Whether they had their humble beginnings as one of The Godfather's "ladies" like Victoria, or as a talent scout like Stacy Keibler or as a terrible dancing gimmick like Emma, many WWE female superstars started with very different gimmicks than the ones seen today. Female superstars never keep their original gimmick and find themselves changing characters multiple times before landing a gimmick that resonates with the crowd. Tweaking or changing a character is necessary when a character becomes stale or isn't working, but most of the time just getting out there is an important first step for professional wrestlers.

Some of the biggest names in wrestling have seen their character evolve or change entirely. Most of the gimmicks a superstar starts with are just to introduce fans to a wrestler or to shock them into watching, or for a wrestler to break into the business. These original gimmicks don't last long but help get a foot in the door for these superstars even if the gimmick isn't necessarily the best. Thankfully, most of these lousy gimmicks get overshadowed by the popularity of a later gimmick that better connects with the wrestling fans, and, fortunately for most of the superstars on the WWE Women's roster, they have found that unique character.

Because of these diverse characters, many fans have forgotten the gimmicks many female wrestlers on Raw and SmackDown possessed in the past before they embodied the character everyone sees today. It's hard to image Alexa Bliss as anyone other than "The Goddess" or Sasha Banks as anyone other than "The Boss." However, these gimmicks definitely weren't the first gimmicks these women had when they entered into professional wrestling. This article is about these female superstars that have come a long way since their start in pro wrestling. Here are 15 forgotten gimmicks these female WWE stars had before their fame.

15 Sasha Banks - The BFFs

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Before she became a four-time Raw Women’s Champion, Sasha Banks worked in the independent circuit and WWE’s developmental territory, NXT. Although Sasha had been wrestling for a couple years, she was still trying to find her niche. She came to NXT, wrestling as a babyface before turning on Paige to become a villain known as “The Boss.”

This heel turn would find Sasha forming an alliance with Summer Rae, of all people, dubbing themselves the Beautiful, Fierce Females.

Sasha Banks is no stranger to alliances. Banks would later move onto the Raw roster and form Team B.A.D. (Beautiful and Dangerous) with Tamina and Naomi. Like Team B.A.D., the BFFs was a short-lived faction. Charlotte would join the BFF stable, but Summer Rae would exit the group after moving up to the main roster. After a brief alliance, Charlotte would turn her back on Sasha, like Tamina and Naomi would later do with Team B.A.D., leading Sasha to disband the BFFs for good.

14 Paige - Anti-Diva Army

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Before Paige shocked the wrestling world with a surprise debut on Raw, and shocked it again by winning the Divas Title in a short impromptu match against AJ Lee on the same night, Paige got her start by successfully earning a WWE contract after a tryout in England. Paige would head to WWE’s developmental territory at the time, Florida Championship Wrestling, and form an alliance with Sofia Cortez (a.k.a. Ivelisse Vélez) known as The Anti-Diva Army.

Much like Sasha Banks, Paige hasn’t been shy about forming alliances, and also like Sasha, the alliances have been forgettable and short lived. The Anti-Diva Army feuded mostly with Audrey Marie (now better known as Tyler Breeze's real-life wife), but the alliance would be forgotten once FCW became NXT. Paige’s anti-diva gimmick remained intact, however, and eventually, Paige would rise to the main roster. There Paige formed another stable Team PCB (Paige Charlotte and Becky) before turning on them and claiming “This is my house!” once again.

13 Bayley - A Masked Luchador

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Bayley is depicted as the plucky, kid-friendly, huggable one, who epically rose the NXT ranks and became an NXT Women’s Champion. Bayley has become widely popular with her wrestling fan-girl character, and it’s hard to believe this character wasn’t Bayley’s character from the get-go.

Bayley wasn’t a hugger when she first debuted in NXT. Instead, Bayley showed up wearing a mask like a luchador.

While Bayley does incorporate a lot of lucha libre maneuvers into her repertoire, one can only imagine the character that could have been created instead of the popular Bayley. Thankfully, the masked Bayley lasted only during a few live events, and Bayley quickly donned her lovable gimmick that earned her a main roster spot and a Raw Women’s Title.

12 Mickie James - Alexis Laree

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After a near seven-year hiatus from WWE, Mickie James made her surprising return to WWE helping Alexa Bliss retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship. The duo had a brief falling out but have since inexplicably become friends once again. Mickie James remains a great wrestler, but her gimmick is nothing compared to the one she had during her debut which earned Mickie her initial supportive fanbase.

Mickie began her career on the indie scene and in TNA, back when pay and exposure for female talents was very low. She picked the name Alexis Laree, a combination of her middle name, and her stage name back when she was a dancer.

Mickie James eventually debuted in WWE as a crazy, obsessive fan of Trish Stratus. When Mickie became jealous of Ashley Massaro, and Mickie’s “advances” towards Trish were rejected, Mickie turned on Trish completely. The gimmick was pretty over-the-top, especially with Mickie’s raunchy gestures, but Mickie got insanely over with the crowd. Eventually, Mickie would defeat Trish, essentially passing the torch to her after Trish retired from full-time wrestling.

