10 Gimmick Changes That Desperately Saved A WWE Wrestler's Career

[@maxpower9286]

Stone cold was the biggest change that probably shot the wwe ratings past the WCW. The whole wwe roster was jammed packed with great stars to help but Austin was the reason why they called it the attitude era

[@topher3127]

Yeah, even though he been gone from ring competition, to this day, he is still the biggest draw.

[@samadagoat7769]

It was really taker, rock , vince and Austin that put wwe over wcw and in 2000 hhh and the rock was the biggest draw

[@maxpower9286]

@@samadagoat7769 out of all the superstars, stone cold sold more merchandise at an alarming speed. And still out sells at every event. No other person has done that. The closest was hogan but that because he's been around for 1000 years

[@sgthotsauce]

Half this list was attitude era gimmick changes... Austin became the biggest draw no doubt, but they all played a part. HHH, Kane, Rock.. even Bradshaw going from Blackjack's to Acolytes (Ministry of Darkness)

[@voodeuxsfilmsmore7081]

WWF rocketed past WCW because Sting didn’t go over clean in 97. Had that happened the war was over.

[@DJDoubleCee]

Kinda hard to believe Triple H first came into WWE as a rich snob. I wonder what would have happened to him if he never teamed up with Shawn Michaels.

[@stansmith5610]

Or if he never dated the boss' daughter

[@newelljoseph5060]

He'd probably have the same career as William Regal and basically be 'just a good hand'

[@joeboggio4002]

He networked well for sure. Friends with a powerful backstage group, marrying the boss's daughter. Cerebral Assassin for sure.

[@onesaucynougat7471]

@@stansmith5610 literally main evented summerslam and became wwe champion before he and Stephanie even started to kayfabe date.

[@standardofexcellence]

Job to Alex Wright a third time during the invasion

[@Onlyputjalen]

Mark’s “hall of pain” gimmick was legendary, it was so believable & perfect.

[@Onlyputjalen]

@Jayzo Black Mamba Jr yessir, it was amazing & i honestly thought it should’ve lead to him being wwe champion

[@Deedy_speedy]

The theme song went well with the gimmick too.

[@Onlyputjalen]

@@Deedy_speedy I SWEAR ❗️ I think that’s why his theme is probably one of my all time favorites.

[@Deedy_speedy]

@@Onlyputjalen Yeap, could jam that shii on a random day and still be hard😂

[@sameeknowsitall]

Yeah. His sexual chocolate gimmick was very strange. The hall of pain saved his career and he for sure deserved the push he needed. It was just satisfying seeing him throw the security guards 😂

[@pdragonw]

You can kind of add Edge also. From the mystery man in the crowd to the "Brood" and finally to "The Rated R Superstar". Also you have from "Kama, The Supreme fighting Machine" to "The Godfather"

[@BLK_O]

The godfather was also Papa Shango.

[@codyeble0713]

Definitely Edge, from the stable to tag team to individual.. great growth and career

[@fivebearrugs]

Actually, LOL, Papa Shango to Kama, The Supreme Fighting Machine to Kama Mustafa to The Godfather to The Goodfather, and then back to The Godfather. On another note, here’s a fun fantasy Survivor Series Match: Undertaker, Papa Shango, Kane, and Gangrel vs. Mankind, Bray Wyatt, Abdullah the Butcher, and Boogeyman.

[@r.a.g.l666]

What about mean mark to The Undertaker?

[@ZumieFN]

Now he's heel

[@wazupladies332]

Now we need 10 gimmicks that ruined a superstars career, this was really good!

[@Wrestlelamia]

Already done that one 😁

[@wazupladies332]

@@Wrestlelamia Awesome! I didn't even know that you replied and hearted my comment! Thank you!! And I'll be sure to watch that list

[@wazupladies332]

@@AmiriHipHop Thank you!

[@ttvywziks]

@@AmiriHipHop no need to be rude nigga dam

[@ouuitsvon]

@@AmiriHipHop should’ve known you was one of us 🔥. W KZbinr 💯

[@alec2000]

Drew McIntyre’s story continues to inspire me to this day. The fact that he was able to come back to WWE and become one of the biggest names ever in an era where WWE would normally never pull the trigger on anyone that wasn’t Roman Reigns, it was refreshing and him winning the 2020 rumble was so beautiful. It was depressing to see him win the WWE title with no crowd though. Here’s hoping he gets another moment like it with a crowd soon.

[@72rmboyd]

I watched him on Stone Cold's podcast and that interview a lone got me into watching again

[@Alvaro-qz6qk]

He just roided up

[@RAAM855]

It's also dissapointing he didn't come out to Broken Dreams

[@rhynfairplay]

Can we all say this about Jinder Mahal too? #donthinderthejinder

[@gordoloco86]

Ñ

[@aznnp77]

You've gotta hand it to JBL. I couldn't believe that he got pushed for so long, but he made it work as a top heel for a while.

