such as wrestlers who manifests many heel and face traits such as Randy Orton's viper gimmick. A wrestler may portray more than one gimmick over their career depending on the angle or the wrestling promotion that they are working for at that time.

Promotions will use gimmicks on more than one person, albeit at different times, occasionally taking advantage of a masked character which allows for the identity of the wrestler in question to be concealed. Razor Ramon was portrayed by both Scott Hall and Rick Bognar and Diesel was portrayed by Kevin Nash and then Glen Jacobs. Occasionally, a wrestler uses a gimmick as a tribute to another worker; such is the case of Ric Flair's Nature Boy persona which he took on as an homage to the original Nature Boy, Buddy Rogers. When a wrestler acts outside their gimmick this is known as 'breaking kayfabe', a term showing pro wrestling's linkages to theatre, where the more common term "breaking the fourth wall" is used.

Gimmicks are annually rated for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards by the publication's owner, professional wrestling journalists, and various industry insiders, such as Dave Meltzer, promoters, agents and performers, other journalists, historians, and fans. The two awards are given to the best and worst gimmick of that year.