11 Trish Stratus - Test And Albert's Manager

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Speaking of Trish Stratus, her feud with Mickie James is just one of many that helped her become a seven time WWE Women’s Champion, a WWE Hall of Famer and widely consider as one of the greatest female performers in WWE history. Considering her career’s humble beginnings, Trish Stratus’ rise is a remarkable story which started off with her role as a non wrestling manager.

Although Trish eventually became a great wrestler, she started as a scout and eventually became the manager for the tag team of Test and Albert known as T&A.

Trish didn’t wrestle, but helped her team in their matches before taking a huge table bump from Bubba Ray Dudley. Unlike other eye-candy managers, Trish showed, over the years, to be more than just eye-candy. She would transition from manager to wrestler, and devoted herself to honing her wrestling craft with great success.

10 Maria Kanellis - Ditzy Backstage Interviewer

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Although she’s still on maternity leave, Maria is currently in her second stint with WWE. She initially signed to WWE after being a contestant of the Diva Search. However, unlike other Diva Search contestants, after being released from her first go in WWE, Maria stuck with wrestling. Maria would enter the independent scene where she managed her boyfriend at the time and current husband, Mike Bennett (later Mike Kanellis in WWE), while also occasionally wrestling as well. They became the power couple in professional wrestling, and eventually Maria would return to WWE, along with her husband, bringing their power of love to the company.

Maria, to her credit, stuck with pro wrestling, and her character is totally legitimate now. However, that wasn’t always the case. It took several years in the indies to wash away her early WWE gimmick of the ditzy backstage interviewer. Maria wasn’t taken seriously in her early WWE days, and her sweet, albeit clueless character was regulated to jobbing to more favored female stars. Thankfully, Maria changed gimmicks, and now, after having given birth to her daughter, Maria and Mike Kanellis can now refocus on educating everyone on the power of love.

9 Alexa Bliss - Fairy Gimmick

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She may be “The Goddess” and a two time SmackDown and Raw Women’s Champion, but Alexa Bliss wasn’t always the breakout star of the main roster. Alexa Bliss started as a face in NXT and sported an odd pixie/cheerleader hybrid gimmick. Bliss would blow glitter looking like Tinkerbell before aiding and forming an alliance with the villainous tag team of Buddy Murphy (her real life boyfriend) and Wesley Blake.

After turning heel, Bliss created her stuck-up persona that we all know now and changed her look from fairy to a Harley Quinn-inspired villain. Bliss has used her evil character to surpass many in the women’s division with the sky being the limit for Bliss. Picturing Bliss' mean girl character who body-shames her former best friend blowing sparkly glitter in a tutu is definitely not the Goddess we’ve all come to know.

8 Carmella - Enzo And Cass' Hairdresser

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Like Alexa Bliss, Carmella had a bit of a chip on her shoulder upon joining the main roster in the 2016 brand extension. While Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Bayley get a lot of the praise for the Women’s Evolution, dubbing themselves The Four Horsewomen, Carmella's contributions to NXT’s Women’s Division didn't get enough credit. Though Carmella hasn’t quite reached the success of the Horsewomen or Bliss, Carmella has won the first ever Women’s Money in the Bank Contract (twice) which shows the amount of faith WWE officials have in her.

While big things may be in store for Carmella, it’s easy to forget that her career had such an odd beginning.

Carmella was introduced to the WWE Universe as a hairdresser that lost her job thanks to Enzo Amore and Big Cass spilling hair remover on a customer's poodle. The storyline continued with Enzo and Cass training her to be a wrestler, granting her a job in WWE. Though the hairdresser backstory hasn’t really played any part in her character, Carmella’s origin is definitely a forgettable anecdote of the fabulous character.

7 Naomi - Funkadactyl

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Somebody better call my momma, because Naomi has unbelievably come a huge way since her first gimmick in WWE. Naomi, along with her fellow dancer, Cameron, was one half of the Funkadactyls who were essentially dancing cheerleaders for "The Funkasaurus" Brodus Clay. The gimmick was actually perfect for Naomi, who was a cheerleader for the Orlando Magic before her WWE days. Eventually, the Funkadactyls would abandon Clay and after some dissension between the two, the Funkadactyls would split up as well.

The split was a huge benefit for Naomi. For Cameron, not so much. Cameron would flounder, her attitude wasn't quite up to par and would be later released. Naomi, on the other hand, thrived and would even capture the SmackDown Women's Title twice, while most recently becoming the first WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal winner at this year's 'Mania. She is now sporting a unique glow in the dark entrance which is nothing at all like the dancing, cheerleading Funkadactyl she once was.