[@steveowisdom2486]

Yeah!! JBL was phenomenal, such a class act and amazing champion during my childhood. Especially his matches against taker

[@dingleberry42069]

for me JBL was the best heel in the 2000s you just really hated the guy

[@aznnp77]

@@dingleberry42069 Yeah hated him in a heel kinda way. Not in a Baron Corbin kinda way.

[@Oniphius1]

I love it when they moved him to announcing too

[@kazallroberts]

Sadly he was another victim of bad booking following the Eddie Guerrero feud, making him a "One & Done".

[@scottalderson8673]

Everybody's forgetting about the major change Vince McMahon made to himself to make Mr McMahon.. if Vince McMahon stayed Vince McMahon.. WWF would have lost the war and probably would have been out of business.

[@kenallen8213]

Very true. The Mr McMahon character is one of the greatest character heels of all time. He was an integral part of the artitude era. Being more than the prototype Million Dollar Man character, Mr McMahon was the Attitude Era's fiend long before Bray Wyatt.

[@nobodyfamousX]

The unfortunate thing is that now it seems like McMahon is just so out of touch that he hurts the company more than helps it. He was fantastic in the 80's and 90's, but the more time passes...

[@Johncornwell103]

Vince McMahons as Vince McMahon doesn't get the credit it seriously deserves. It's probably one of the best serial show villains ever.

[@osamamanan2723]

Mr mcmahon was born after montreal screwjob. Its awsome how screwing Bret actually paid off as a business move. Mcmahon is a godamn genius. Wish we all be this smart..

[@trazyntheinfinite9895]

What i like about him is that never was afraid to get hit to make the show

[@achimsinn6189]

The Hall of Pain was so good because it never felt like a gimmick change they forced onto him to turn him heel, but as a believable continuation for the strongest man gimmick as Mark Henry grew frustrated of being overlooked over and over again despite being so much more powerfull than the others.

[@drzerogi]

It's one of those things where in retrospect, was a no-brainer.

[@kjiyere7224]

Well said.

[@timothyjaydyning3247]

just saw somewhere that he was pranked with a no show dark match and got really pissed off and started destroying company property. vince told him that if he was like that every single time, he would be pushed better

[@himjyotigoswami3027]

I was worried about the wrrstlers....felt like they would really get hurt

[@polkhigh_33]

@@himjyotigoswami3027 Well tbh a respectable number of them really got hurt, since Henry was infamous for his countless botches. Dude took quiet some years off his opponents' careers with his in-ring shortcomings. Besides, the Hall of Pain was literally the definition of a forced push. WWE desperatly needed a Heel maineventer at that time and their ultima ratio was to take the strongest dude they have and make him turn into a monster heel. Sadly Henry neither had the charisma nor the ring capabilities of a monster heel, thats why they couldnt get some letigimate heat out of his last mainevent run and thats the reason they dropped him after 2014 and sent him into retirement in 2017. Its a shame that he got HoF'ed in 2018 since its pretty obvious he wouldnt be there if it wasnt for his skin color. Dude has never been a wrestler, sorry to say that.

[@deraelevans222]

The fact you could take someone like Bradshaw who was a tag team specialist and later turned into a top Heel and great character shows how much talent wwe had in the attitude era

[@snakeeyes2551]

To tell you the truth if John Cena hadn't changed his gimmick in 2003 he probably wouldn't have became my favorite wrestler, because I started watching WWE in 2005 and when I saw John Cena I liked John Cena's theme song, his ring attire, and his move-set.

[@DarkSaber22]

@@snakeeyes2551 Cena has gone on record saying if he didn't change in 2003 he'd be released

[@siphesihlevilakazi1853]

this isnt attitude it is ruthless aggression

[@deraelevans222]

@@siphesihlevilakazi1853 you’re misunderstanding what I said.

[@freakjob0]

The same could be said of Shawn Michaels.

[@thamuzvillain4114]

deacon batista would’ve never last, glad they switched

[@davidkatsuragi]

really? no way

[@DBoy38]

Worst yet, before they moved him to Evolution, they were quite high on the idea to reveal him as a child of rape.

[@mattmarovich6244]

I enjoyed Deacon Batista but you're right.... that was a limited thing with a short shelf life

[@joeriveracomedy]

Dee Konn could have went somewhere

[@dkaz0065]

It’s funny looking back lol

[@bartolomeestebanmurillo4459]

I think the Kane character really helped Glenn's career but his most hilarious gimmick in my opinion was Corporate Kane, essentially a parody of Glenn in real life. The JBL gimmick made for a memorable heel during Ruthless Aggression but I liked APA JBL, he didn't take himself so seriously.

[@ZiggyMandarr]

JBL was a product of neccesity. Everyone was hurt and SmackDown needed a top heel. They let him be himself and it paid off.

[@Hitoshuratdn]

The JBL Gimmick was also due in part because of Eddie.

