We all have photos in our past we regret. High school yearbooks, driver’s licenses, vacation photos, it’s commonplace. Many a person has loved to show off some pics of their past to show how much they’ve changed for the better. Others prefer to ignore them to put it behind them totally. But it’s all out there and thanks to the Internet and social media, it’s easier than ever to dig it up. That includes WWE as with the Network, fans can access at any time the first year of some of the biggest stars the company has known. Indeed, a few love to joke about their early gimmicks and how they looked before finding fame. That also means a lot of hazing over their past pics.

It can be a bad gimmick, a poor match or an outrageous costume. In some cases, the difference is so extreme you wouldn’t even know it’s the same person. Many are well known while others might come as a true surprise. But it shows how it’s very rare for a WWE star to have it all together when they first work for the company. From the biggest stars to some lower guys, everyone has an image of their first year with the company that’s wild compared to how they are today. Here are 20 embarrassing photos of WWE stars in their first year with the company to show how far they’ve come.

20 Batista

You have to give credit to Dave Bautista for beating the odds. He came into wrestling in his 30s, a time most think of getting out and thus a time limit. However, in OVW, he showed some promise, not just a huge jacked worker but some in-ring skill. But his first act as Leviathan was more than a little funny to see today. We had the bald head and the chain necklace looked intimidating. But then we have the colored contact lenses and fake fangs combined with a “devil soul patch.”

It was meant to be a monster type but he looked like the monster from a cheap direct-to-cable horror movie.

It’s amazing he managed to get over at all but he did to boost himself to the main roster. After a time as “Deacon Dave,” he clicked with Evolution to become a mega-star. Today, he’s moved on to Hollywood for bigger fame but you can see how from the start, he could put up with some poor makeup jobs.

19 Xavier Woods

Back in 2013, the idea of Xavier Woods being one of the most popular stars in WWE would be ludicrous. Just look at this appearance. The hair is one thing, the tights with the multiple colors and strips is another but…that mustache. That is a full 1970s-level stache which some guys can pull off but others can’t. It really is a wild motif that was pushed by Woods’ old act in TNA as Consequences Creed which was a total takeoff of the character from the “Rocky” movies. Without the rest of the Consequences act, Woods just looked completely stupid and it’s no wonder he had a hard time being taken seriously. Woods was lost in the mid-card and it looked like he might be released. But in 2014, he came up to Big E Langston and Kofi Kingston to point out how they too were having a hard time and should unite.

18 Samoa Joe

When you mention Samoa Joe, you think the monster. You think the man who looks beefy but can take off the ropes with ease and a technical master. You think the bad-ass who can crush opponents and inspire the “Joe’s gonna kill you!” chants. You don’t think of a laid back beach bum with bright blonde hair and a so-so build. But that was Joe back in 2001 when he got some tryouts with WWE for their syndicated shows. Yes, Joe really was this thin back then, some promise but still very raw and that hairdo just making him look like a punk, not a tough guy.

It took the rise of ROH and TNA to let Joe expand more as the terrific fighter and master worker to become a huge star. That’s led to success in WWE as NXT champion although fans are still hopeful for him to get a big run as champion. This just shows how everyone starts somewhere and Joe should be killing this look nicely.

17 Roman Reigns

Ah, Roman Reigns. Quite possibly the most loathed babyface of all time. Entire books can be written on how badly WWE has bungled his push as trying to sell someone of his size as the underdog doesn’t work, he has bad promos and the incessant need to push him as the mega-hero just turns fans against him big time. But WWE insists on trying with him coming out still in the Shield outfit and doing the same stuff. Of course, it could always be worse as they could be pushing him in this outfit.

It looks like a wrestling version of The Rock’s character from “Moana,” the island outfit, the lei around his neck, even the pose, it all comes off ridiculously cheesy.

Even the Rock couldn’t pull this outfit off as it’s obvious WWE wanted him looking more “island native.” Complain all you want about Roman’s push but at least he’s winning titles while dressed like this.

16 Cesaro

For four straight years, the Wrestling Observer named Cesaro “Most Underrated Wrestler” and few would disagree. After time in the indies, he broke out nicely in NXT as his feud with Sami Zayn put him on the map. But despite his size, great charisma and his good mic work, Cesaro has been ignored with Vince making the bizarre statement of thinking the guy doesn’t have the “It Factor.” Thankfully, he’s clicked with him and Sheamus forming a great tag team as the Bar and hopefully it’ll lead to more of a push.

