I don't think you've had a lightning round in a while, but I was just wondering about your musings on the following gimmicks and personas:
--Dr. of Thuganomics John Cena
Loved it at the time, although I’d probably have gotten sick of it just as fast as I did with Super-Cena. But yeah, I was all aboard the Cena train when he was getting the rocket push.
--Reverend D-Von
It was more clever than interesting.
--Legend Killer Randy Orton circa 2004
Should have been even bigger before Undertaker kind of derailed it. It was a tremendous concept, though.
--Hollywood Heel Rock (I know, it's Rocky, what's not to love, but how did you think this stacked up among his character runs?)
Brilliant, high-concept trolling from the master. He did it just to prove he could. Unfortunately he never had a chance to draw on top with it.
--The New Age Outlaws
Huge fan, but much like everyone else I was burned on them by the time they did the reunion and farewell in 2000. It was a gimmick that lasted the perfect amount of time and drew all the money it was going to.
--The SmackDown Six (the three-way tag team feuds between Angle, Rey, Edge, Benwho, and Los Guerreros)
Only thing that kept me sane in 2002.
--nWo in WWE
Waste of time and money.
--RAW GM Eric Bischoff
Should have drawn millions in a deeply-layered meta-textual war with Vince McMahon as revenge for WCW’s death, but they hugged in his first appearance and he was just a effective but clownish heel instead.
--Rated-R Superstar Edge circa Banging Lita
Well we all know how I feel about Lita from that era. I was so far burned out on wrestling in general that I never really got into Edge’s run on top, to be honest.
--Dancing Lance Storm (cabbage-patching face turn after Austin called him "Boring"; a try at personality, embarrassing, or just plain forgettable? I actually admit to having a soft spot for this one)
Barely even remember that one.
--The Hurricane
He was right where he should have been with that gimmick.
--Right to Censor
I really wish the people involved would have been better, because it was an awesome pure heel gimmick in a time when “cool heels” where dominating and annoying everyone.
--Alliance Heel Stone Cold
I believe this falls under the Invasion / Heel Cena / Montreal rule.
Bonus question: Over/under the unification of the world titles lasting longer than the apartment switch on Friends?
They’re jumping through so many hoops to avoid actually advertising and/or promising a unification that you can only think it’ll be the belt-swapping scenario everyone has guessed.