[@XVNRX]

I always knew of him as ruthless aggression JBL But APA JBL seemed cooler

[@MASTER3371]

@@ZiggyMandarr Lesnar leaving was the real reason. He left the top heel void open

[@ZiggyMandarr]

@@MASTER3371 combined with Kurt being out, Jericho being gone, Taker just came back as the Deadman, Paul not working Tuesdays. It was a whole bunch of things that created a neccesity.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

Hunter Helmsley's gimmick change to The Game definitely saved Triple H's career, even if he didn't marry a McMahon.

[@kl2389]

He even became the WWF/E champion before he dated Stephanie.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

@@kl2389 that was when he was dating the late Chyna, back when she was a face (yep).

[@rriggs6547]

He didn't change his gimmick. He just stopped acting like a foreign snob. HHH is Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

[@kl2389]

@@kenterminateddq5311 people tend to forget that. They though he became champion because of Stephanie.

[@kenterminateddq5311]

@@rriggs6547 But you also need to remember that he roided his body up and grew a trimmed beard. So, Triple H counts.

[@RedRanger_]

The JBL one still blows my mind because I remember thinking ain’t no fucking way lmao. He looked and acted soo different. Drew’s is right there next to him for me

[@elfarmy7729]

yeah me too....even I look on Wikipedia for the truth LOL

[@stuartmcquade3407]

He was basically playing an extended version of his true self as a Rich investor.

[@kw5371]

I thought he was George W. Bush

[@chondrinenigma]

I lost touch with WWE towards the end of 2002 but I'd sometimes still catch a bit of Smackdown while channel surfing a few years later. I remember doing a double-take when I saw BRADSHAW, of all people, as one of the new top guys! Unexpected doesn't begin to describe it!

[@RedRanger_]

@@chondrinenigma the last memory I have him looking like his “old self” is in the Smackdown SYM game then he came back totally different

[@GenericUsernameWhatever]

JBL never gets the credit he deserves, one of the best heels the company had and a genuine heat magnet.

[@stuartmcquade3407]

His backstage bullying and Hazing of the younger talent is well documented but there's one Man who stood up to him and never took his crap,of course I talk about the legendary Joey Styles.

[@polkhigh_33]

@@stuartmcquade3407 Yeah, the same Joey Styles who got hired by WWE out of mercy, was given the oppurtunity to become the next JR multiple times and fucked up every single time due to his inability to work in the companie's best interest. He's gone for good. Unlike JBL, who in fact became one of the better commentators of the last 5 decades besides his respectable wrestling career and tremendous backstage reputation among the veterans. And since youre mentioning the 'bullying and hazing'. Bradshaw as a wwf/e veteran himself just couldnt stand a lack of respect and work ethics. Guess what all the people who shittalk him have in common? Yes, they all failed. Lets look at the guys who didnt complain after working with him for some time? Oh, every single one of them turned out to become a succesful maineventer? Case closed.

[@stevegallo8483]

The irony in the Rock's gimmick change is his first gimmick is something he never wanted. He wanted to make it as his own man in WWF/WWE, but what did Vince and company do? They give him a name that combined the names of his father, "Soul Man" Rocky Johnson and his grandfather the "High Chief" Peter Maivia.

[@CricketDynamo720]

It also didn't help that Rocky Johnson would often run in to save The Rock from getting beaten up at any given opportunity early in his career. it made The Rock look really weak.

[@XtotheK]

@@CricketDynamo720 Didn't that happen only once?

[@standardofexcellence]

They didn't need to do this for rock, reigns, or perfects son but they need to do it for steiner's son

[@CricketDynamo720]

@@XtotheK It happened multiple times. Any time that The Rock got beat up by a several heels, Rocky Johnson always ran in to save the day. You would sometimes hear Jim Ross say something about how he had heard that Rocky Johnson was in the building and how he was surprised to see him come out to his sons aid. That plus The Rock winning the Intercontinental Title as soon as he did soured the fans. I think that both of those intensified the fans’ hatred for The Rock before he turned heel and we got to see what he was really capable of in the ring and on the mic.

[@stevegallo8483]

@@standardofexcellence Other than when he was with Paul Heyman, Perfect's son didn't get much of a push.

[@everythingmakessense86]

One of my more recent gimmick changes is The Usos. They used to come out with the face paint and do the Samoan chant before their entrance and were not nearly as interesting as they got when they started with the Day One Ish and Uso Penitentiary stuff. They barely had a gimmick before and still barely have one but I always liked the change and feel like it helped them out greatly.

[@iceloveanime]

Yeah usos tribal gimmick was good but on borrowed time. The uso penitentiary was the perfect persona change that came at the perfect time.

