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The right look and gimmick can make or break the career of a WWE Superstar, and there are innumerable instances sprinkled across the company's storied history that support this statement.
Rocky Maivia's corny babyface look was a big flop, but things took a turn for good when he returned with an updated look, coupled with his new, heelish demeanor. Another Superstar that comes to mind is WWE legend The Undertaker. In WCW, he was just another big guy with a bland gimmick.
When he made his way to WWE in late 1990, he was presented to the WWE Universe as a deadman who possessed supernatural powers. The rest, as they say, is history. In the following list, we will be taking a look at five WWE Superstars who made their return to WWE TV at some point in their careers and came back with completely different looks.
#5 Chris Jericho
At SummerSlam 2005, Chris Jericho lost a WWE title match to John Cena, and the same story followed the next night on RAW, in a 'You're Fired' match. Jericho was fired on the spot by RAW GM Eric Bischoff and escorted out of the arena as he cried and pleaded with Bischoff. Jericho didn't appear on WWE TV for the next two years. It all changed when WWE began promoting his return in late 2007, with a bunch of cryptic binary clips.
Chris Jericho's WWE absence lasted two years
In November 2007, Jericho made his return to WWE, as a babyface. Jericho's signature long hair was gone, and so was his old outfit. He now sported a spiked, short haircut, and was looking as young and energetic as he had ever been up to that point. Jericho interrupted Randy Orton in his return promo, thus kicking off a feud between the two. The duo later faced off in a WWE title match, which Jericho won via DQ after JBL interfered in the match.
#4 Sheamus
In late 2014, Sheamus was set to take time off for surgery. He was written off WWE TV after an attack by Rusev and Mark Henry. On March 30, 2015, Sheamus returned to WWE TV with a drastic change to his look. Sheamus now sported a completely new hairstyle, consisting of a mohawk, and a braided beard. It looked like he was saving Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler from a dastardly attack by Bad News Barrett, but ended up attacking Bryan and Ziggler. Sheamus' explanation for his heel turn at the time was that 'the era of the underdogs was over'.
Sheamus' new look wasn't a hit with the WWE Universe, who showered him with chants of 'You look stupid'. He later opened up on the reaction to his new look.
"It's like anything else in WWE, when something comes along out of the blue you're like 'what? what the...' And then you're like 'oh' and it sinks in. You either embrace it... if you don't embrace it then, you know, it's not going to go away. I played up to it and had some fun with it. I don't think I look that stupid."
The WWE Universe didn't like Sheamus' new look one bit
Sheamus would go on a hiatus again in 2019 due to a concussion, and come back months later, sporting his old look again. He is still a mainstay on WWE TV and performs on the RAW brand.
#3 Triple H
Triple H kicked off a feud with Brock Lesnar on the road to WWE SummerSlam 2012, where he lost to The Beast after submitting to the Kimura Lock. The hold broke Triple H's arm in storyline, and he wouldn't wrestle for a long time again. Soon after, Triple H was set to address his potential retirement from pro-wrestling, but nothing came of it. In late 2012, Triple H made an appearance during the Slammy Awards and surprised many fans with his new haircut. Triple H's signature long hair was nowhere to be seen. For the first time in his legendary career as a WWE Superstar, Triple H had shaved off his hair.
Triple H's long hair had become a crucial aspect of his WWE character
Triple H's hair was an integral part of his persona, and the WWE Universe had grown to like it over the years. No one in their wildest dreams would have ever imagined that Triple H would let go of the most noticeable aspect of his character. He came back to WWE TV soon after and resumed his feud with Brock Lesnar on the road to WrestleMania. Years later, Triple H's best friend Shawn Michaels did the same, but it was done for a role in a movie that Michaels was a part of.
#2 Bray Wyatt
Back when WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt was donning the persona of a cult leader, as the head of The Wyatt Family, he used to sport long hair. When Bray Wyatt returned to WWE following WrestleMania 35, the long hair was still there, but now had been properly tied up in a bun. Little did fans know that this wasn't the only change Bray Wyatt was going to be introducing when it came to his look. Soon after, a sinister entity began appearing in Bray Wyatt's Firefly Fun House vignettes, later revealed as The Fiend.
The Fiend is one of the most dangerous entities in WWE
The Fiend was basically a monster who possessed insane strength and wouldn't flinch after being on the receiving end of the worst of beatings. His face was hidden with an incredibly scary mask that resembled a demon from one's worse nightmare. Fans watched in horror as The Fiend first appeared on WWE TV, and put down Finn Balor in a matter of seconds. He is currently a RAW-exclusive Superstar and is hands down one of the most terrifying entities in all of WWE.
#1 The Undertaker
The Undertaker spent the entirety of his WWE career as a supernatural being, and it somehow worked with the WWE Universe even during the Attitude Era, which was all about realism and edginess. It all changed when The Undertaker made his return to WWE TV after a months-long break in 2000. At the Judgment Day 2000 pay-per-view, The Undertaker made his return during the main event Iron Man match pitting The Rock and Triple H against each other. The Undertaker rode a bike towards the ring as fans screamed with excitement.
The biker persona freshened up The Undertaker's WWE career
He was wearing a black jacket, and a bandana on his head. The Undertaker made quick work of the McMahon-Helmsley Faction, as fans cheered in unison. No one had expected The Phenom to don a look such as this, but it quickly became a hit with a lot of fans, with The Undertaker keeping it for around three years. He was buried alive at Survivor Series 2003, by Kane and Vince McMahon, following which he took another hiatus. The Undertaker brought back his old persona at WrestleMania 20, at Madison Square Garden.
