5 AEW stars who should get a new gimmick in 2022 - former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, 5 time TNA X-Division Champion

AEW's packed roster has no shortage of larger-than-life personalities. Unfortunately, sometimes these characters can become stale or sometimes even completely lack any entertainment value.

Unlike other sports, wrestling is made up of part ability and part personality. Unless a wrestler is great both in the ring and as an entertainer, they will never reach the highest heights of the industry.

Some of the best wrestlers in history were influential both in the ring as well as on the mic and through their character. Wrestlers like The Rock, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, The Undertaker and John Cena all come to mind.

In order for these wrestlers to not get lost in the shuffle or become too irrelevant, they should consider a change to their persona.

5. AEW Executive Vice President, Cody Rhodes should get a new gimmick.

Rhodes is one of the best in-ring performers and has proven that he can gain the support of the crowd just as well as he can get them to boo him. It's no secret that Rhodes has been getting booed by fans for months now, even while facing heels.

This isn't just meant to pick on Rhodes, but rather be a wake-up call for him. While AEW has more heels than babyfaces, Rhodes has worked far better as a heel. It's time for Rhodes to turn his American Nightmare gimmick into a heel persona again.

Rhodes has been teasing this change, as after challenging Sammy Guevarra to a match he nearly left through the left entrance - used by heels in AEW. The change might soon happen, with Rhodes stealing the TNT Championship from Guevarra at this week's AEW Rampage Christmas Special.

4. AEW's former Elite Hunter, Frankie Kazarian

Fans might have already forgotten that Frankie Kazarian was one half of AEW's inaugural tag team champions. Kazarian went by "The Elite Hunter" for some time before Kenny Omega stepped away to recover from old injuries.

Since then, Kazarian has had little to no screentime, and made a brief appearance during The Diamond Ring Battle Royal. While Kazarian could have easily picked up a win here, he was eliminated during the bout.

Kazarian may have taken a backstage role at AEW, which could explain his absence. Kazarian could still continue wrestling, but he'd need to rebrand himself in order for fans to take him seriously again.

3. Anthony Ogogo should break away from The Factory

While Anthony Ogogo has not wrestled for that long, he's a standout amongst The Factory. The direction of the faction is unclear, but Ogogo is too good to be grouped with a badly booked team.

Ogogo has the potential to become a big star but unfortunately has a nagging injury from his time as a boxer. Other than his physical issues, AEW should consider letting him have a solo run or book him as the leader of a team.

Anthony Ogogo could further invest in his cultural identity to make himself into a monster heel. Ogogo's fight with Cody should not have ended in a loss and his character during that feud should be expanded upon.

2. AEW star Jake Hager needs some rebranding in 2022

Jake Hager had quite an impressive debut in AEW, but since his debut he's slowly been seen less and less on television. This is surprising considering Hager is an undefeated MMA fighter as well as a former WWE Heavyweight Champion.

Hager's ability in the ring is impressive, but his gimmick is not. While the other members of the Inner Circle can stand on their own, Hager can't. Without the Inner Circle, Hager's character falls flat.

Hager has stated that he hopes to have his wife Catalina appear beside him in AEW. Catalina briefly wrestled in WWE developmental territory FCW, as Saylor James. Hager's wife understands and loves wrestling, so having her as his manager could elevate both of them in AEW.

1. Brian Cage needs to be repacked as a more interesting character.

Brian Cage is an imposing wrestler with an incredible moveset. While AEW might not be pushing him, he still needs a fresh persona.

Cage is not particularly good on the mic, yet AEW has still made him do a few promos. Cage should do what he does best and wrestle. A manager could elevate Cage, doing promos on his behalf and hyping him up.

Hopefully AEW plans to do something with Brian Cage in 2022, or we might just see the first wrestler to jump to WWE from AEW.