[@sameeknowsitall]

That gimmick changed him forever

[@dealmakerdreamtaker5257]

My only gripe is the fact day one ish and tribal twins songs are kinda swapped and should go with the other gimmick

[@CharlesHitmanStone]

But The Old USO gimmick goes better with The Bloodline when you think about it

[@cjvaye99]

wwe for so long were really bad at that. if you were from another country or ethnically different that was your gimmick. got an idea for an interesting or cool character? too bad you're going to be a generic wrestler from whatever country. they did it to so many good and talented people. becky luckily got out of it but she had to do the stupid irish thing to start. the usos like you said just had the most generic islanders gimmick. those are two that got out of it but how many wrestlers careers were ruined because wwe kept them in that box? smh. at least they're slowly getting over that stupid way of thinking.

[@DrBeanBaggin]

Mark Heny's trolling leading to his match with Cena was golden.

[@runrafarunthebestintheworld]

That's what I do.

[@zeospark9715]

That fake retirement speech was one of the best swerves in WWE history definitely

[@sreenaths6829]

He should have atleast got a 2 month WWE title reign after that. Shame that nothing came out of it.

[@triplebeans4159]

One of his best work.

[@solascriptura-e7t]

The jump the Usos made, from the colorful "chanting Samoans" gimmick, to the "Uso Penitentiary"; felt like a direct copy/nod to the jump The Rock made, almost two decades earlier.

[@vise_atoxity8083]

It seems they're doing the same exact thing with the Usos brother down in NXT. He's currently doing a tribal gimmick,but it's obvious that's going to be changed in a future heel turn (or face, don't know what he is). He's also related to Roman, the Rock, and the Usos so... he's pretty set in his career.

[@solascriptura-e7t]

The Anoa'i Family is crazy deep,@@vise_atoxity8083 Here's to hoping that Naomi might soon be added to the Bloodline stable 🤞🤞🤞

[@snakeeyes2551]

@@vise_atoxity8083 The thing about the Anoa'i family they always change their gimmicks to get popular Examples Rocky Maivia > The Rock 3MW Rosey > Super Hero In Training Rosey Jamal > Umaga Bad Man Rikishi > Too Cool Rikishi Face Paint Usos > Day One Ish Usos The Big Dog Roman Reigns > Tribal Chief Roman Reigns

[@kevinpalmer9756]

Eddie Guerrero turning into the heel sleazeball in 1997, in the long run, saved his career. Chris Jericho's heel turn shortly thereafter did exactly the same for him, not to mention Shawn Michaels turning on Marty Jannetty during the Barber Shop.

[@jpdude7274]

Best of times

[@topher9507]

Austin going from the Ringmaster to SCSA didn't not only saved his career but helped save the WWE.

[@chrisortiz8072]

That's true. To this day his merch still sells 2. Remember in 2021 he outsold even the whole active roster

[@topher9507]

@@chrisortiz8072 exactly, the only thing I would consider buying is the smoking skull belt. One day I probably will.

[@jjw1990x]

I wish WWE would see potential in their current talent like they did back in the day 😔

[@MrAce-lm8es]

Solofa Fatu's reascension into the Mid Card scene in the World Wrestling Federation. If anyone recalls, in 1997, he was "The Sultan", running around with Bob Backlund and The Iron Sheik. After that terrible New Generation Gimmick, he reemerged in 1999 as "Rikishi Fatu", then simply "Rikishi". The partnership of Too Cool & Rikishi certainly saved his World Wrestling Federation Career. "U Look Fly Today 😎"

[@shaungarrett5291]

RIP Luke Harper. I still think about how much love he got from his colleagues at his death.

[@savagetabby4931]

It's crazy that pretty much every gimmick on this list were all great examples of allowing the talent be themselves.

[@tuckamojo7660]

I absolutely loved Layfield and Simmons APA gimmick! Did they kind of remind anyone else of the Road Warriors?

[@DirgeTV]

After looking at this and remembering it all, I think that's what ended up making the Attitude era so memorable: Here you have all these wrestlers who's previous gimmicks were just not going anywhere and yet thanks to a completely new one and it happening in the same time period, they combined to bring all these amazing personalities and characters that really stuck out into a fantastic time in wrestling where you just HAD to tune in every Monday and Thursday.

[@Pierre93X]

Also Triple H aknowledged Wyatt was a man who made himself (when he won the WWE titile) and he evolved again and again. He saved himself not once but twice

[@AncestorEmpire1]

Man I miss the APA

[@HaveCheetahWillView]

Hell yes, best tag team this side of the Road Warriors

[@aaronramnarain8142]

The Hall of Pain is one of the most satisfying angles I've seen; 4 months might not have been enough but it was great while it lasted. Henry paid all of his dues.

[@benespinosa6725]

Bradshaw to JBL was an amazing Gimmick Change and wasn't the Reason for the Gimmick Change Undertaker And Big Show Got Hurt and Brock Lesnar left And They Need a Top Heel to Feud with Eddie Guerrero?

[@balian9177]

Bradshaw is the golfing buddy of vince, it was bound to happen

[@benespinosa6725]

@@balian9177 that's very interesting I had no idea about that thanks for letting me know.

[@benespinosa6725]

@Blackadder wow that's very interesting thanks for sharing.

