5 WWE Superstars whose careers took off after their gimmick was changed

#4 Before he was Stone Cold Steve Austin, he was The Ringmaster

It all changed for the star once he became Stone Cold

Steve Austin debuted in WWE in 1995 as The Ringmaster, managed by Ted DiBiase. When he was The RingMaster, Austin was involved in the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania matches, but he felt as though the character wasn't making enough impact and asked for a change. Austin was inspired by a documentary on the hitman "The Iceman" Richard Kuklinski and suggested a persona based on him for his new gimmick.

WWE creative suggest names such as "Chilli McFreeze" and "Otto Von Ruthless" to Austin, which he dismissed. He later came up with the "Stone Cold" moniker after his then-wife made him a drink of tea and encouraged him to drink it "before it goes stone cold". Whilst traveling with Dustin Rhodes, Austin shaved his head with a razor, claiming to be inspired by Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction.

After undergoing these changes, Stone Cold Steve Austin managed to reach the finals of the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, where he defeated Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Following the match, Austin cut his infamous "Austin 3:16" promo, coining one of the most popular catchphrases in WWE history. Merchandise bearing this slogan is still sold on the WWE website, 24 years later.

Happy #316Day!@steveaustinBSR invited @ByronSaxton into the ring for a celebration on #RAW...as well as a STUNNER! pic.twitter.com/ioiv6d36BP

— WWE (@WWE) March 17, 2020

This began the rise to stardom for Austin. He was a key player in the Attitude Era of WWE, being involved in the infamous "Pillman's got a gun" segment and won his first Royal Rumble in 1997. The Superstar was then involved in one of the most talked-about matches in WWE ever, when he refused to submit to Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13, despite being covered in blood. Austin passed out and Hart continued to hold the Sharpshooter on him, establishing a double-turn for the pair.

Austin continued to be involved in huge WWE moments through his in-ring career, becoming a three-time Royal Rumble winner, a six-time WWE Champion, and a four-time WWE Tag Team Championship winner. Stone Cold was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, and still makes sporadic appearances in WWE, the most recent being a 3:16 day celebration with Becky Lynch.