WWE is constantly coming up with new gimmicks and fresh ideas for different wrestlers all of the time and over the years there have been some great ones and some truly terrible ones, all of which have had a major impact on the people who are portraying them. Many times, WWE gives a wrestler a gimmick and then realizes that it doesn't suit them, the fans aren't catching on to it or that something new is needed and the company freshens things up and repackages a Superstar.
Thankfully, a lot of the terrible gimmicks aren't often remembered, but when a wrestler portrays a bad gimmick prior to them becoming a major superstar, then they tend to pop back out of the cupboard every now and then for people to remember and laugh at. When you learn that one of wrestling's all-time greats actually portrayed a different character before the one everyone knows and loves him for, it can be a little embarrassing, but at least they made it work and evolved as a performer.
Sometimes, things go the other way and WWE fixes something that is not broken, changing a good gimmick into a terrible one, meaning their original ideas were actually better to go by and this list is going to look at 12 examples of both, looking at 12 wrestlers who had embarrassing gimmicks before fame, and 12 that may have been better than what they eventually became famous with.
24 Embarrassing Before Fame: Rocky Maivia
He might now be considered one of the all-time greats of professional wrestling and one of the world's biggest pop culture icons who has taken over the world of Hollywood, but things didn't start so well for The Rock. Originally debuting in WWE with much fanfare, Rocky Maivia was someone who was a pure babyface and boy, did he want you to know it, smiling even more than Apollo Crews himself.
Rocky was someone who got a big push early on in his career and the wrestling fans didn't take kindly too it.
Nowadays, he might garner one of the biggest pops of the year if he makes one appearance simply to raise an eyebrow, but back then Rocky was met with "Die, Rocky Die" chants with the WWE Universe passionately despising him, his bland character, and what fans felt was an undeserved push. It's fair to say had WWE stuck to its guns and kept this character going, there is no way we would have Dwayne Johnson who dominates the film world to this day. From his ridiculous hair to the over the top outfit, none of this character was ever going to be popular and thankfully, things worked out for the best for Johnson.
23 Might Have Been Better: Papa Shango
Charles Wright played a couple of out-there gimmicks during his professional wrestling career, but it was as The Godfather where he really made his name and it was under that gimmick where WWE inducted him to the Hall Of Fame. Whilst many people were surprised to see The Godfather be inducted, mainly because he was never one of the company's top stars, it certainly was an entertaining run. However, his previous gimmick was arguably even better.
Rather than running around with a certain train of people behind him, Wright made a name for himself in a much different way, donning the face paint and a skull as a voodoo witch doctor who would curse his opponents prior to matches in order to help him get the wins. The Papa Shango gimmick wasn't brilliant by any stretch of the imagination, but he certainly got closer to the main event scene than The Godfather did, although one of his major moments did see him mess up. At WrestleMania VIII, Shango was infamously late to break up the Hulk Hogan pin which forced Sid to kick out of the Leg Drop for the first time in wrestling history, but at least he got the chance to shake it up with some wrestling royalty.
22 Embarrassing Before Fame: Festus
The Club might not have lived up to the hopes of many hardcore wrestling fans who wanted something truly special from the team of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson after their run with the Bullet Club, but for Gallows it's way better than what he previously worked with. During his original run with WWE, Gallows was given the Festus character to perform, someone who had mental difficulties and couldn't talk at all, but when the bell rang for a match, he would awaken and turn into a beast inside the ring. His tag team run with Jesse was one that is still remembered to this day, but it isn't exactly talked about in a positive manner.
Now, Gallows struts around with a cool vibe to him alongside his "Good Brother" Karl Anderson and gets to shout "Nerd" at people. There's no doubt that there is more The Club can achieve in WWE, and pairing them back up with AJ Styles would be the best thing to make that happen, but working as Luke Gallows is a major improvement to his time as Festus. Whether WWE ever recreates the real magic of "The Club" remains to be seen, but it could become one of the best stables in their history if they do use it.