[@remingtonbouyer]

Yes that's exactly what happened with JBL at that time Smackdown needed a heel to challenge Eddie Guerrero Undertaker was injured Brock was gone Kurt took time off to recover from his injuries

[@Goldenleyend]

@Blackadder then why didn't Bo Dallas get pushed?

[@DonDeLem]

I personally preferred Bradshaw but I can't deny he did much more as JBL

[@troyancheta3803]

I would also include Latino Heat Eddie into the Lie Cheat and Steal Eddie. That version of Eddie was so good that it hurts when he turned heel on Rey. Unfortunately he passed when he turned face again

[@tydance8865]

Omg Frfr cause I loved Eddie then when he turned bad it felt like I got dumped and I hadn’t even had a gf at that point!!!!

[@anvil4life]

The reason that wasn't on the list is because neither gimmick was a make or break for Eddie, Eddie was already over

[@Three-Headed-Monkey]

I still remember Eddie's last match on WWE against Mr. Kennedy. Classic Eddie. Getting Mr. Kennedy disqualified by pretending to be hit by a chair. It wasn't a huge PPV match but by god it really did just encapsulate why Eddie was so good.

[@troyancheta3803]

@@Three-Headed-Monkey I remember that too, that was on Smackdown.

[@ClapperDan]

When Eddie passed, was it just me or did his final face run felt kinda weird. It was like he was too nice after everything that went down. Given that he passed from heart disease, it like he found out it was too late and, kinda accepted what will his his fate through wrestling. Not saying that that's exactly what happened but Eddie was just exceptionally carefree in his attitude near the end

[@butchvito]

Honorable Mentions: -Rockabilly to Badass Billy Gunn -Sparky Plugg to Hardcore Holly -Kama to The Godfather

[@Eherman23]

jamal to umaga... how do people forget this

[@TheMetalAllfather]

You mean Papa Shango to Godfather.

[@butchvito]

@@TheMetalAllfather - No I meant what I said. There was over 5 a year gap between Papa Shango and The Godfather, with Charles Wright using the Kama gimmick in between... Kama "The Supreme Fighting Machine" into Kama Mustafa in The Nation where "The Godfather" gimmick evolved.

[@whaduzitmatr]

The Sultan to RIkishi, Too Much to Too Cool, The Roadie/Double J to Road Dogg, Lief Cassidy to Al Snow and how did they not have Shawn Michaels: Rocker to Heartbreak Kid?

[@TheMetalAllfather]

@@butchvito Huh. Never knew that.

[@stevecollins6858]

No bigger change than JBL. He went from a loved but going nowhere tag team star to the top heel in WWE in a week

[@BeAGoodDoga]

The Sultan was wrong for its time anyway. I’m glad he became Rikishi later.

[@360entertainment2]

Not gonna lie, I’m a Cena fan and his rivalry with JBL was great honestly! Those two managed to play off of each other very well and represented almost class warfare type of theme in a way!

[@rriggs6547]

Unfortunately Cena hadn't learned to wrestle a great match yet and JBL was never a ring general. So their matches were all crap. Cena of 2016 is a much different Cena than the one from the JBL feud.

[@cjvaye99]

yeah I thought they could of gotten more mileage out of that feud. shame they just wanted to get cena on raw asap. I always thought he fit better on smackdown because Cole and tazz just did a better job putting him over on commentary. you could tell JR and King liked batista better they did not do a good job with cena and actually I think that's why we got Joey Styles soon after cena arrived to replace JR.

[@sreenaths6829]

Their WM21 match sucked but their Judgement Day match more than made up for it.

[@jamesstarter]

Man I HATED the JBL persona

[@jaybreacher4430]

@@rriggs6547 their i quit match was goated wym?

[@Brookewestt]

You forgot to mention that stone cold only got his push because of the 1996 curtain call at MSG. Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were both going to wcw, Shawn Michaels was the company’s champion, so that ultimately left Triple H to be the only punishable one. Triple H was supposed to win that King of the Ring and if it wasn’t for that stone cold most likely wouldn’t never gotten that push and he wouldn’t be who we love today.

[@TheMetalAllfather]

Let's not forget the three months he spent in WCW as Stunning Steve Austin, getting zero air time to the point he hijacked a camera, and cut the meanest shoot of his career, effectively getting himself over with the WWF before they even rehired him.

[@kingsurgaleo1]

@@TheMetalAllfather Don't forget ECW's role in it too

[@Brookewestt]

Yeah I don’t think his gimmick (before he was who he is today) wasn’t going to save him.

[@HhhHhhh-nu4lm]

@@TheMetalAllfather actually prior to hogan coming to WCW Steve was was close to getting a push.he even fueded with Ricky steamboat.he was only dropped to the card when hogan came. Bret was the first one to take notice him.he told Vince to hire Steve . It was Bret idea for them to feud .before his feud with Bret Steve was only fighting uppermidcard on ppv

[@HhhHhhh-nu4lm]

Where hulk hogan.bwfore his heel turn his career was winding down

[@StarrPower2232]

I thought for sure that Roman’s change from The Big Dog to The Tribal Chief would be on this list.

