5 of the worst pro wrestling character changes, and 5 of the best

You know him as "The Rock," but that wasn't his first gimmick in WWE.

Best Repackaging #5: Stone Cold Steve Austin

Sometimes, the process of trying to get a wrestler over with the fans has been referred to as 'throwing s**t at the wall and seeing what sticks.'

When the Ringmaster didn't stick, the WWE tried a new approach. They kept Stone Cold Steve Austin as a heel, and his ex-wife gave him his new designation by accident, telling him to drink his tea before it became "Stone Cold."

As Stone Cold Steve Austin, he was supposed to be the 'bad guy' of the WWE, feuding with born again Christian Jake Roberts. During this period, Roberts would often quote Bible verses, in particular, John 3:16. After defeating Roberts in a match at King of the Ring, Stone Cold would utter the famous line "Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your A**!"

Both the line and the gimmick appealed greatly to the Attitude Era audience. During a match with Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13, Austin turned face by refusing to give up while bleeding profusely and stuck in Hart's Sharpshooter finisher. He passed out from pain, meaning Hart was declared the winner, but in the process became a hero.

Stone Cold would go on to be one of the biggest reasons WWE won the Monday Night war, and is possibly the most popular world champion in the company's history.

About the author

Christopher Scott Wagoner is a writer from Austin, Texas in the United States. He is also a proud descendent of the Choctaw and Lakota people.
Chris has an English and Creative Writing degree, and is a published author with Simon and Schuster. He's ghost-written over eight million words in more than 500 books.
A long time wrestling fan, Chris is also a professional journalist who covers sports-entertainment. He's been writing for Sportskeeda since 2018.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram