5 WWE Legends Who Had Terrible Gimmicks Before They Made It Big

#4 The Prototype – John Cena

John Cena was the face of the WWE for almost 15 years before transitioning to a full-time Hollywood actor in 2018. But, before he became a WWE legend, Cena started his WWE career in Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2001. In OVW, he had a gimmick called The Prototype who was an engineered genius and 50 percent man, 50 percent machine.

A clear ripoff of the Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator, the Prototype, thankfully, did not cut promos in a robotic voice. The character had a great energy to it but Cena’s blonde haircut made it look bad. Nevertheless, Cena ditched the Prototype persona a year later when he made his WWE debut against Kurt Angle.

The rest is history. Cena became one of the greatest WWE superstars ever. He carried the company for a decade and a half wherein he was a record-tying 16-time World Champion. His accolades are too many to list and he has followed the path of The Rock and Batista as the next great wrestler to make it big in Hollywood.

About the author

Juan Paolo David has been covering all things WWE for Sportskeeda since 2020 and has eight years of experience in content writing. He holds a degree in Agriculture but has been a fan of pro wrestling since a kid. This love for the entertainment sport led him to write about it.

Juan writes well-researched articles, not only to ensure that he presents readers with correct facts and figures but also because he wants to learn as much as possible about the topics he writes about.

Edge is Juan’s all-time favorite wrestler. He grew up watching Edge and Christian and was a huge fan of their tag team. So much so, that if he could go back in time he would manage the duo. And let them know that he can play their entrance themes with a kazoo!

Besides wrestling, Juan loves to watch NBA or a Dortmund game. He also enjoys watching TV and movies during his free time. He works as a writer in SK’s basketball division.

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Edited by Kevin Christopher Sullivan