21 Might Have Been Better: Goldust
When you have a gimmick as iconic as Goldust, it becomes very difficult to change things up and start doing something else, because fans know you in one way and that is how you have been presented for so many years. That is the problem that Goldust faced when he joined TNA in what was a dark period of his life when he was suffering through a period of alcohol and drug abuse, but the company didn't help him in any way by giving him such a bad gimmick to work with.
Obviously, TNA couldn't just present Dustin Rhodes as Goldust, as legally that wasn't ever going to be allowed, so they had to think outside the box for a way to use him differently from what everyone expected. So what did they do? Switch up the gold paint for silver and call him Black Reign. It was a shocking name, a terrible look, and an awful gimmick that just about summed up why TNA was never going to truly compete with WWE because the company made terrible decisions like that. It's no wonder Goldust wasn't enthusiastic about his work at the time, because given that he had that to work with, there was very little he could do to make it appealing to fans.
20 Embarrassing Before Fame: Deacon Batista
Working alongside Reverend D-Von (don't worry, we will get to that disaster later on in this list), Deacon Batista was the gimmick that wrestling legend, Batista debuted on the main roster with after impressing in developmental. Today, he might be a major star in Hollywood thanks to his roles in the James Bond film Spectre and the Guardians of the Galaxy series, but that certainly isn't the man who first started in the WWE, fully kitted out with his big silver chain.
Batista was mainly there to simply act as the henchman to D-Von and offered very little else to the overall product.
He mainly took the losses whenever needed in order to keep the veteran wrestler looking stronger. His look was ridiculous with his sleeveless preacher outfit not making him look like a star, but rather someone you would not want to watch, the total opposite of what he was hoping for when starting his career. Luckily for him, he managed to get through this rough period and come out the other end. Batista would wind up as a member of Evolution, which pushed him straight into the main event scene and he would go on to have an incredible wrestling career that is no doubt going to end in a Hall Of Fame induction.
19 Might Have Been Better: Cactus Jack
This one largely just comes down to personal taste; which of the three faces of Foley did you prefer best? Of course, it's unlikely your answer is Dude Love, but each to their own, the main gimmicks Foley had where of course Cactus Jack and Mankind. Both of these were incredible but it really was with Mankind that he made a major name for himself, at least as a main event superstar. However, with Jack, Foley put himself on the map as a wrestler to watch out for and as someone who would do anything to get over with an audience.
Jack was the more extreme out of the three personalities and was mainly used during the earlier portion of his career in ECW, but he brought it out for certain situations in WWE when the extreme level was needed. Whilst the Mankind gimmick was certainly fleshed out more and given a better backstory, then can be no denying that Foley's time as Cactus Jack was incredibly entertaining and for a lot of fans, this is the version that they prefer. For Foley, both gimmicks served him very well and it's unlikely he is ever going to state which one he prefers, but it can certainly be argued that Cactus Jack, at least in WWE, might have been better than Mankind or Dude Love.
18 Embarrassing Before Fame: Derrick Bateman
Right now, EC3 is on his way to becoming one of the top stars in WWE since his return to the company, as one of the top performers in NXT it is clear that the company has huge plans for the man who claims to be in the top 1%, but he had to leave WWE to become that guy. During his original run with the company, EC3 performed under the name of Derrick Bateman, and whilst he showed good potential in terms of in-ring work and a brilliant physique, but sadly the gimmick itself was just never going to make it as a top athlete.
The fact that Bateman spent most of his WWE career in a love storyline with Johnny Curtis, Maxine, and Summer Rae, should show exactly where this character was going and it was no real surprise to anybody when he was eventually released by the company. What was a surprise was what he managed to do once he left, totally repackaging himself as Ethan Carter III in TNA, where he became one of the top heels in the entire industry, working at such a high standard that WWE simply had to bring him back at the first available opportunity.
17 Might Have Been Better: "Dashing" Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes is currently killing it on the independent scene with both Ring Of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling as the American Nightmare and Bullet Club member, seemingly having the world at his feet as he prepares to run the biggest independent show in history with ALL IN. His current gimmick is superb, but he was certainly famous before he broke out as a main event talent, which is why you have to go back a little further than that to see a gimmick where he was established that sucked, which was Stardust. In what was a blatant decision by WWE to just flat out copy Goldust, simply because he and Cody are brothers in real life, WWE made a terrible mistake, killing any hope of Cody ever growing as a performer or being able to reach the main event levels we now know he is capable of.
