Bray Wyatt and the 10 Best Gimmick Changes in WWE History

Professional wrestling has a long history of featuring colorful and outrageous characters, but for every Bret Hart who played the same character for 20 years, there is someone out there who had to reinvent themselves after their first idea did not work out.

Sometimes the changes include a complete overhaul, and other times it is something more subtle and nuanced. 

Adjusting a person's gimmick can include a new name, look, wrestling style and presentation, or just one or two of those things while everything else stays the same.

If you look at many of the most popular veterans in the business, many of them began their career as one character before becoming something completely different. 

Let's take a look at some of the best gimmick changes in WWE history and why they are so memorable. This is not a ranked list, so pay no attention to the order of the entires. 

Bray Wyatt

Let's just start with the man who inspired this entire article. Bray Wyatt made his return to the ring at SummerSlam with a victory over Finn Balor after not working a match for the better part of a year.

His last appearance as his former cult-leader personality happened at Starcade on November 25. Shortly after WrestleMania 35, Wyatt began appearing again in pre-taped segments with his new Firefly Funhouse show.

He had ditched the leather apron and long beard, got himself in better shape and took on a gimmick much more sinister than we realized at first. 

Wyatt looked like he was a children's TV host, but it quickly became obvious he still had plenty of demons. Once the segments began getting more and more demented, we knew we were in for something special.

Horror special effects icon Tom Savini worked with Wyatt to create his disturbing new mask and lantern, and WWE had a remixed entrance theme created to match his new personality.

Everything about this change in gimmick has worked beautifully, and management has avoided overusing him so far. This could be the turning point we all look back on in 20 years when he is a multi-time WWE champion going into the Hall of Fame.

Kane

When Glenn Jacobs was tasked with playing Isaac Yankem, a violent dentist, he played the character to the best of his ability. Unfortunately, it was a dumb gimmick, and he was lucky to get a second chance.

After playing the fake version of Diesel for a little while, Jacobs was completely repackaged into Kane, The Undertaker's long lost brother.

It's hard to think of another Superstar who has had three memorable and completely separate characters in WWE. Before anyone starts typing Mick Foley's name in the comment section, we will get to him later.

Kane doesn't have the number of world titles or WrestleMania main events Taker has, but he will be just as remembered as The Deadman because Jacobs played the character so well.

In fact, Kane provided us with some of the best moments of the Attitude Era as both a heel and a babyface. His eventual induction into the Hall of Fame cannot come soon enough.

The Godfather

Remember how we were just talking about Kane being one of the best Superstars to ever have three completely different gimmicks in WWE? The Godfather comes in a close second.

Charles Wright began working for WWE in 1991 under his real name, but he was never developed into a fleshed-out character until he became Papa Shango.

The voodoo practitioner had some memorable segments with The Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan, but the gimmick was eventually phased out, and he returned in 1994 as "The Supreme Fighting Machine" Kama.

He was one of the first Superstars to incorporate things from MMA into his character when the sport was starting to take off in America, but like Papa Shango, Kama had a shelflife of a few short years.

Enter The Godfather. The character only worked during the Attitude Era, but every time he shows back up for a quick cameo, the fans show their love and appreciation for the gimmick. 

Ron Simmons

Ron Simmons had a great career before he signed with WWE. He won multiple titles in other promotions, including the WCW Championship, but Vince McMahon still thought he needed to be repackaged for some reason.

He became Faarooq Asad and was given a blue Spartan-inspired helmet to wear. This gimmick didn't last long, and he went on to form The Nation of Domination.

The group was hugely successful, but once it had run its course, Simmons became one of The Undertaker's followers in The Ministry of Darkness.

This is where he joined forces with JBL. Once they separated from the larger group, they became The Acolytes Protection Agency, or APA for short.

They liked to drink, play cards and smoke cigars. Their backstage segments with the free-standing door they made everyone enter through before speaking to them were gold. 

While it was always understood that he was the same person, Simmons still went through several overhauls before becoming the guy who shows up during awkward moments just to say "Damn!"

Owen Hart

The late Owen Hart is someone fans still talk about to this day, but many people might not know he was once a very different character than the one everyone knows.

