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There is a famous bit of wisdom in the professional wrestling business that suggests the most successful wrestling personas tend to be rooted in the real-life personalities of the performers at hand, with the volume turned way up. Steve Austin, in particular, has commented in a variety of interviews on how the beer-drinking, rebellious Stone Cold character he eventually espoused and found the greatest success of his career in, was rooted in being an extension of who he is as an actual person.
Being yourself doesn't necessarily work for everyone, though. The Undertaker, for example, built a career out of playing an undead character. While the Biker version of the gimmick that he took on during the Attitude Era may have better reflected his true self, he's most famous for playing a character that he could play better than anyone else and make his own with his creative input. There are several WWE Superstars who have, similarly, found their niches by performing as characters that are not necessarily representative of who they really are.
This article takes a look at five current Superstars who are very different from their on-screen personas with WWE.
#5 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe has spent most of his WWE tenure to date playing a very serious, stern heel character with an edge. The man's Coquina Clutch finisher is very much representative of the wrestler as a no-nonsense, deadly chokehold that comes across as realistic and legitimately dangerous. Joe has functioned well within the WWE framework as a tenacious pit bull in early rivalries when he went after stars like Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins, as well as those feuds he has taken to a more personal level, like his issue with AJ Styles last year, that saw him coming after the Phenomenal one's family.
In reality, Joe is hardly the cold, joyless machine that he portrays on TV. Outside interviews, as well as his appearance on Xavier Woods's Up Up Down Down, have demonstrated a carefree, if not an outright more playful side of the man. He has a positive reputation among his colleagues, too. Rather than the overly serious menace that his performances for WWE would have you think of, Joe is much more affable in real life, which can explain his long tenure in the wrestling business, and being well received as a veteran presence in WWE at this latter stage of his career.
#4 Alexa Bliss
Throughout her time on the WWE main roster, Alexa Bliss has persistently played an arrogant heel character. The fact that she goes by the moniker of The Goddess reinforces how highly she seems to think of herself, and some of her featured storylines have seen her body shaming Nia Jax, and attacking opponents like Becky Lynch and Bayley not only physically, but psychologically with her mean girl antics.
The real Bliss does not seem to match up particularly well with the character she plays. Bliss has spoken openly about having suffered from body image issues that led to an eating disorder in her youth. In addition to that, in more than one podcast interview, she referenced her roots as a wrestling fan when she was a child, and how much wrestling meant to her.
In the end, all signs point to Bliss, in real life, being a humble and kind figure in the wrestling business. This is a stark contrast to the character she has portrayed so well in WWE, and a testament to her talent not only as an in ring performer, but a capable actress in the context of sports entertainment.
#3 Andrade
When Andrade first debuted in NXT, he played a face character that struggled to garner much traction, and generally found himself lost in the shuffle. As time went on, the character shifted. A heel persona and pairing with Zelina Vega as his manager meant major changes for him as he suddenly had the opportunity to show a more distinctive personality, and highlight his unique skill set as a performer capable of wrestling a fast-paced, Lucha libre informed style while adding a more heelish violent edge.
A big part of Andrade's identity on the main roster has seen him further the heel character he started in developmental, including touting his own greatness and not only targeting but disrespecting legends like Rey Mysterio, including tearing off his mask. The reality? Andrade has revealed himself to be deeply respectful of the legends of wrestling, and particularly the luchadors who came before him. Rather than an upstart unconcerned with his history and elders, he's made a case for himself as a student of the game and wrestler who looks up to those stars who paved the way for his career today.
#2 Luke Gallows
Putting aside his early main roster efforts, when the wrestler who would become Luke Gallows played a duplicate Kane and when he played the largely silly Festus role, Gallows has been pretty steady in playing his big man heel character. Whether he was backing CM Punk or AJ Styles, he has been a heavy who adds visible credibility to some of the greatest wrestling talents on the WWE roster. On a more sustained basis, he has been the brutal, bigger half of his decorated tag team with Karl Anderson.
While Gallows has been a bully heel for most of his run, the consensus is that he's anything but a rough character behind the scenes. Reports consistently emerge about him being one of the nicest and best-liked performers in the WWE locker room. This identity makes sense given Gallows status as a true veteran of the business, who has not only filled a variety of roles in WWE but has also worked for smaller promotions and as a bigger star in Japan. These experiences have contributed to a guy who knows how to be both respectful and fun working with a variety of performers from different cultural backgrounds and levels of experience.
#1 Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch rose to become one of the biggest stars in WWE, regardless of gender, via her persona as The Man - a super confident, super-tough character who bucks authority and puts her ambitions ahead of any sort of alliances. In real life, Lynch certainly is ambitious and hard-working. She'd never have won a Royal Rumble and gone on to win a WrestleMania main event if she hadn’t had that sort of personal drive. However, The Man identity is more of a character than who Lynch is herself.
Lynch has been open in discussing her evolution as a performer, including on her visit to Edge and Christian's podcast, in which she discussed being away from the ring for months and asking Shawn Michaels for advice. Michaels advised her to carry herself like a star when she came back, with absolute and unshakeable confidence. Lynch gathered momentum as a face, but positively caught fire when she turned heel over late summer, to the point that she shifted back to face role based on how organically popular she grew as The Man.
While Lynch's real personality may not be one hundred percent divergent from her on-screen persona, shoot interviews have revealed Lynch to be more humble and more friendly with her colleagues than her on-screen character would ever suggest.
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