Maybe Vince is still thinking of Cesaro as he looked when he started out in FCW/NXT. In which case, you can’t really blame him. Just look at this outfit, the long red trunks, the nutty pose and of course that huge leopard scarf. What about that screams “main event star?” Yes, he thankfully dropped it fast but it made a bad first impression and shows why the guy’s had a rough go of it in WWE.

15 Bray Wyatt

Nothing speaks better of how NXT helps guys than Bray Wyatt. NXT was still a reality show when Husky Harris was part of it. He lived up to the name, pudgy and a light beard, a smirk on his face and looking more than a bit out of shape. While the rest of the Nexus did well, Husky seemed out of it and was brought down to the newly reformed NXT. There, he remade himself massively into the cult leader Bray Wyatt, his fantastic promos soon a highlight of the show.

It led to his huge success on the main roster, truly in tune with his mic skills and he even had a run as WWE Champion. He had a slump but seems to be bouncing back teaming with Matt Hardy. But it’s still amazing to see what this future superstar looked like and not in the best way to show how some guys truly can have remarkable evolutions.

14 The Miz

There’s an old saying that “the best on-screen villains are played by the nicest people.” The Miz proves that’s true in wrestling. On air he is an arrogant jerk, a smarmy heel and fans love to hate him totally. Outside the ring, fans gush on how great he is talking to them and helping in various charities. From the start, he had a good edge as the arrogant jerk convinced of his own greatness and paving the way to stardom. But that early look is a far cry from the usually dashing guy we have today.

He’s wearing huge cargo pants and a haircut marked by what looks to be a mini-mohawk.

True, that smirk hasn’t changed but it’s still the look of a punk kid more than the self-assured heel we know today. He’s had a as WWE champion that was so-so but found a much better niche as the upper-mid card star and a well-respected IC champion. Today, The Miz is a great heel yet it’s fun seeing how out of his league he once came off in WWE.

13 Dean Ambrose

This is just…amazing. Dean Ambrose had spent years on the indies as John Moxley, showing good drive and ready for the ring. After time in CZW and Dragon Gate, he was signed to WWE and doing some tryout matches on syndicated shows. So we have him with ultra-bright pink hair, dark tights and some truly ridiculous facial expressions. It’s hilarious and Ambrose himself is the first to poke fun at it. He also had a bit coming out as one of the Druids for The Undertaker at a Royal Rumble appearance. Thankfully, FCW helped him adjust his look, being more himself for the persona of Dean Ambrose. He took off with The Shield and then “the Lunatic Fringe” having some great stuff in WWE, including runs as champion. Still, it’s truly wild to see how far he came from his first year with the company.

12 Tye Dillinger

This is one of the more notable “before they were famous” moments in WWE but still stands out. In 2006, Triple H and Shawn Michaels had reformed DX and feuding with the McMahons and others. At Cyber Sunday, Shawn was outraged DX wasn’t getting enough votes for a tag team match and then upset when Triple H suggested folks didn’t see them as “controversial” enough. Shawn decided to prove it by going up to a backstage technician with a headset and asking his name. After being told it was Stan, Michaels hit him with Sweet Chin Music and yelled “See! I just kicked Stan!” He then marched around super kicking anyone in sight. “Stan” would stick with WWE for a while before rising up in NXT as Tye Dillinger.

The “Perfect 10” has taken off with fans (including coming out at #10 at the Royal Rumble) but hasn’t forgotten this, even tweeting the video to remember he was once a suited nobody before a kick boosted him to fame.

11 Nikki Cross

Believe it or not, this Scottish-born worker was once a cheerleader. She has broken out in the indies with her fun style before making an impact in NXT. It’s possible she may be the craziest member of Insanity, constantly laughing and screaming and seems to take pleasure dealing out a beating but taking one herself. But before all that, her WWE debut wasn’t exactly a major thing. In 2015, Nikki Storm was doing work in the UK when WWE did a RAW taping in London.

Cross was invited to be part of the pack of Rosebuds following Adam Rose around the ring.