The thing that made it all worse is that he actually had several brilliant gimmicks prior to putting on the face paint.
Especially with his run as Dashing Cody Rhodes and then as the scared Cody who would wear a mask or put paper bags on peoples heads being far greater than what he finished his WWE career with. It was a shame as Cody excelled with everything he was given and managed to get it all over, including Stardust to some degree, but there is no doubt that it was never going to go anywhere as that market had already been taken up for years by his older brother.
16 Embarrassing Before Fame: Husky Harris
Bray Wyatt is one of the better modern-day gimmicks in WWE that has certainly had its fair share of ups and downs and some very bad booking, but when you consider what he was doing prior to this, it is clearly a positive change. Before he became the Eater of Worlds and the leader of the Wyatt Family or even a Deleted Warrior, Wyatt was known as Husky Harris, someone who eventually became a member of Wade Barrett's Nexus faction.
Harris joined the group once all of its momentum had really run out and members were starting to swap and change, meaning that it was always going to be a difficult position to debut in, with Harris mainly just taking a beating for most of the time he was around. John Cena and Randy Orton both destroyed Harris, alongside all of his Nexus brothers and the group eventually fizzled away, splintering into the New Nexus and the Corre, which eventually led to him taking time away to reinvent the Wyatt character we know today. He has known some real success as Wyatt, and while he still could be so much more he definitely has come a long way from his humble beginnings.
15 Might Have Been Better: Diamond Dallas Page
Now, Diamond Dallas Page never underwent a name change during his run, but he did undergo a massive gimmick change after WWE purchased WCW, and it was not for the better, pretty much derailing his career. DDP was one of WCW's biggest stars and someone that the company actually developed themselves, rather than simply taking from WWE and placing into the main event position, but when he appeared on WWE television it was a different story. He should have continued under the exact same gimmick, because it worked and that could have led to him being a fairly big star for the company, in a similar way to how Booker T managed his career, going on to have great years for Vince McMahon.
Instead, WWE decided to give DDP a stalker gimmick, where he would follow The Undertaker's wife, Sara around, including at her house. At the start the identity of the stalker was unknown, but once it was revealed the WWE Universe was shocked, and not in a good way. Fans didn't understand why DDP had been placed into this role, and whether it was Vince's idea to bury him for being a "WCW guy" or if he honestly thought it was a good story and a chance to feud with a top WWE star in 'Taker will never be known. However, it was a major step back for one of the greats.
14 Embarrassing Before Fame: Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman is possible the most popular WWE superstar right now and is someone that wrestling fans absolutely love. Turning from monster heel to monster babyface, simply due to how entertaining he is, the future is incredibly bright for Strowman. He has managed to go from a wrestler fans hated for being green, to a wrestler fans want to see on multiple segments and hope will become the World Champion at some point in the near future. However, that doesn't mean he didn't have any embarrassing moments before reaching fame. When Strowman appeared as a member of the Wyatt Family, he was a relatively unknown name to most people, but if you had been watching closely, Strowman had actually appeared on WWE television before, working as a Rosebud.
That's right, Strowman was part of the group of wacky characters who would follow Adam Rose around backstage and to the ring, eventually catching him as he fell backward from the ring apron. This group was always made up of NXT talent that wasn't yet familiar with main roster audiences. One of the men who got the "opportunity" to perform as a Rosebud was none other than the Monster Among Men, who would follow Rose around and act like a partygoer as his first experience of live WWE television, something WWE would likely want you to forget about at this stage in his career.
13 Might Have Been Better: Viscera
In terms of big men in wrestling, Viscera could very well have been one of the largest; the man was huge and a real force to be reckoned with inside the ring. Because of his size, mobility was always going to be an issue but he moved fairly well, all things considered. Under the Viscera gimmick, the late Nelson Frazier managed to make a name for himself and become an established star within the company, hence why he lasted over a decade in WWE, which very few men of his size ever do.