[@balian9177]

Cause all his moves are still called the big dog ;)

[@davidparkes7741]

That was literally just a nickname change.

[@StarrPower2232]

Would you mind explaining me how aside from moveset are Big Dog Roman Reigns and Tribal Chief Roman Reigns the same gimmick?

[@davidparkes7741]

@@StarrPower2232 It's literally just the heel version of the gimmick? Hell, swap out the Uso's for Seth & Dean & you've got a repeat of Shield! Roman.

[@StarrPower2232]

Except the was no clear cut leader of The Shield.

[@rebeccagodfrey8201]

I think Kanes gimmick is based on Kane Huder (who played Jason Voorhees) he & undertaker I think are supposed to be Freddy & Jason, Freddy afraid of fire (hence Kanes fire) & Jasons afraid of water (hence Takers control of lightning which usually comes with storms) the best movie references ever.

[@brianhooks1574]

Undertaker got a more jeeper creeper vibe to me tho

[@Universe7883]

Undertaker was to me the tall man

[@SecretSexSkeleton]

Yeah, allll of these^ feel like more of a stretch than Day 1 of training in the Hart Dungeon...

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

Speaking of Kane and the Undertaker, I think it's amusing that when the Undertaker was first introduced he was called "Kane the Undertaker".

[@troyancheta3803]

Kane was actually based on Michael Myers according to James Cornette, he's the one who pitched the Kane gimmick

[@kayskreed]

If you were to make a list for 'Gimmick Changes That Desperately _Destroyed_ a WWE Wrestler's Career', I bet you could easily come up with 100 at the very minimum.

[@stansmith5610]

*What about dolph ziggler? From spirit squad to what he is known now*

[@markmagician2471]

Ehhhh bout the same

[@FLICKY_______D1]

He's still not being utilised by wwe

[@ChrisManley1994]

He’s a bigger jobber now than he was then.

[@DaRozeman]

One of the most underbooked wrestlers in the sport.

[@danjonmills]

A crap HBK ripoff?

[@Thomo316]

Was never the biggest fan of Mark Henry but he did a tour of Australia and seen him appear on mulitple shows/ TV appearances in Australia. Dude was humble and a champion on everything he appeared on. Been a fan since

[@Kains_Gaming_Channel]

2:49. Triple H and Motorhead! Whata picture!

[@Viikk785]

Glad you didnt include the American Badass Undertaker His gimmick didnt need saving!

[@RedForeman]

JBL is definitely one of my favorites

[@tracycottrill1886]

I like how Stone Cold Steve Austin was doing the Cesaro swing😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣

[@DaRozeman]

I like how no one seems to remember his "Stunning Steve Austin" gimmick as part of a tag team called "The Hollywood Blondes".

[@ThomasMiddlehurs1984]

@@DaRozeman He actually had shoulder length hair before his WCW days. I absolutely hated Austin in WCW. Flying Brian Pilman for was far more fun to watch( I had to google that. It was on the tip of my tongue.)

[@me_vj]

Here after Wyatt's departure... This loss feels personal hope he rests in peace

[@shisuidoto3150]

2:11 dudeeew

[@veekshithsshetty6221]

Jhon Cena, was just an emotion for INDIANS, we never heard WWE without Jhon Cena in early 2010.🇮🇳

[@behindthering329]

Rock and undertaker were much known to Indians before cena debut. Undertaker character was picked up by bollywood in khiladiyon ka khiladi. Cena debuted much later. I was born in 1991. I remember rikishi too.

[@SeeThruSmoke]

Great video lol 😂 seems like everyone was finding their way pre 1997. Goes to show Change can be refreshing.

[@nobro1975]

Love JBL to this day! Met him on top of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. I kept it low key which he appreciated and took pics with me discreetly. Great guy

[@Eayala17]

JBL was a legend heel. 🙌 hated him as a kid but looking back as an adult, damn he was good.

[@savagetabby4931]

Bradshaw's gimmick was so believable because it was true. Gone were the days of the Sweetwater, Texas football player and son of a minister. And hello to the successful stock market investor and Financial analyst on Fox network. Another success story of wwe using the talent's true self and not a random gimmick.

[@Grishrak]

They didn’t mention that Kane was suppose to be a short lived character. He was created to have a PPV match with Taker and that was supposed to be it. Glen also came up with the idea to unmask Kane because he felt the character has hit the ceiling with the mask and without it the character could grow more.

[@shantheman6879]

Bradshaw as Justin Hawk Bradshaw could have been HUGE! I loved that character!

[@tamzidmohsinkhan3333]

Kane's Isaac Yankem gimmick was underrated

[@Alran109]

Edge becoming the Rated R Superstar saved his career too. He would have never touched the top titles if not for that.

