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In the world of professional wrestling, you can never say with certainty what the crowd will react to. WWE certainly had no idea Stone Cold Steve Austin--a rulebreaker who 'really didn't give a damn' what the fans thought--to be cheered so enthusiastically by the capacity crowds, for example.
But Austin himself didn't start off his career as the Texas Rattlesnake. It can take years for a wrestler to truly develop their persona and resonate with the fans, but sometimes a big change has to be made.
Here are ten wrestlers who drastically changed their gimmicks for the better, and met with great success.
#10. Ray Traylor
Ray Traylor was a rarity in wrestling, a three hundred pound man with cat-like agility and speed.
He began his career wrestling under his real name, but quickly adopted the persona of Big Bubba Rogers. Big Bubba was a hard-hitting southern gentleman who also had impeccable taste in clothing.
The Rogers gimmick helped get him over, and he even won the UWF Championship, but it wasn't until he became the Big Boss Man that his career truly exploded.
Big Boss Man was a former prison guard who was perhaps wrestling's worst bully. It wasn't enough for him to beat his opponent; He had to handcuff them to the ring ropes and bludgeon them with his nightstick. Big Boss Man's greatest moment was probably when he challenged WWE champion Hulk Hogan in a steel cage, a match which is still talked about today.
Though Traylor would try other gimmicks after Boss Man, such as the Guardian Angel and Big Bubba again, he would never be as successful using those personas. When he returned to the WWE after his WCW stint, it was as Big Boss Man.
Ray Traylor passed away, but wrestling fans will never forget his talent and charisma.
#9. Mark Calaway/Undertaker
Someone with the Undertaker's size and athletic ability should be an overnight success story in wrestling, right?
Wrong! The man who would become the Undertaker suffered through several terrible gimmicks before becoming the iconic Dead Man.
Originally he wrestled under a mask as Texas Red--a man who wore all black most of the time, and covered his red hair with a mask. Then he became the Master of Pain, a former convict who had killed men in a fight.
Once he signed with WCW, the decision was made to just bill him as Mark Calaway, but then the creative team changed his last name to Callous. Mean Mark Callous didn't last long in WCW, but turned a lot of heads while he was there.
Famously, when Calaway was signed by the WWE, Vince McMahon himself called the future Dead Man at home to offer him the job. Vince asked "Hello, is this the Undertaker?"
Calaway recognized the voice and said, "Hell yeah, I'm the Undertaker!"
The rest is wrestling history.
#8. Warrior/Jim Hellwig
Now regarded as one of the most celebrated WWE superstars of all time, Warrior didn't start his career off wearing face paint.
As a member of Powerteam USA, Hellwig's main selling point was his massive physique. The former bodybuilder had a great look, but his training was rushed and he often hurt people legit in the ring.
Warrior kept working to improve his craft, and went through a few different gimmicks. First, he was one of the Blade Runners along with Steve Borden/Sting, two New Wave enthusiasts who also happened to be jacked to the max. Then he became Dingo Warrior, a face painted wrestler who wore tassels.
The paint grew wilder, more tassels appeared, and Warrior became Ultimate once he joined the WWE. As the first, and only, double champion in the company's history, he holds a unique place in the hearts of wrestling fans and the history books.
#7. Tugboat Thomas/Typhoon
Fred Ottman was a big catch for the WWE when he signed with them in 1989. A big, powerful man who could also move, he was considered a potential heir to the throne Hogan had tried to give up to Randy Savage.
However, he was assigned the Tugboat Thomas character. By 1989, not even the children thought a tugboat captain was cool, as they were adrift in a world of Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers.
But then Tugboat got a new lease on life. He was repackaged as Typhoon, and paired with Earthquake to form the Natural Disasters.
As Typhoon, he was basically a clone of John Tenta/Earthquake, but no one seemed to mind. The new team started off as heels but quickly became babyfaces when the crowds took a liking to them.
Sadly, this was not to be the last drastic change for Ottman. He joined WCW and was repackaged as the Shockmaster. We'll just let this video of his debut show you how that all worked out.
#6. The Road Warriors
Hawk and Animal were the real deal in wrestling, two big men who could fly around the ring like they were light as a feather.
The big, burly men were certain to be stars, and stars they were, even with their atrocious 'biker' gimmick. While they were meant to look tough, many fans believed the Road Warriors drew more comparisons to the Village People than bad ass motorcycle club enthusiasts.
Then a movie with Mel Gibson as Mad Max arrived, and the Warriors changed their look...
With their wild hairdos, painted faces, and spiked body armour, the Warriors instantly elevated their personas to the stratosphere. Arguably the most dominant tag team of the 1980s, the Road Warriors would capture gold all over the world.