He managed to dominate many of his rivals, as you would expect considering his size, but was never given a major push to ever become anything memorable and then when he underwent his gimmick change, you knew he was doomed. For some reason, WWE decided to repackage Viscera, even though he didn't need to be and he became Big Daddy V and was sent over to ECW. He had a new look which didn't flatter him as it made it even more obvious he was seriously overweight, and he struggled to get any real momentum. It didn't come as a surprise when he was eventually released from the company, proving that his previous gimmick under the Viscera was the better of the two and perhaps the one WWE should have just stuck with.
12 Embarrassing Before Fame: Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss has arguably been the best female wrestler in the entire company for the past two years, totally dominating the championship picture on both SmackDown Live and Monday Night Raw, Bliss has been the measuring stick for the women's division. The Goddess has become one of the very best characters in the entire company; her gimmick is superb.
She has nailed everything about it, from her facial expressions to her arrogant attitude all the way to her promo work, Bliss is the perfect package.
WWE has reacted to her brilliant work with excellent, lengthy title runs, but in her early days in NXT you would never have imagined she would have gone on to have the success that she has managed to have today, as her gimmick was awful. Bliss would come out as a Disney-style princess, complete with a tutu and all the glitter and sparkles that comes with it. In the ring, she always put on a decent enough match, which clearly showed her potential, but when it came to the gimmick itself, it was never one which would be carrying an entire women's division, or even make the main roster for that matter.
11 Might Have Been Better: 'Miracle' Mike Bennett
When rumblings began to surface on the dirt sheets that Mike Bennett was going to sign for WWE, fans quickly became excited about the prospect of seeing him on the biggest stage possible, with fans having seen what he had done on the independent scene. Alongside his wife, Maria Kanellis, the pair had nailed down an excellent gimmick that really got under people's skin and could have made a great impact in WWE, with most people expecting to see him pop up in Full Sail for NXT.
Given WWE's recent track record for hiring independent wrestlers and making them great names, hopes were high, but sadly, Bennett was not one of those people, instead becoming a major flop and someone who could very likely be released in the near future as he has no role at all in the company. Bennett appeared straight on the main roster, which might have been the first mistake made, and since then has just struggled to make any impact at all, with his Power Of Love gimmick making very little waves in the company. It hasn't helped that the couple decided to have a child, meaning Maria was no longer on TV as she is a crucial part of his act, but hopefully, that is something that might change in the future.
10 Embarrassing Before Fame: Becky Lynch
The Irish Lasskicker might be the most underrated member of the Four Horsewomen, but Becky Lynch has had a great career with WWE so far and her current gimmick is one that fans love and is someone who can be taken seriously as a Women's Champion. Her original gimmick from NXT, on the other hand, not so much, with WWE deciding to make her do an Irish dance all the way to the ring, simply because she was Irish, I guess, because WWE loves to have people from foreign countries play the most stereotypical roles as possible.
It is something that the company seriously struggles with; just look at Rusev or Finlay as further examples. It seemed like Lynch was doomed to fall into the same terrible category, because how would an Irish dancer ever be taken seriously in the world of professional wrestling? It just doesn't work. What she does now works excellently, using her Straight Fire and natural charisma to get over with audiences. Lynch mainly lets her wrestling do the talking but she is actually a very funny person who cuts plenty of classic puns on social media all of the time, which has helped audiences get to know her even better.
9 Might Have Been Better: Prince Albert
Right now, Matt Bloom is in a brilliant job as the head NXT Trainer, proving that good guys tend to always land on their feet, and considering some of the brilliant talents that is coming out of developmental right now, it's safe to say he is doing a good job. That is no real surprise as Bloom was always a good hand inside the ring, and whilst he was never pushed as a main event talent, he was always given a solid spot in the company and he tended to make that work no matter what.
Working as Prince Albert, he was given a good run during his time in the company and was seen as a reliable and dependable hand to have around, yet after moving to Japan and dominating there as well, he returned and was given a horrendous gimmick. Working as Lord Tensai, he was originally set for a major push in the main event scene, even wrestling against John Cena and beating him at the start of his run, but the gimmick quickly proved to be nothing short of a disaster. Tensai quite quickly fell into the comedic route and he was seen dancing and jiving alongside Brodus Clay in what was a truly awful gimmick that nobody was prepared to take seriously.
