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We've seen it many times over the years. Several superstars have made major appearance changes, either after a return from injury or a hiatus. While some appearance changes may not have been successful, for many top WWE superstars, they've worked out quite well.
As you're going to see, these appearances changes not only had a big impact on the superstars but represented an evolution in their careers and characters. In these cases, it helped see a huge rise to the top of the card.
As we all know, a superstars look is a defining part of a WWE superstar and sometimes even how far they can go. Let's dive in and take a look at some of the best appearance changes in WWE history.
#8 Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns has always had a great look to begin with, but his initial "Leakee" character just didn't cut it. That was perhaps why it remained in developmental for fans to forget. When he was in FCW along with Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, he was a young upstart showcasing his Samoan Heritage.
Thankfully, he debuted on the main roster as part of The Shield wearing a vest which he still uses to date. It made him look far more badass and even Ric Flair believes that he has one of the best looks in the history of the business.
#7 Edge
Edge was always on the path to superstardom, but he didn't necessarily have the best look in the early 2000s, particularly with the cheesy sunglasses.
However, he developed his persona very well as a singles star and after the Matt Hardy-Lita debacle, he used it to become the most hated heel in the business. Around this time he also developed a new look and turned out to be the single best heel of the Ruthless Aggression Era.
#6 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin
Before there was The Texas Rattlesnake Stone Cold Steve Austin, there was Stunning Steve Austin. Unsuccessful in WCW, he jumped ship to WWF and became Ted Dibiase's hired gun and million dollar champion.
He went a long way in a short time and shaved his head and developed the edgy persona bordering the Attitude Era period. He would go on to become the face of the WWE and the most popular superstar in the history of the company. That's something Stunning Steve Austin wouldn't have been able to do, would he?
#5 Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss' love for Disney saw her make her initial NXT appearances as a Disney "Fairy" Princess. While she did start her run as a babyface, aligning with Blake & Murphy saw her develop a whole new persona.
It gave her an edge, an attitude. It also proved that she's by far a better heel. Some people are natural heels and this applies to Bliss too.
On the main roster, she's seen tremendous success, becoming a multi-time Women's Champion on both RAW and SmackDown Live.
#4 Triple H
Triple H debuted as Hunter Hearst Helmsley, a Connecticut Blueblood, seemingly from a rich, royal family. As you can imagine, it was a pretty bland gimmick. His association with DX changed things over time but in late 90s, he proclaimed "I am the f***ing Game" and he never looked back.
Triple H became The Game - the iconic legend that we've grown to love. He would be in the forefront of The Attitude Era going all the way up to the PG Era, winning 14 world championships in the process. He has some of the most incredible longevity in the history of the business.
#3 The Undertaker
While The Biker persona of The Undertaker is now looked back upon with nostalgia, it's easy to forget that at the time, there was heavy demand from the fans for him to return as The Phenom.
After all, it was the very character that they grew up loving while watching Undertaker. Truth be told, the Biker gimmick had run its course and Undertaker had even begun to put on weight. This is why his 2004 return as The Phenom helped a great deal in kick-starting a new phase of his career.
#2 The Rock
When The Rock debuted at Survivor Series, he debuted as Rocky Maivia and worse tassels and was a typical, smiling and boring babyface.
He showed a complete lack of personality but once he was injured, it turned out to be for the best as he returned as a heel, renamed "The Rock". He would make a complete appearance change and everything else would follow suit. The rest, as they say, is history.
#1 Kane
When Glenn Jacobs debuted in WWE, it was as "Dr. Isaac Yankem" an evil dentist. Obviously, there wasn't much success. He would also re-debut as Fake Diesel, which turned out to be an even bigger flop.
Thankfully, in the second half of 1997, he would officially re-debut as Kane, The Undertaker's half-brother. His debut is considered by many as the greatest in WWE history.
His run as masked Kane made him one of the top featured superstars of the Attitude Era and an icon of the business. This was one appearance change that made a bigger difference than many people seem to realize!
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