10 WWE Superstars you never knew once played very different characters

#4 Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Ringmaster

Stone Cold and The Ringmaster

They say that, in professional wrestling, one has to pay some heavy dues and work through some hardships to get to where they need and want to go - and maybe even a questionable gimmick or two.

There may be no better example of this ethos that arguably the biggest name of the Attitude Era, Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Hall of Famer may now be a genuine legend of the industry, a successful television and movie star and a hero to millions, but it goes without saying that he wasn't always so. Before he was the Texas Rattlesnake, he was merely The Ringmaster.

Managed by the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, The Ringmaster made his first WWE appearances in early 1996, having immediately been 'crowned' the Million Dollar Champion. While neat and tidy in the ring, there was never really much to write home about from Austin's initial gimmick, save for a WrestleMania 12 outing against Savio Vega as well as a subsequent (pair of) Carribbean Strap Matches.

Austin soon parted from DiBiase and the Texan became a lone wolf. His cold blue eyes led to his repackaging as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and he quickly set about stamping his personality all over the character, with the pivotal moment coming in 1996 when he won the King of the Ring and delivered his infamous 'Austin 3:16' speech. From there, you could say the rest was history, with Stone Cold about as far removed from the Ringmaster as you could possibly imagine.