8 Embarrassing Before Fame: "Stunning" Steve Austin
When it comes to Stone Cold Steve Austin, there are few gimmicks that even come close to being as good as what he brought to the table, bringing the Attitude to the Attitude Era, Austin was a top star in the company and arguably the biggest name in the history of wrestling. The reason for this is that his gimmick was so good and really was something that wrestling fans could relate to. Here was a man who simply did whatever he wanted, didn't hold back the punches and let everyone know how he felt. He stuck it to the man and hated his boss, but unlike most people, he actually got to tell his boss and fight his boss, which was something everyone could get onboard with.
However, prior to that, he worked a gimmick that was very average and has been done countless times before, linking to his looks with Austin being known as Stunning Steve Austin during his WCW days. The gimmick just fell flat as there was no reason for anybody to care about him at all, with his blonde hair and good looks seemingly being the only thing that fans should have been interested in. Whilst his original WWE gimmick of the Ringmaster wasn't much better, even that was a major improvement from this mess.
7 Might Have Been Better: KENTA
Hideo Itami really suffered from a case of "what might have been," because at one point he was set to become a major star in NXT and was certainly in line to become the NXT Champion, yet now he is barely making any appearances for the company, occasionally popping up on 205 Live. Itami is a shell of his former self and doesn't look interested anymore, seemingly not enjoying his work, and who can blame him? Itami has gone from being one of the most talked about wrestlers in the world, to someone who most fans forget is even on the roster.
This is a million miles away from the man he was before when he wrestled under the name of KENTA, where he was considered at times to be the very best in the world with his incredible striking ability set him apart from everyone else. KENTA worked for Japanese promotion, NOAH, and managed to become a huge star, which is why there was so much hype and excitement surrounding his WWE debut, and that was something that Triple H clearly understood as well, which makes it even more frustrating to see what has happened to him. Sadly, injuries set him back and allowed other wrestlers to jump ahead of him getting chances at the NXT Title and being moved to the main roster and as time went by people stopped caring, leading Itami to where he is today.
6 Embarrassing Before Fame: The Prototype
You might think that John Cena has always just been looked at as the megastar that he is today, but that couldn't be further from the truth as there is no way anybody in WWE saw major potential in him at the start of his career, of his gimmick of "The Prototype" would never have left the ideas board. Many people might criticize his character today for never turning heel or being too predictable, but it is incredibly marketable and one that wrestling fans have bought into. Even his previous rapping gimmick, back when even teen and adult male wrestling fans would cheer him, was a good one that made him stand out.
But prior to either them came Prototype, who I guess was just meant to be a Prototype for what a human should look like given his incredible physique. He had no real gimmick and was just a jacked up dude with a terrible name and bleach blonde hair, something which thankfully never made it to television. It was a terrible gimmick and is a name that nobody is ever going to get behind, after all, who wants to watch a "Prototype"? it just sounds so fake and would be better suited as a nickname for a wrestler, rather than their actual name.
5 Might Have Been Better: Brodus Clay
Anytime WWE signs a huge wrestler, whether it be in height, muscle, or weight, you can pretty much guarantee they will be getting the "monster" treatment, whether that be as a babyface or as a heel, it is almost a given. One of those people was Brodus Clay who was pushed as a major monster in WWE's developmental system and on NXT back when the show was undergoing its game show style run, instead of the wrestling brand it is today. The gimmick managed to make its way onto the main roster when he was used as the muscle for Alberto Del Rio during one of his World Heavyweight Championship runs, but sadly, he was used more as someone who would take a beating instead of Del Rio, in order to keep the champion looking strong.
However, WWE then made the decision to repackage Clay and many people presumed he would be returning with a slightly new look but as a dominant beast who would simply run through people and whilst he might not have been a main event name, he could easily have had a good run. Instead, out came a dancing Brodus Clay who yelled about his Momma during matches and claimed he was from Planet Funkasaurus. That's right, he was given the all singing/all dancing gimmick and, of course, he fell down the card as quickly as you might expect.