[@realzubidoo]

Rock's persona change cemented his whole career including movie star status. I doubt he would've made it this far as Rocky Maivia

[@TheMetalAllfather]

NOBODY DREW HEAT LIKE JBL. The George W. Bush of Pro Wrestling, the guy you *LOVED* to hate! lmao

[@heavystarch100]

But JBL actually is a stock trading expert!

[@kvinche8120]

Bradshaw to JBL is the greatest gimmick change in the history of pro wrestling

[@bendoverpitch3017]

3:05 Correction. Mark Henry “wasn’t given” the Sexual Chocolate name/gimmick. Mark has talked about how his favorite movie is Coming to America and he got the idea off the band from that movie

[@Kevin-tz2lv]

Reading comments realizing many wrestling fans don't actually understand wrestling. It's bizarre lol

[@sameeknowsitall]

JBL and drew McIntyre we’re 2 people I never thought would win the belt tbh.

[@007GoldenLion]

JBL was great! So much charm on his feuds with Rey Misterio. Two artists in the ring

[@lrts1lrts181]

JBL is one of the best villains of all time.

[@Shudders1999]

6:29 The same happened to Roman Reigns as he was hated as a babyface until he took on the persona of being The Tribal Chief. So, him and The Rock's career was quite the same. Roman Reigns may even become a popular Hollywood star like The Rock in the near future.

[@omt4293]

Here’s a couple. Hulk Hogan to Hollywood Hogan. His character became stale and nWo basically reinvented him. It was a much needed change. Scott Steiner to Big Poppa Pump. Another huge change that kept him going.

[@iamanil7]

Husky Harris to Bray Wyatt - Success Bray Wyatt to The Fiend - Failed

[@IceTC2847]

Wrestlelamia, Your NEXT Top 10 List Should be: "Top 10 AEW vs WWE Dream Matches"

[@JockyCGE]

Cena went from generic babyface to doctor of thuganomics and back to generic baby face with bright colors 😂

[@tamzidmohsinkhan3333]

Stone Cold's 3:16 promo was legendary

[@KanishQQuotes]

1:27 I never find bray wyatt scary I find him very cute, almost like a teddy bear 🐻

[@asmrmy9664]

Like him or hate him but H.H.H. knew who to be friends with and who to sleep with to get ahead. He'd be nobody without sean, nash, and hall. Lets not forget steph. Test would probably be alive and as big if not bigger than Hunter.

[@Walshy94]

No, Test was never gonna be a top guy in the company. They tried to make him one, but as soon as they realised he didn't have what it took, they gave it to HHH, and he became one of the top guys instead, even before he started dating steph

[@AcornSmokes420]

Randy savage was in bed with Stephanie McMahon when she was 12-17 which is wooow

[@cjvaye99]

@@Walshy94 they tried a few times to make test a top guy and god bless him but he just didnt have it. every single time it just didnt work. test was good in the ring and looked like a badass but he just didnt have 'it'

[@Walshy94]

@@cjvaye99 I get what you mean man. Trips wasn't the best on the mic either, but he was always able to get under your skin because he was such a great heel. I just never got those vibes off of Test. He was barely even a midcarder in my eyes tbh

[@gaming4life788]

He won wwf title way before He married Steph

[@Kholmi.28]

I don't know how I stumbled across this, but this was entertaining af😂 Wrestling was my entire childhood.

[@prize5ighter]

Likewise Wrestling was my entire childhood 🤣🤣

[@BornJamerican]

The "Hall Of Pain" is not a change in his persona. He was STILL The ". "Worlds Strongest Man". The Hall Of Pain was basically the same concept as "The List of Jericho". The only difference is, their was no pen and paper. It was just a new accessory to add to the same gimmick he'd already been using since 2002. They just did a better job of booking him and they were more consistent.

[@sreenaths6829]

Damn right. Henry was still called the WSM when he was doing his Hall of Pain thing. He was just booked better.

[@tareklegrand7747]

@@sreenaths6829 they pushed him because the roster was lacking starpower. remember this was 2011

[@JohnDoe-zr8pc]

The character change from Justin Hawk Bradshaw who’s gimmick was a ranch hand, to just being known as Bradshaw, who became a member of the Acolytes, really helped him.

[@thekingofevil93]

Drew mcyntire is a true Cinderella story. At least to me. I remember his debut and feud with Matt hardy....soon as he went with 3mb I thought that was the dumbest thing to do with him cause he came in around the same time as Sheamus. He comes back a few years later and he looked bigger and was a great wrestler. Soon as he got his title belt shot and won I was so damn happy cause he deserved it. Too bad the pandemic ruined it in a way. That crowd would have went nuts for his title belt win

[@TheMightyDevilLuis]

Amazing how one change can change your whole life.

