WWE Hall of Famers are considered to be the elite stars of professional wrestling. Even though these stars went on to become some of the biggest legends in the wrestling business, it doesn't mean that their careers were always smooth sailing. There are a number of Hall of Famers who were forced to overcome some of the strangest and down right embarrassing gimmicks of all time because wrestling in the 1990s was completely different from the show that is broadcast live now.
Many stars of WWE in the late 80s and early 90s were turned into children's entertainers when they were signed with Vince McMahon's company, which would explain why Dusty Rhodes was put into polka dots and made into a larger than life character when it wasn't actually needed. Embarrassing gimmicks are sometimes just a stepping stone in WWE and for many of these stars, they were the beginning of a long and fruitful career in the business. These gimmicks may have been hilarious, but the wrestlers ended up getting the last laugh by either winding up in the hall of fame or having a job on the current roster in WWE.
The following list looks at just 15 gimmicks that WWE Hall of Famers had to overcome at some point in their career. Somehow these stars managed to get past some of the most embarrassing years of their lives to become legends of the business.
25 Hall Of Famer: Edge (The Brood)
Edge was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2012 after his career was cut short the year before. Edge was forced to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship and walk away from WWE following WrestleMania 27 after it was revealed that he was suffering from cervical spinal stenosis.
He had been part of WWE for 15 years up until this point, which means that he had gone through a number of character changes. Edge initially debuted as Sexton Hardcastle back in 1996 before he moved on to join Gangrel and Christian as The Brood in 1998. This was a time when Vampires were at their most popular and WWE thought that having a team of vampires was a good idea. It was one of the lower points of Edge's career, but thankfully he managed to move past it to become one of the best wrestlers of all time.
24 Hall Of Famer: Kevin Nash (Oz)
Kevin Nash will be best remembered for his time as Diesel and as part of NWO, but the former World Champion also had to ensure his own fair share of humiliating gimmicks on his way to the top.
While Nash was working for WCW, his main gimmick was a character called Oz, who was literally The Wizard of Oz, complete with a beard, robe and green wizard hat. This didn't become as popular as the company hoped, so he was repackaged as Vinnie Vegas not long afterwards, a character that loved to gamble apparently, but once again that character didn't take off. Nash's early work for WCW is somewhat forgettable, but things finally took off when he signed for WWE and became known as Diesel.
23 Current: AJ Styles (New Nature Boy)
AJ Styles finally made the switch over to WWE in one of the best Royal Rumble debuts in the history of the company back in 2016, but he had a storied history in the wrestling business from before he graced a WWE ring.
It is well-known that Styles is a TNA legend and one of their best success stories, but that doesn't mean that he was able to avoid some of the worst characters of his career while working at Impact. One of the worst gimmicks that Styles had was back in 2010 when he was aligned with Ric Flair and began copying everything that The Nature Boy would do. Styles even came to the ring in a robe and attempted to style and profile but it had no substance. Styles was technically gifted so it made no sense for him to be cheating to win when he was good enough to win anyway.
22 Hall Of Famer: Rikishi ("Make a Difference" Fatu)
Rikishi is a WWE Hall of Famer and a former Intercontinental Champion, but like many other stars who had lengthy spells in WWE, Rikishi has a few gimmicks that he was less than happy about.
He started out as part of The Headshrinkers before he the team broke up and the company had a strange idea for a gimmick for the Samoan star. Rikishi became a singles star and dropped his usual savage style for a straight-talking star who tried to promote change within the crowd by preaching his Make A Difference slogan. While it was a great message that Rikishi was sending at the time, he was the wrong person to do it. This gimmick didn't last for very long before he was repackaged the following year as The Sultan.
21 Hall Of Famer: Ivory (Godfather's Woman)
Ivory joins the WWE Hall of Fame next month when she finally takes her place amongst the elite of wrestling, but even the former Women's Champion started her career at the same level as a number of other women in that era.
The likes of Victoria, Lita and Ivory started their careers as the Godfather's Ho's. Back in 1999 Ivory debuted alongside The Godfather as one of his ho's but this was a gimmick that was short-lived since less than a month later she was introduced as Ivory and entered a storyline with Mark Henry. While this gimmick only lasted a few weeks, it shows that a number of women were able to enter the company as valets for The Godfather and have gone on to become successful despite this.
20 Current: Luke Gallows (Festus)
Luke Gallows has proven his worth as a tag team wrestler all over the world, but even though he is now a former Raw Tag Team Champion alongside Karl Anderson, he is still someone who has some embarrassing roots in WWE.