The idea of the psychotic lady in a leopard dress dancing and chanting with the rest of these nuts is truly amazing. Thankfully, she made some friends backstage to be signed to NXT and then develop her crazy character. While the rest of Sanity is moving up, Cross seems ready to challenge for the NXT Women’s belt and hopefully put this image behind her.

10 Charlotte, Sasha and Alexa

Charlotte and Sasha Banks were leading the way in the Divas Revolution of WWE. In NXT, they had a fantastic program, each holding the belt and blazing a path with their great style. This led to the main roster and a terrific feud trading the belt a few times in 2016. Alexa Bliss was just the valet for Blake and Murphy but once on the main roster, transformed into a good worker with the best facial expressions in the company. That’s led to four reigns as women’s champion and a great run.

So it has to feel odd for them that their very first shot at the big time was WrestleMania 30 where Triple H made one of his usual over-the-top entrances. He came out in his lavish “King of Kings” outfit with the trio following as masked gals in harem outfits. For three women who helped shift WWE’s classic idea of Divas, it has to be odd that their first shot at Mania was living up to that image and eye candy rather than superstars.

9 Jeff Hardy

It took a while for Matt and Jeff Hardy to find their place in WWE. Indeed, Michael Hayes wanted to turn them into a new version of the Fabulous Freebirds but they openly said “dude, it’s 1999, time to move on.”

The two Hardys were nothing but jobbers with Jeff having his first match against Razor Ramon.

They were in goofy outfits of headbands and long plaid pants that made them look like a Scottish version of the Rockers. One bit was from the 1996 King of the Ring, where they were in crazy “court jester” outfits to open up the doors for workers (with a fun bit of Ahmed Johnson bursting the doors open and sending them flying). It’s hilarious looking back at the current enigmatic Jeff with his face paint and high flying and seeing him as this baby-faced younger guy who’s a classic good looking kid is funnier today.

8 Mick Foley

A highlight of his first book has Mick Foley talking frankly on his very first match in WWE. Actually, it was more like his third but the others weren’t on TV. In this case, Foley (wrestling as Jack Foley) was put with veteran grappler Les Thornton against the British Bulldogs. At the time, Foley (who one announcer called “Jack Faley”) was very trim with an outfit that was pushed in a “desert” motif with a vest and long pants. He made the mistake of going up to the Bulldogs before the match and saying “Do what you want.” This ended up with him getting some very stiff blows, including a Davey Boy clothesline that busted his lip open.

It ended with a serious reverse suplex that left Foley aching yet he thanked the Bulldogs afterward for a good showing. Foley is the first to mock how he looked back then minus a lot of scars (but still with both ears) and show a hardcore icon had a soft beginning.

7 Ron Simmons

WWE used to have an online show called “Are You Serious” where Josh Matthews and Road Dogg would watch clips of some of the ridiculous stuff of wrestling. On segment focused on how in 1996, Ron Simmons debuted in WWE as Farooq. Simmons was a former college football star who’d established himself as WCW World champion and a serious worker. WWE’s idea was to have him come out in a “gladiator” costume that was a blue and black suit and an absolutely ridiculous helmet. When Matthews wonders why WWE didn’t use Simmons’ real history, Road Dogg laughs “Are you new here? Why would they use a guy’s real reputation when they have some silly gimmick fresh off the assembly line?”

Thankfully, WWE themselves realized how bad it was and soon dropped it with Farooq taking on a more militant edge for his turn in the Nation of Domination. He’s really more over with his “damn” catchphrase but just showing a pic of his first outfits makes it remarkable Simmons has lasted so long in WWE.

6 Daniel Bryan

The biggest news for WWE in 2018 has been the return of Daniel Bryan to the ring. Fans had gotten used to the sad bit of how this amazing athlete and rising star had been forced to retire due to concussions just as he was hitting his prime. Bryan was already a star in the indies thanks to his work as Bryan Danielson in ROH and thus some excitement when he was brought into NXT (back then still a competition show).

It took a while for him to rise but his bearded countenance paired with her great mic work soon led to major success.