His first run in the late '80s saw him don a mask and cape with the name The Blue Blazer. He was supposed to be a superhero of sorts, so his high-flying style suited the gimmick well.

It didn't last long, and he returned to WWE in 1991 to form a tag team with Jim Neidhart. He spent many years working under his real name, winning several singles and tag titles along the way.

Unfortunately, Hart died on May 23, 1999, after an accident when he was being lowered into the ring as The Blue Blazer after bringing the gimmick back the year before.

Sting

Sting was one of the few Superstars who never jumped ship between WCW and WWE during the '90s. He is mostly associated with his black-and-white look these days, but a lot of fans still remember his surfer look fondly.

Back when Gold's Gym shirts were popular and surfing culture was beginning to go mainstream, Sting stood out with his bright attire and colorful face paint. 

He had great feuds with the likes of Ric Flair and cemented himself as someone who brought a little bit of every wrestling style to his performances. He could press someone above his head just as easily as he could hit a crossbody from the top rope.

When entertainment started to get a little edgier in the mid-'90s, Sting had to evolve. He ditched his blonde hair for long black locks and traded in his bright tights for the black-and-white look he has used ever since.

His image was largely based on The Crow from comics and film. The shift in character was one of the most dramatic to ever happen to someone who kept the same name through both gimmicks.

The Crow version of Sting made him into an icon at a time when Hulk Hogan was still the biggest name in the business. That is an accomplishment in and of itself. 

Triple H

Triple H has been with WWE for 24 years, and during that time, he has altered his character in small ways when he needed to be refreshed, but his original gimmick was a far cry from the man we know today.

When he first debuted in 1995, Hunter Hearst Helmsley was The Connecticut Blueblood. He wore fancy clothes, turned his nose up at the audience and considered himself to be much classier than everyone else around him.

A short two years later, Trips teamed up with Shawn Michaels to form D-Generation X. He completely transformed himself into a new man while continuing to use the same name.

The change was drastic, but it turned him from a midcard star who was being thrown into pig slop by Henry O. Godwin to a 14-time world champion. 

When it comes to completely changing the trajectory of one's career, Triple H stands out as someone who persevered through a garbage character to become one of the biggest stars in the industry. 

Mick Foley

Mick Foley holds a special place in the hearts of wrestling fans around the world, and a big reason is that he has portrayed so many lovable characters. 

Cactus Jack, Mankind and Dude Love each had their own distinct personality and in-ring style, and Foley made each one special in his own unique way.

He is a legendary hardcore wrestler who is also known for talking to a sock puppet. You can't find anyone like him in any other form of entertainment.

The dangerous bumps he took for our entertainment was part of the appeal, but the reason so many people love Foley is that they can pick whatever version of him they like best. You can't say the same thing about many other people.

The Undertaker

The Undertaker has been one of the most influential and popular wrestlers for the last few decades, but he has not always been the man we know today.

His character went through slight changes a few times like when he started a cult, but nothing compares to when he adopted the gimmick of a biker and began calling himself The American Badass.

He was no longer pretending to have mystical powers or trying to put his opponents in a casket. He was riding Harleys and punching people in the face whenever the chance arose.

This version of Taker began in 2000 and lasted roughly four years before he returned to the character we know today.

When it comes to gimmicks, The Undertaker stands alone as someone who started as one thing, became something completely different, and then went back to his original character. 

Goldust

Dustin Rhodes came into the wrestling business in the shadow of his father, the late, great Dusty Rhodes. He began his career as a standard babyface, but he knew he needed to do something drastic to create his own legacy. 

Goldust debuted in WWE in 1995. He was supposed to resemble an Oscar statue with his gold bodysuit, face paint and short blonde hair. 

Everything about this gimmick was different from what he had done before, and nobody ever knew what to expect when he came to the ring.

The way he played the character was designed to make you feel uncomfortable, and it worked brilliantly. Not only was he a great character, but he was also a skilled technical wrestler.

He has altered the gimmick over time to suit his needs and keep himself fresh, but he will always be remembered as the guy who took Roddy Piper to his limit in a Backlot Brawl at WrestleMania 12.