5 of the best character reinventions in WWE history
WWE Superstars play larger than life characters that make us fans perceive them as heroes or role models based on the influence they have in our lives. Renowned stars such as John Cena, The Rock, and Roman Reigns occasionally utilize their platform to inspire people from all over the globe.
Although they make it look simple on TV, finding the right character and playing it convincingly is a difficult task that requires a lot of work and effort. Superstars who fail to appeal to the audience usually end up getting pushed down the card without being featured in anything significant.
Some Superstars return to the drawing board while others depart from WWE and join other wrestling promotions where they have the opportunity to find a fitting character or gimmick. This has proven to be a success as some of those performers ended up becoming huge stars in their subsequent tenure in WWE.
As time goes on, even the most loved characters can become stale, so WWE Superstars need to reinvent themselves to stay relevant. That's the reason why heel and babyface turns are a necessity in pro wrestling.
The Superstars you're going to read about right now were aware of all this so they altered their character and became universally popular with the fans. Here are five of the best character reinventions in WWE history.
#5 The Irish Lass Kicker to 'The Man' Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch's journey to becoming The Man is one of the greatest success stories in the history of professional wrestling. Lynch went from an underutilized performer to the face of the entire company. If you told anyone in 2015 that the Irish Superstar would main event WrestleMania, WWE's biggest show of the year, they would've asked you to go get yourself checked out.
Becky Lynch made her initial WWE debut by dancing to the ring in NXT and she went on to join the main roster on Monday Night RAW in 2015 along with Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair. All three stars played a huge role in the evolution of women's wrestling.
Unlike Banks and Flair, however, Lynch was misused when she joined the main roster. She's also the only member of the Four Horsewomen who never held the NXT Women's Title. Becky was allied with Paige and Charlotte Flair to form a stable known as PCB in 2015.
While Flair and Paige held a title in NXT and both of them enjoyed a run with the Divas Championship, Lynch was, in Paige's own words, the least relevant female Superstar in the entire division, which was true. All that frustration of being looked down upon for years and years led to the creation of a huge mainstream star.
After the brand split returned in 2016, Lynch was drafted to WWE SmackDown where she received a push by becoming the first-ever SmackDown Women's Champion after she defeated Carmella at WWE Backlash to win the title.
Although she was the inaugural titleholder, Becky Lynch's first run with the championship was rather underwhelming. She had an unmemorable title reign and she was even out due to injury for some time. In 2018, Becky received another opportunity for the title when she challenged Carmella at WWE SummerSlam.
Becky Lynch was a huge babyface, so the fans wanted to see her win the match, but WWE decided to add Charlotte Flair into the mix, making it a triple threat. Flair won the match and the title, which wasn't received well by the crowd. After the bout concluded, Becky Lynch snapped and attacked Charlotte and turned heel for the first time on the main roster to the delight of the fans in attendance.
No one, not even WWE themselves, predicted what would happen next. That night, SummerSlam 2018, was the night it all began for the former RAW Women's Champion. The Irish Lass Kicker was gone and the birth of The Man was imminent.
Becky Lynch becomes the face of WWE
Becky's heel turn was short-lived, because fans didn't want to boo her. Lynch delivered a lot of epic promos which included a lot of valid points, which made it difficult for fans to accept her as a heel. This led to WWE tweaking her character.
She had a notable rivalry with Charlotte Flair which resulted in a classic Last Woman Standing match at WWE Evolution for the SmackDown Women's Championship. Following that, Becky began a feud with then RAW Women's Champion Ronda Rousey, a feud that gained the former a lot of momentum.
During an invasion angle on RAW leading up to WWE Survivor Series 2018, Lynch suffered a concussion at the hands of Nia Jax. Lynch's conduct in the invasion elevated her status even more. Her feud with Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair led to all three Superstars headlining WWE WrestleMania 35.
Becky Lynch won the match and became the first-ever concurrent RAW and SmackDown Women's Champion. Lynch is currently one of WWE's highest-paid stars and one of, if not, the greatest female wrestler in the history of the business. Because she reinvented herself, Becky became a mainstream star and one of WWE's franchise players.