Colorful characters have been the lifeblood of professional wrestling for decades, and as the times have changed, so have the gimmicks.

What worked 30 years ago probably won't work as well today because fans' tastes have changed. Even characters who were popular as little as 10 years ago can feel outdated in the current environment.

Things we used to find funny can often be perceived as offensive, especially when you look back at something years later with a greater understanding of why certain characters were always inappropriate, to begin with. 

Let's take a walk down memory lane and look at some of the most memorable gimmicks WWE would never even consider using nowadays.

Before we get into the list, something should be clarified. We are not saying the Superstars who performed these characters couldn't get over doing something different today. We are focusing solely on the way they were played at the time, not how they would be played differently today. 

Bastion Booger

We saw some strange characters in the '90s, but one of the most memorable for all the wrong reasons was Bastion Booker.

The late Mike Shaw was a good wrestler, but Vince McMahon wasn't known for focusing on someone's talent when he could get people to laugh at them.

Shaw was put into an unflattering singlet and filmed while chowing down on various greasy foods to make him look like the biggest slob imaginable.

This was the definition of the horrible "Let's all laugh at the fat guy" mentality the entertainment industry has had for years, but today is a different time.

We live in a more body-positive culture and this kind of thing just wouldn't get over when WWE is having Nia Jax give promos talking about being proud of who you are no matter your shape or size.

If WWE tried to introduce this exact same character today, every media outlet would drag the company through the mud.

Booger wasn't Shaw's only gimmick in WWE. He also worked as Friar Ferguson for a short time before he was dropped after complaints from the Catholic church. 

JBL

JBL is a former WWE champion and future Hall of Fame inductee, but his most prominent gimmick might be too controversial for today's product.

When he went from the cigar smoking, card playing enforcer in the APA to being a parody of American politicians, one of the things WWE did was film him trying to catch illegal immigrants at the border.

He was a villain trying to get heat, so nobody was expected to like him, but the current situation at the U.S.-Mexico border would change how we see this character today.

WWE would be called racist and xenophobic if it ran segments showing one of its veterans rounding up immigrants with the border patrol today.

The company has a diverse roster with Superstars from dozens of different countries from around the world, and many of them would likely find this gimmick offensive if WWE tried to introduce him today.

Hulk Hogan

Putting aside all of the controversies he has been part of for the past several years, Hulk Hogan still wouldn't work as a character right now.

Terry Bollea could easily do something different to get over with the WWE Universe, but if he was presented exactly as he was in the '80s, The Hulkster would be a joke to today's generation.

For one thing, the skullet look is not something kids are into these days. In fact, one has to wonder how he ever got over with that haircut.

The other reason Hogan wouldn't work if his style of wrestling and promos. He wasn't a technical wrestler, so most of his matches consisted of a handful of moves repeated in different ways.

We expect more out of Superstars these days, especially in the promo department. Catchphrases are still popular, but you need more to get over with today's fickle WWE Universe.

Many fans will always be Hulkamaniacs because they grew up when he was first getting popular, but most people will admit he was too cheesy to get over today.

Doink

The original concept for Doink was that of a deranged clown who tormented his opponents with mind games. He was kind of like a combination of Pennywise and The Joker with cleaner makeup.

Eventually, Doink was reduced to a regular clown character who made balloon animals and wrestled alongside a few little people dressed in similar outfits.

A scary clown is something WWE could actually get away with these days with the popularity of horror movies at an all-time high, but the Doink we got in the '90s would need to be changed significantly.

WWE is still heavily focused on being a family program, but having a clown as one of its characters might discourage some adults fans from tuning in every week, especially if he is presented as a babyface.

Billy and Chuck

WWE received a lot of backlash when it revealed Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo were only pretending to be a couple in order to be a successful tag team, but imagine the kind of reaction the company would get if it tried to run this angle today.

Between the legalization of gay marriage and trans citizens fighting their own battles for equality, the past decade has seen a positive shift in the way LGBT+ culture is portrayed on television.

GLAAD had actually been consulted during the writing of the initial storyline, but the organization later expressed anger at having been lied to about the angle ending with a wedding instead of the ruse we witnessed.

Gunn and Palumbo had a good run as a team, but this part of their careers is something WWE is not going to revisit anytime soon. 

Eugene

The character of Eugene is more problematic than most of the gimmicks on this list because some people will defend the way he was booked while others will call it offensive.

Eugene was never given an exact diagnosis on television, but the character was always referred to as "special" by announcers.

He was Eric Bishoff's nephew and he had gained his wrestling ability by watching WWE throughout his entire life, making him somewhat of a natural in the ring.

Here is the problem; WWE has never been known for approaching sensitive subjects with grace, so many saw this as the company's way of mocking people with mental disabilities.

On the other hand, some saw it as a positive portrayal because he not only won most of his matches, but he was put in a position to be cheered by the crowd while teaming up with some of his idols.

Regardless of how you feel about Eugene, there is no doubt WWE management wouldn't even consider doing something like this these days.

Val Venis

What's one thing you will never see WWE do while it's rated PG? Employ a former adult film star, that's what.

The character of Val Venis was introduced in 1998 when WWE was kicking the Attitude Era into high gear, so he was meant to create controversy.

He came to the ring to smooth jazz music, posed suggestively with his bath towel and usually picked a woman from the crowd to make out with. 

WWE pushed the limits of what it could get away with a lot in the late '90s. Management knew exactly what it was doing when it created Venis, and it also knows it could never get away with it again.

Glacier

Pro wrestlers have been compared to characters from fighting games ever since they were invented, but WCW took things a step further when it created Glacier.

The '90s saw a martial arts boom in Hollywood and WCW wanted to capitalize on the popularity of franchises like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat.

It's surprising WCW didn't get sued by Midway Games because Glacier was as close as a Sub-Zero ripoff as you could get, right down to the mask.

There is no controversy here. Glacier wouldn't work today because he wouldn't be realistic or interesting enough for fans to care about unless he could actually freeze his opponents.

Which gimmicks from the past do you think would cause the most controversy today?