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Whilst the usual tenure of a WWE Superstar isn't considered to be a long one, there are still several wrestlers who are able to defy the odds.
Many current stars on WWE's roster have been part of the company for around a decade, meaning that these wrestlers have been forced to recreate themselves many times. Being repackaged often involves losing or gaining weight, or even switching up their entire look to start afresh.
Almost every wrestler has a change of gimmick or appearance throughout their careers, so it's not unusual to see these types of transformations. Even The Undertaker needed a reboot as the American Badass to keep his character alive.
Below is a list of five current WWE Superstars who are unrecognizable compared to their debuts.
#5. Former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre is currently one of the biggest stars in WWE which is a stark contrast to the Scottish star's original run in the company, which began with his debut back in 2007.
McIntyre was underutilized in 3MB for several years before he was released from the company back in 2014, and made it clear that he was going to start a revolution in the wrestling business.
Drew McIntyre underwent quite the transformation before later being re-signed by WWE and sent to their NXT roster. His new look and attitude allowed him to capture the NXT Championship ahead of his move to the main roster.
In recent years, the Scotsman has become a Royal Rumble winner and a two-time WWE Champion whilst also managing to defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. He also remains in the main title picture on Monday Night RAW heading into the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view next month.
It's hard not to argue that Drew McIntyre's resurgence in the business was down to his dedication and the time he put in at the gym. Right now he is looking the best he has ever looked and it's allowed WWE to get behind him and finally push him to the top of the company.
#4. Former WWE Champion Randy Orton
Throughout the course of his WWE career, Randy Orton has gone through several different changes. From his time in Evolution to The Legend Killer, The Apex Predator, all the way up to the current day, The Viper has visibly changed as well.
Orton made his debut back in April 2002 at the age of just 22. Orton later went on to become the company's youngest ever World Champion two years later at SummerSlam when he was just 24.
The Viper has now been part of the company for almost two decades and at 41 years old, it's clear that he's changed dramatically since his debut. In his personal life, the former world champion has been married twice and is now a father of two and the step-father of three boys during this time.
The images above show that Orton's changed his facial hair, his body mass, had many tattoos, and obviously, he no longer wrestles in shorts.
Next April, Randy Orton will celebrate two decades in WWE, and in that time he's been both a heel and a face, been part of stables and tag teams, and is now a 14-time World Champion.
Whilst several current WWE stars have opened up about their retirement plans in recent years, it appears that The Legend Killer isn't ready to hang up his wrestling boots anytime soon.
As WWE Hall of Famer JBL used to say, "If you're going to build a sports entertainer from the ground up, you build Randy Orton."
#3. Former WWE Champion Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy made his original WWE debut when he was just 16 years old, after lying to the company and claiming he was 18.
For almost three decades, Hardy has had several stints in WWE as well as on the Independent circuit. The fact that Hardy debuted in WWE when he was just a teenager and a jobber means that he has gone through many changes over the years.
The above image shows that when Hardy made his debut in a match against Razor Ramon on live TV, he was much smaller and had not been able to grow his hair out.
Hardy debuted in standard wrestling gear and has since been able to become recognizable for his darker ring attire as well as his long hair. This was also many years before Hardy began making face paint a main part of his character.
Hardy is nearing the end of his wrestling career now after almost 30 years in the spotlight. The images above show that the former WWE Champion has obviously gone through several changes throughout his career.
#2. Current WWE Superstar Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman made his official WWE debut as the fourth member of The Wyatt Family back in 2014 after appearing as an extra on NXT for several months.
Until then, Strowman was a former strongman competitor and had only had minimal wrestling training. The former Universal Champion was at a size that worked for him at the time and allowed him to help The Wyatt Family to dominate their opponents.
Since the Wyatt Family went their separate ways, Strowman has been able to focus on himself and recently put the time in at the gym, which has allowed him to transform completely.
The former Champion showed off his image change back in December when he noted in a post on Instagram that there was a 35lb difference between his body then and now.
The Monster Among Men has recently documented his struggle with depression and was able to focus on changing his image, which has since allowed him to become the subject of a push on WWE TV.
#1. Former WWE Champion Dolph Ziggler
It has been almost 16 years since Dolph Ziggler made his original WWE debut as (Chavo Guerrero) Kerwin White's caddie in 2005. The former world champion later went on to re-debut as Nicky, a member of The Spirit Squad, later that year.
The Spirit Squad was later sent back to OVW by D-Generation X after around a year on Monday Night RAW, which gave Ziggler the chance to repackage himself.
The Showoff debuted his Dolph Ziggler character in September 2008 and quickly established himself as a heel. In the years that have followed, Ziggler has become one of the company's most popular stars and is a former Money in the Bank winner and World Champion following a successful cash-in.
When Ziggler originally debuted in WWE as both the caddie and as a member of The Spirit Squad he wasn't able to grow out his hair. Ziggler's flowing blonde locks have since become a trademark of his character, whilst his wrestling attire has also been changed up several times over the years.
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