When Gallows made his debut with the company more than a decade ago, he was seen as the imposter Kane, this was a storyline that ended abruptly when Kane threw him out of the building, so he was brought back as Festus. He teamed with Jesse for almost two years as a character that couldn't wrestle until the bell rang and was apparently a little slow, becoming dependent on his Tag Team partner when the match had finished. Gallows has come a long way since his days teaming with Jesse back in 2007.
19 Hall Of Famer: Barry Windham (The Stalker)
Bary Windham was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of The Four Horsemen, but this isn't the only gimmick that Windman had throughout his storied career. Windham returned to WWE after his former glory as part of The Four Horseman came to an end back in 1996 under his new gimmick of "The Stalker."
This gimmick saw him in camouflage attire cutting promos in the middle of nowhere with his face painted to match his surroundings. Windham managed to blend in too well and was unable to make any kind of impact with this new character. Windham did have a large amount of success throughout his wrestling career, but he will always look back at this gimmick as one of the company's worst ideas.
18 Hall Of Famer: Jim Duggan (Mr Canada)
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan took his rightful place amongst the elite of wrestling in WWE back in 2011. Duggan will be best remembered as the first ever winner of The Royal Rumble match which was the biggest highlight of his long wrestling career.
Even though Duggan became well-known for his "hacksaw" character, ahead of this during his WCW run Duggan decided to turn against his patriotic character and join Lance Storm's all Canadian faction. Duggan went on to shave his beard and change his attire when he moved over to become a Canadian, which was one of the biggest mistakes of his career and one that made a number of fans turn away from the programme in disbelief. The group ended up turning on Duggan in the end, as he wasn't very good at being a fake Canadian anyway.
17 Current: John Cena (The Prototype)
John Cena could make history this weekend at Fastlane if he can become a 17-time World Champion, which would make him the most successful WWE star in history. It's been hard to avoid Cena over the past decade ever since The Doctor of Thuganomics became a hit with the WWE Universe, but it wasn't always this way.
Cena was once known as The Prototype, which was a wrestler who used to be a robot, it was very generic and it didn't get over with the WWE Universe at all. Cena himself stated that the company were ready to fire him before he debuted the Doctor of Thuganomics gimmick and became a hit with the crowd. How different would the WWE have been if Cena had been fired back then?
16 Hall Of Famer: The Godfather
When The Godfather was added to the Hall of Fame class back in 2016, his induction was met by a lot of negativity. Godfather's entire career surrounded him being seen as a pimp and bringing in a number of potentially talented female wrestlers to acts as his valet's which he referred to as "ho's".
Many fans of the company thought that this entire gimmick was disrespectful and since Godfather himself was never someone who was successful in the ring, it was unknown why he was put in the Hall of Fame, to begin with. There was a point where The Godfather decided to renounce his ways and become The Goodfather when he joined Right To Censor, but The Godfather still returned as a character the following year and the company saw it as a good enough run to warrant a Hall of Fame induction.
15 Hall Of Famer: D-Von Dudley (Reverend)
D-Von Dudley and his brother Bubba Ray have recently been announced for the upcoming class of 2018 Hall of Fame, where they will be inducted in April. Even though the brothers are best known for their tag team exploits and their love of table spots, D-Von has had more than one gimmick during his time in WWE.
Back in 2002 when The Dudley Boyz were split up as a result of the WWE Draft, D-Von was moved over to the SmackDown brand where he was given a villainous Reverend character. D-Von would become the launching pad for Batista when he first came into the company as well as the spiritual advisor for Vince McMahon before the company realised just how stupid the entire character was. The gimmick lasted less than six months before D-Von reunited with his Dudley Boyz brother Bubba Ray.
14 Current: Becky Lynch (Irish Dancer)
Becky Lynch came through the ranks in NXT and is now a former SmackDown Women's Champion, but before the Irish star was seen as a member of the Four Horsewomen, she was handed quite an embarrassing gimmick to introduce herself to the NXT Universe.
WWE love to play on stereotypes and having an Irish star was the perfect excuse for WWE to have a gimmick where someone does traditional Irish dancing to the ring. Becky would come out to the music, dressed all in green and dance her way to the ring. Luckily, it was short lived when the company saw some potential in the Irish Lasskicker and allowed her to become something more relatable. Becky probably cringes now every time she thinks about it now.
13 Hall Of Famer: Stone Cold Steve Austin (The Ringmaster)
When Stone Cold Steve Austin made his WWE debut back in 1995 as The Ringmaster, it easily became obvious that he wasn't the master of the ring. Austin later became known for the way he could work the mic, but in his early career, he was seen as a quiet star who appeared alongside Ted DiBiase and then accidentally eliminated himself from The Royal Rumble when he slipped off the ring post.