[@emanuelmartinez7267]

Worst part about terrible gimmicks is that it can potentially ruin a guys career no matter how talented they are. I remember a story of when Raven went back to WWE after becoming one of ECWs biggest stars and early IWC favorite, Vince happened to pass him in the hallway and exclaimed: "who the hell rehired Johnny Polo!?!". Here's Raven who's become a cult favorite and credited by Paul Heyman and others as being the brains of some ECWs most successful gimmicks and angles and all Vince saw was his failed cartoonish manager from the early 90's, Raven has said that's probably why he didn't have much success in WWE despite the hype he had because Vince couldn't look pass his original character in the company

[@TheRealElJugo]

I know he wasn’t in the WWE at the time, but the Hulk Hogan to Hollywood Hogan change is the GOAT of career saving gimmicks.

[@DrBeauHightower]

Great video

[@adamjohnson3973]

APA Bradshaw was a good gimmick. But it was not a gimmick that could main event. Also JBL vs. Godzilla is probably the greatest thing that has ever happened in a wrestling ring. Also respect to Ron Simmons for helping to make both the Rock and JBL.

[@ivaneurope]

Well, SmackDown didn't had a credible top heel available - Kurt Angle and Big Show were both injured, Brock Lesnar had already left and Triple H didn't want to work Tuesdays (cue Paul Heyman's JBL, WWE champion remark). And really JBL was the best heel SmackDown had to offer at the time

[@sreenaths6829]

But I still badly missed Brock Lesnar after he left in 2004.

[@adamjohnson3973]

@@sreenaths6829 I think everybody did. Man almost made the NFL as a walk-on which is unheard of.

[@torpedospurs]

APA Bradshaw was already a great improvement over his first gimmick 'Justin Hawk Bradshaw'.

[@barryfields2964]

It was years before I realized that JBL, and Bradshaw were the same person.

[@jakeriggs8506]

I’d also argue Lita joining Team Xtreme helped her become one of the top female wrestlers of the era

[@MooLows]

WAIT IS THAT La Knight in the crowd with the grey shirt???? 3:31 😂

[@MrMG-il5hv]

Yeah

[@jarvisyoung8350]

Remember watching JBL before he became JBL. My first thought was that this guy needs to get noticed by either WCW or WWF.

[@stevegallo8483]

Rikishi went through a number of gimmicks before becoming Rikishi: He was one half of the Headshrinkers with Samu, Make a Difference Fatu, The Sultan and finally Rikishi Fatu that got shortened to Rikishi.

[@rickyricardo4331]

Hard to pick a best one out of this list, but Rocky Maivia to The Rock was probably the most extreme given that persona launched Dwayne Johnson straight past WWE/F stardom and into Hollywood. I have to show people old clips when they ask why people call him The Rock.

[@ModernDayRenaissanceMan]

6:18 dude really picked the worst time to get up & go to the bathroom... seriously? You couldn't hold it for 10 more seconds? I mean EVERYONE knows when they are going home.

[@himalayjadhav]

I love how this dude never runs out of content ideas.

[@PJB0830]

Man, JBL was really one of the best heels of all time

[@ryangordon133]

Love all your work on this channel but your top 10 are your best. They are your World Title Run if you will.

[@410balla]

JBL was supposed to be a heel but we all loved him lowkey

[@troyancheta3803]

I loved JBL as a kid because of the Limo lol. I alwasy choose him in Smackdown vs Raw games, him and Eddie

[@Teirusu155]

What I learned from your preview image: Bradshaw went from wearing pants to wearing a shirt.

[@johnny5805]

This video should spawn an entire series, because there's waaaayyyyy more than 10.

[@redranger4953]

Here is a female example; Alexa Bliss - cheerleader to five feet of fury. When Alexa debuted on NXT in 2014, she was presented as a blissful cheerleader, please excuse the pun, and although she was a likeable babyface, it wasn't really something that the WWE universe could take seriously as a champion. When she turned heel and aligned herself with Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake, she was seen as a true championship contender, really excelled on the mic and put on strong matches with the likes of Bayley and Sasha Banks. Although she didn't win NXT gold, she definitely made an impact on the main roster and has become a 7-time women's champion. Amazing what a gimmick change can do.

[@whaduzitmatr]

Becky Lynch's first gimmick was terrible too, Irish Jig Dancer to Lasskicker

[@RetroActivityGaming]

Alexa Bliss is the most overrated woman on the roster. She's never been a credible threat, she got booked WAY too dominant in her fueds, she hits like a wet tissue when it comes to any believability for her moves and is a one note character. She offers nothing of value.

[@redranger4953]

@@RetroActivityGaming if anyone is overrated, that would be Charlotte Flair. I admit she is gifted but I am so sick of seeing her in the title picture so much. There are other women in WWE who are far more deserving of being champion, whether it's Alexa Bliss, Liv Morgan, Naomi or Shayna Baszler.

[@Inthebasementtv]

It’s crazy because I thought bray was a star in his first gimmick it just kept getting better and better

[@tamzidmohsinkhan3333]

Bray Wyatt would've been the mega star if seriously booked properly in first place

[@krtz23]

The JBL transformation was the biggest one 😂