6 Becky Lynch - Irish Dancer

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Becky Lynch is the Irish-born "Lass Kicker" and won the inaugural SmackDown Women's Championship. She was, and still is, a huge part of the Women's Division and will be for years to come. So, naturally it makes sense that she got her NXT debut performing an absurd Irish dance on the stage and in the ring during her entrance before a match against Summer Rae.

Like many diverse superstars of WWE, ethnicity almost played a part in Becky Lynch's character where it really didn't need to. Thankfully, Becky broke away from WWE stereotyping her like the company has done with Sheamus and Fit Finlay in the past and let her become her own character based on a Magic: The Gathering character. Had Becky Lynch not found her look, she would have been no doubt doomed to perpetual jobbing.

5 Alicia Fox - Wedding Planner

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“Attention! This is your captain speaking.” Yep, that’s Alicia Fox these days, sporting a captain’s hat and mimicking announcements, after she became captain of Team Raw for Survivor Series. Her nutty behavior is strangely entertaining, but the longest tenured female superstar, former WWE Diva's Champion and former Diva Search contestant was actually quite sane when she first debuted in WWE.

The character of Alicia Fox made her on screen debut, not as a wrestler, but as Edge and Vickie Guerrero’s wedding planner.

In the storyline, Edge had tricked Vickie Guerrero into marrying him, but, in a classic Edge move, he couldn’t control himself and was caught smooching with his wedding planner. The reveal caused a brief and forgettable feud between Fox and Vickie before Alicia switched brands entirely. The wedding planner gimmick was never brought up again and really isn’t worth remembering over the crazed character she plays now.

4 The Bella Twins - Twin Magic

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Before Nikki Bella got some new “twins,” she and twin sister Brie were almost indistinguishable. Like other twins in the past, The Bella Twins would switch places with the other sister, and the fresh Bella would score a sneaky "roll-up pin of doom" victory without the ref noticing the two had switched. While it was cool seeing a female duo perform this act for a change, Twin Magic was getting stale. Not to mention after Nikki’s procedure, the ref wouldn't have any trouble telling the two Bellas apart.

Along with her new hardware, Nikki Bella would also get a new look and new entrance theme. Brie would do the same, making the switcheroo impossible. That being said, Nikki and Brie Bella’s new looks have helped them earn three Divas Championships combined, with Nikki holding the record for the longest Divas Champion ever.

3 Nikki Cross - "The Best in the Galaxy"

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Nikki Cross has become one of the most unique female characters on NXT. As a member of SAnitY, Cross is the deranged female in the chaotic and unpredictable faction. Cross made a name for herself when she took Asuka to the limit for the NXT Women's Championship and almost seemed to enjoy the brutality of the match. With Cross biting the ropes and pulling out her own hair, it's hard to imagine her being normal at all. However, Nikki Cross is only a character and not one she's always portrayed.

The Scottish-born Nicola Glencross wrestled under the name Nikki Storm in the Indies, but in no way was portrayed like the Nikki Cross character of NXT.

Nikki Storm called herself "The Best in the Galaxy" and carried herself with a arrogant swagger, cutting great heelish promos. Although the Nikki Storm character was a little too generic, at least WWE gave her the Nikki Cross character instead of turning her into some sort of Scottish stereotype.

2  Sarah Logan - Crazy Mary Dobson

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Before she was known as Sarah Logan, or an extra for WWE’s Viagra spoof, or Kane’s concession stand manager, or The Miz’s make-up artist, or a Rosebud, Logan portrayed Crazy Mary Dobson in the indies. Logan wrestled for multiple promotions as Dobson in some of the craziest, bloodiest and most brutal matches one can wrestle in. Her involvement in death matches fit her crazy character perfectly, and many insider fans thought this was the character WWE fans would get after she signed with the company. In fact, many thought Logan could even be the mysterious “Sister Abigail.”

Instead, fans got Sarah Logan of the Riott Squad. While she’s on a bigger stage, her odd country bumpkin gimmick is long way away from her Mary Dobson gimmick. At any rate, WWE fans have Sarah Logan, a gimmick where she criticizes others for not hunting live game... or something. Come to think of it, her Sarah Logan character might actually be even more bizarre than her Crazy Mary Dobson character.

1 Zelina Vega (Rosita)

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Zelina Vega has only been in WWE since 2017, but since that time she has already managed her man, Andrade "Cien" Almas, to NXT gold. For many wrestling fans, this is their first look at Zelina Vega, but she has been wrestling in the Independent Circuit for many years, including four years in Total Nonstop Action. Casual fans may not know and even die hard fans may have even forgotten, but Vega was actually portrayed Rosita in TNA.

Vega portrayed Rosita, who was supposedly Sarita's cousin in TNA.

Rosita and Sarita would form an alliance with Hernandez and form the faction Mexican America (despite none of them actually being Mexican) and even won the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship. However, all of this happened in TNA, so Rosita's accomplishments are largely ignored, forgotten or were never known to begin with. Here's hoping her role in NXT expands, so Vega can show her abilities to a wider audience and make something memorable with her new character.