#5. Hulk Hogan/Sterling Golden
Hulk Hogan is synonymous with pro wrestling, and was regarded as the ultimate patriotic hero during his WWE run in the 1980s, but he didn't start off that way.
Originally Hogan was a rule-breaking heel named Sterling Golden. Taking inspiration from Superstar Billy Graham, Sterling Golden draped himself in feather boas and liked to pose for the crowd, all the while reminding them how much better he was than typical specimens of humanity.
Once he joined the then-WWF, he was re-christened, Hulk Hogan. Vince McMahon Sr. have Hogan red hair dye, as the character was supposed to be Irish, but Hogan flushed it down the toilet as he feared his hair would fall out even faster.
Can you imagine Hulk Hogan with red hair? We can't either.
#4. Mortis/Chris Kanyon
Despite evidence to the contrary, wrestling promoters always think they know what the public wants. During the early 1990s, the hit video game Mortal Kombat ruled arcades and home consoles and even got made into a major motion picture.
Eric Bischoff saw this and figured he could get in on the action by creating characters inspired by the game. Out of this ill-advised idea came Glacier--as blatant a Sub Zero rip off as you will ever see--and his 'villain,' Mortis, who was obviously a knock off of Scorpion from the same franchise.
While fans gave Glacier the cold shoulder, they oddly embraced Mortis, perhaps due to the latter's great in-ring ability. Realizing that they had a potential star on their hands, WCW had him unmask and wrestle under his real name and face.
While Kanyon would never be world champion, his career definitely changed for the better after unmasking. Kanyon was one of the most visible members of the Invasion angle after WWE bought WCW, and is still regarded as one of the greatest ring technicians and sellers the sport has ever known.
#3. Stunning/Stone Cold Steve Austin
Everyone today knows who Stone Cold Steve Austin is, but he didn't begin his career in such a manner.
Originally, Steve Williams changed his last name to avoid confusion with Dr. Death Steve Williams. Noting his handsome features and chiselled physique, it was suggested to Austin by WCW creative that he become "Stunning" Steve Austin.
The arrogant heel often teamed with Brian Pillman as the Hollywood Blondes and captured every championship to be had in WCW except for the world title.
After a brief stint in ECW, Austin arrived in WWE....where he was called 'the Ringmaster' and wasn't allowed to talk.
Fortunately for Austin, the Ringmaster failed and he was given creative control of his character. Struggling to come up with a good nickname, his British born wife told him to drink his tea before it became 'stone cold.'
Though Austin had been using the gimmick for a while, critics agree that this was the true beginning of the 3:16 era...
#2. Big Daddy Kane, DDS
At seven feet tall and still agile enough to come off the top rope, WWE knew they had something special when they signed wrestler Glen Jacobs, who had formerly been called Unabomb.
However, they struggled with what gimmick to assign to the former hog farmer from Illinois. Kane's first persona was Dr. Issac Yankem, a dentist who ironically had bad teeth.
When that gimmick fizzled--as was inevitable--Jacobs was assigned a no-win scenario; He was to play the Diesel character popularized by Kevin Nash, who had recently left the company.
A true company man, Jacobs did as he was told. The fans did not take kindly to the attempt at a swerve, and booed 'fake' Diesel--as well as 'fake' Scott Hall--relentlessly, and not in a good, heel heat way. After the gimmick was abandoned, Jacobs finally hit gold under a mask.
As Undertaker's kayfabe brother, Kane was billed as a nigh-unstoppable force, and even captured the WWE world title. Eventually, he would unmask but would remain the Devil's Favorite Demon, a role he continues to this day.
1.John Layfield/JBL
As a nephew of one of the original Blackjacks, Bradshaw had a lot of doors opened for him in pro wrestling. His height and build also didn't hurt, and it was only a matter of time before the big man made it to the WWE.
He underwent a lot of cosmetic changes during his tenure. Originally he was billed as one of the New Blackjacks, and had a retro cowboy gimmick. After his partner Barry Windham returned to WCW, Bradshaw was paired with Ron Simmons/Farooq, mostly because the creative department didn't know what else to do with them. The two big men became the Acolytes, minions of the Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness.
Eventually, the two cultists changed to fan favourites when they became the mercenary unit APA. Any wrestler who could afford their services could count on the APA to act as muscle, when they weren't busy playing poker or drinking beer.
All good things must come to an end, however, and the APA disbanded after Ron Simmons left the company. Bradshaw was re-packaged as JBL, a Wall Street investor who drew a lot of inspiration from Layfield's real-life business exploits.
The JBL character was a hit, drawing great heel heat from fans and drawing comparisons to wrestling legends such as Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase. By switching to the JBL character, Layfield finally broke through to the main event and won the big belt.
There you have it; Ten wrestlers who drastically changed their gimmicks for the better. Is there someone we left off the list? Be sure to comment and let us know.
