There comes a time in almost every WWE Superstar’s career when they have to reinvent themselves by making a drastic alteration to their character.
Bray Wyatt, for example, has performed as four different characters in WWE over the last decade – Husky Harris, “Eater of Worlds” Bray Wyatt, “Firefly Fun House” Bray Wyatt, and “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt – while Glenn Jacobs worked as Dr. Isaac Yankem and Fake Diesel before becoming Kane.
Looking at the current WWE Superstars on RAW and SmackDown, the majority of men and women on the roster already have established gimmicks that are unlikely to change too much in the near future.
However, there are still a select few Superstars who could definitely benefit from undergoing a character change if they are ever going to fulfill their potential in WWE.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at five current WWE Superstars who should be repackaged before 2021.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.
#5 Mustafa Ali (WWE RAW)
Over 18 months have gone by since an injury ruled Mustafa Ali out of the Elimination Chamber 2019 match, as well as the SmackDown gauntlet match that took place before the pay-per-view.
Ali’s spot in both of those matches went to Kofi Kingston, whose overwhelming popularity left WWE’s decision-makers with little choice but to book him in a WWE Championship match against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35, which he went on to win.
Now, while that situation was obviously very unfortunate for Ali, is it really something that should define his entire WWE career?
The former 205 Live Superstar has hardly been involved in any meaningful storylines since he received his one and only opportunity at the WWE Championship against Bryan and Kevin Owens at Fastlane 2019.
He looked set to undergo a transformation as WWE’s hacker earlier in 2020 but, for reasons that have still never been explained, that storyline abruptly ended and it is unclear whether it will ever be revisited.
Regardless of whether or not he is revealed as the hacker, it is time for WWE to make some changes to Ali’s babyface character.
#4 Bo Dallas (WWE SmackDown)
Given the number of departures from WWE in 2020, fans could be forgiven for thinking that Bo Dallas is no longer with the company.
The former WWE NXT Champion last competed in a televised WWE match in October 2019 when he joined forces with Curtis Axel in a losing effort against Big E and Kofi Kingston at Crown Jewel.
Since then, over 20 established Superstars from the RAW and SmackDown brands have left WWE, including Dallas’ B-Team tag team partner, Curtis Axel.
Dallas, meanwhile, has been silent on his WWE future since posting a cryptic tweet about a “life-changing expedition” in December 2019.
When Dallas shows up on WWE television again, his over-the-top comedy character is almost certainly going to be repackaged.
After all, with Axel gone, there is no point in keeping the B-Team gimmick going, unless Dallas decides to recruit more individuals and turn the team into a faction.
As you can see in the tweet above, the man himself even hinted last year that WWE fans will see a side to him that they have never seen before, so it is safe to assume that a plan is already in place for Dallas to be repackaged when he returns.
#3 Shorty G (WWE SmackDown)
While nobody can deny that Chad Gable is one of the most impressive and underrated in-ring performers in WWE right now, his Shorty G gimmick is holding him back from being treated as a credible Superstar on the SmackDown roster.
Gable became known as Shorty G in October 2019 after various WWE Superstars, including Baron Corbin and Shelton Benjamin, made jokes about his height (173cm) in backstage segments.
It initially looked as though the Shorty G name would only be used for that particular storyline. However, almost one year later, the three-time WWE Tag Team Champion is still wearing basketball clothes and he is still known by that derogatory name.
The general consensus is that Gable has the potential to be a popular singles Superstar in WWE, but he is unlikely to ever reach that level if he continues to perform with the goofy Shorty G gimmick.
If WWE decides to repackage Gable, perhaps they could focus more on the former American Alpha member’s Olympic background – he competed in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2012 Olympics – instead of revolving his WWE character around his height.
#2 Humberto Carrillo (WWE RAW)
Humberto Carrillo’s most notable WWE match came on the October 21, 2019 episode of RAW when he produced an impressive performance in his defeat against then-Universal Champion Seth Rollins.
Unfortunately, despite his strong start, the Mexican struggled to garner reactions from the WWE Universe when fans were able to attend RAW shows, especially when he performed as a babyface in his long-term rivalry with Andrade and Angel Garza in late 2019/early 2020.
It appeared as though Carrillo could join forces with his rivals, along with Zelina Vega, earlier this year, but a heel turn and alliance with the villainous trio never came to fruition.
Carrillo’s last five televised WWE matches have come on Main Event, while he has not won a singles match on RAW since defeating Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory and Garza in a gauntlet match on May 4.
Carrillo is only 24 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to create a compelling character that WWE fans can connect with.
Right now, though, his current persona does not seem to be working.
#1 Cesaro (WWE SmackDown)
It is often said that Paul Heyman’s ECW shows were so successful because he perfected the art of highlighting a performer’s strengths and hiding their weaknesses. This, unfortunately, is something that WWE has misjudged time and time again with Cesaro.
The seven-time WWE Tag Team Champion has had a horrible track record with WWE gimmicks, dating all the way back to the days when he used to yodel his way to the ring and address the WWE Universe in five different languages.
When it comes to wrestling, Cesaro is arguably the best in WWE and one of the best in the world. However, his credibility has been significantly harmed by the number of drastic gimmick changes that he has had over the years.
The best version of Cesaro is the serious, focused Swiss Cyborg that defeated Ilja Dragunov in a 12-minute match at NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff in August 2019, rather than the RAW and SmackDown version of Cesaro who is constantly involved in comedy angles as part of a tag team.
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura are not doing a bad job as SmackDown Tag Team Champions, but they both have a lot more to offer as singles competitors.