10 Gimmick changes that saved Superstars' careers (Part I)

#1 Rocky Maivia becomes The Rock

Rocky Johnson's son came into the WWE in the mid-90s, as a curly-haired babyface who always smiled at the audience.

The gimmick bombed gloriously and Rocky began getting chants of "Die Rocky, die" everywhere he wrestled. This led WWE to think of a gimmick change for the 3rd generation Superstar, and the rest is history.

Look who just shut down all of Tony Khan's critics! More HERE.

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Maivia dropped his last name and came back as an extremely arrogant heel who liked to insult the fans repeatedly. The Rock instantly became a hit among the audience and he was put in the Nation of Domination, alongside the likes of Mark Henry and Ron Simmons.

Today, The Rock is one of the highest paid movie stars in Hollywood and is a globally recognized face. There was no way he would have ended up achieving this glory if he hadn't transformed himself into The Rock.

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About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Anirban Banerjee