Even Austin knew that this gimmick wasn't going to get him anywhere so he decided to ask WWE officials to allow him to change his character into something more ruthless. Austin didn't like any of their ideas and instead opted to call himself Stone Cold after he was inspired by a cold cup of tea. He became one of the biggest stars in the company's history under this gimmick and joined the Hall of Fame class back in 2009.
12 Current: Kane (Isaac Yankem DDS)
Kane has been part of WWE now for more than two decades but he joined the WWE at a time when cheesy characters were quite popular. This could be why he got his start as a crazed dentist called Isaac Yankem DDS. In recent years Kane himself has recalled that the character was a disaster but it was the role that allowed him to get his foot in the door with WWE.
Working with The Undertaker on live events then allowed The Deadman to ask to work with Kane on WWE TV and he was then repackaged as his brother and the duo have been inseparable ever since. If Kane can overcome a crazy dentist gimmick to become a surefire Hall of Famer as a Demon who rose from the depths of the underworld, then anything is possible in the wrestling world.
11 Hall Of Famer: Lita (Miss Congeniality)
Lita is widely considered to be one of the best female wrestlers of all time, her feud with Trish Stratus changed the landscape of women's wrestling which allowed her to become one of the stand out stars.
Even though Lita was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2014 as a former four-time Women's Champion and someone that had inspired many women to first lace up a pair of boots, even she had an embarrassing gimmick to overcome at the start of her career. Before Lita came to WWE she was part of ECW under the ring name Miss Congeniality which was a gimmick where she was basically seen to have bad hygiene which is why there were so many rumours surrounded her at the time.
10 Current: Triple H (Jean-Paul Levesque)
Triple H may be the COO of WWE right now, but unlike his wife Stephanie, he wasn't born into the business so he had to start at the bottom and work his way up. One of the worst gimmicks that Triple H was given was as Jean-Paul Levesque, something that the company decided to give to him based on his last name.
Triple H would put on a fake French accent and dress up like a Frenchman from the 1800s but it just never really worked for him. It was only when he later shed this skin and was able to show who he truly was that he found success. Even though his French last name was the inspiration for this gimmick, it was the thing holding him back the entire time.
9 Hall Of Famer: Farooq (Gladiator)
Before Farooq became part of The Nation of Domination, he was the WCW Champion and someone that had potential to rise to the top of the company but he opted to make his way over to WWE instead, where he was given a Gladiator gimmick.
There must have been a number of times where Farooq asked himself why he had made the switch over to a company that thought a man in a blue space helmet and a bright blue singlet was a great idea for a gimmick. The character didn't last for every long thankfully and was what led to the company making him the head of The Nation of Domination so even though this was an embarrassing gimmick for him, it led to one of the best runs of his career.
8 Current: Alexa Bliss (Fairy)
Alexa Bliss has definitely become one of the most improved WWE superstars ever since she was promoted to the main roster back in 2016, but even Little Miss Bliss had to start somewhere. The current Raw Women's Champion didn't find her feet in NXT until she turned heel and joined Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy in their quest for the Tag Team Championships.
Before Alexa found the duo, she was performing as a fairy on the developmental brand where she attempted to make as many puns out of her name as possible. The Twisted Bliss was once known as The Sparkle Splash, which shows just how much Alexa needed a gimmick change at that point, being a face was never something that worked for her, luckily, WWE found that out early and allowed her to change.
7 Hall Of Famer: Terry Funk (Chainsaw Charlie)
There are so many WWE superstars right now who probably owe their career to Terry Funk, he is a man who has been wrestling for an entire generation. He has retired more times than anyone can count and without a doubt deserves his place in the Hall of Fame, but even the king of extreme wrestling has a few gimmicks to be embarrassed about.
Back in 1997, Funk's retirement had lasted merely three months when he decided to step back in the ring again and returned to the company at the end of the year under the guise "Chainsaw Charlie". The entire crowd knew exactly who he was and even the announcers slipped up a number of times as he began to team with Mick Foley, it is unknown why he thought that wearing a pair of tights on his head was a good idea, but it didn't last long enough for anyone to question it.
6 Current: Braun Strowman (Rosebud)
Braun Strowman is now known as The Monster Among Men and is being built into the biggest threat to the Universal Champion in the coming months, how much would it affect his new found reputation if it was revealed that he was once a Rosebud for Adam Rose and enjoyed dressing up like a burger.
There are a number of stars in WWE right now like Becky Lynch, Nikki Cross, Elias and Dana Brooke made their debut on WWE TV as Rosebuds, but Strowman was the one who looked the strangest dressed up to party with a gang of people who were much smaller than him. Despite his strange beginnings, Strowman has managed to change this around and create a new character for himself.