Before all of that, Danielson had a tryout in WWE in 2003 facing off against John Cena (still the heel rapper). He showed good stuff before Cena got the win but it didn’t go anywhere else and Danielson hit the indies. He was still clean-shaven in NXT and funny seeing him so small before hitting it huge. It’s rather interesting to remember the great feud Bryan and Cena had given how each started out.

5 Triple H

It’s remarkable how one of the biggest stars in WWE got his start just because Vince McMahon had an issue with his neighbors. Paul Levesque had shown promise in WCW as Terra Ryzing and then Jean-Paul Levesque, a supposed Frenchman. WWE caught that and brought him, giving him an aristocratic character. It seems Vince had just moved into a posh Connecticut home but was annoyed the neighbors ran him down for his wrestling fame. So he created a character meant to be a huge shot on the arrogant “blue bloods.” Levesque was pushed to come out all prim and proper, long hair in a ponytail and even do bows in the ring.

Hunter himself is the first to laugh about it but did back it up with good ring work. It took the addition of Chyna and more of an edge to get going with fans but it was joining Shawn Michaels in DX and taking the Triple H nickname that really made him. So while he had promise early on, it’s still funny to see how he started out.

4 The Rock

From the beginning, Dwayne Johnson had superstar potential in him. He was great on the mic in his work with USWA and in the ring as well. But WWE decided to go too far with him as the third-generation “blue chipper” and a classic babyface. Rocky Maivia was pushed coming out with a poor hairdo and an outfit that had a bizarre tassel-covering island-inspired getup. He was told to always be smiling and clean-cut as possible.

It would have been rough at any time but in late 1996, when a new edge was coming to the business, the gimmick was horrible.

Even a run as IC champion did little to sell it as the fans hated it and soon the “Die, Rocky, Die” chants began to echo in arenas. Poor Rocky wasn’t able to handle it, hating it totally and wanting to drop it as much as anyone. Thanks to a leg injury, he took on a new style and edge and the Rock was born. The rest is history yet it’s still fun when Johnson looks back at his start and how far he’s come from this obnoxious act.

3 JBL

He’s had a lot of changes over the years. Today, fans know JBL by the act he took on in 2004 of the arrogant rich guy with his suits and cowboy hat. He was good worker and great on the mic to get over as a heel champion and today a well-liked commentator (despite his infamous backstage reputation). JBL also had a bit with Ron Simmons in the APA as tough guys who loved getting into brawls. But JBL had to undergo more than a few transformations including the New Blackjacks. His debut in the company in 1996 had him as Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw, a classic cowboy with large mustache and leather outfits who would “brand” opponents after a win. This included a feud with Savio Vega with a famous strap match interrupted by some ECW guys in the audience. It didn’t go much further but showcases how the entire cowboy act was a major part of JBL from the start yet funny how rough he once looked.

2 Becky Lynch

Recently, the WWE Network put together a collection of Becky Lynch’s work in the company. The former Rebecca Quinn had been a rising star in the indies before a severe neck injury appeared to ruin her career. But she was dedicated and retrained herself to earn a spot in NXT. Sadly, Lynch’s early work was marred by how WWE insisted she live up to just about every Irish cliché imaginable. She came out in green outfits to the sound of bagpipes and whistles and even danced a merry jig in the ring.

It’s amazing WWE didn’t just have Hornswoggle coming out as her sidekick.

Lynch herself dryly notes “it wasn’t quite what I hoped for” when she started and hurt her drive. Thankfully, it was toned down with Lynch being more herself. It took her “steampunk” inspired makeover to really get the respect she deserved and thankfully WWE hasn’t indulged since but Lynch is clear she would love to delete any footage of her first year from the Network.

1 John Cena

On one of John Cena’s biography DVDs, JBL is shown laughing on how he saw Cena in OVW in 2001 and “this kid doesn’t have a shot in hell.” In reality, even back then, Cena was showing his gift on the mic with bits like “rewinding” his promos to repeat big lines and showed some good charisma. However, “the Prototype” was nothing more than your usual super-jacked guy with a power-based moveset. That’s not including his rather annoying haircut, amazingly super short and making this Boston-bred kid look like a 1990s California surfer. His bland ring gear also didn’t help so it’s amazing Cena got his crack at the big time. Even then, it took that Vanilla Ice impression to save his career and lead to his mega-success and shows that even the face of WWE today had a really dumb look when he first started in the company.