5 WWE Superstars whose career took off once they changed their look
WWE Superstars have often tried to make adjustments to their look, their attire or their attitude in order to further their careers. Some, like Kane, have constantly tinkered with their attire to fit the times and not necessarily to completely change their character. Still others, like Superstar Billy Graham in the 1970s to 80s, completely altered their looks to change their character. Graham was a bleached blonde, muscle-bound WWE Superstar in 1970s. When he returned to WWE in the early 80s, Graham sported a shaved head, mustache and karate pants. He included martial arts in his arsenal but was never as popular as he was in the 1970s.
While changes made by Kane over the years have been noticeable, his character came into WWE on fire and his career was an instant success. For someone like Superstar Billy Graham, the changes he made were drastic but, unfortunately, he was unable to duplicate or surpass his past successes. On this list, the WWE Superstars all made changes to their looks that did drastically alter their careers and helped them take off.
The five characters on this list turned themselves into champions based on the changes they made.
Here are 5 WWE Superstars whose careers took off when they changed their look:
#5. WWE rags-to-riches story: Jinder Mahal
Michael Cole: Jinder Mahal number 11 https://t.co/LeexeDcyfm
Jinder Mahal first made his way onto the WWE main roster in 2010. He was tall with a slightly thin build and short hair. He had a minor feud with the Great Khali and then moved on to other rivalries, including one with Ryback. Mahal would eventually be sent to NXT before resurfacing again in WWE in 2012. Mahal came back and would form an alliance with Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater.
The threesome of Mahal, McIntyre and Slater would be called the Three Man Band or 3MB for short. The trio initially had a solid run as a tag team, with Mahal often serving as manager. Brock Lesnar would later destroy all three members of 3MB on RAW and the group soon lost traction. By late 2013 the group turned into a comedy act, set up to lose to every strong team. In June of 2014, Jinder Mahal was released by WWE.
When Mahal returned to WWE full-time in 2017, he was noticeably more lean and muscular and had grown out his hair and beard.
Mahal was pushed heavily and eventually earned a WWE title shot against Randy Orton at Backlash in May of 2017. Mahal would feud with Orton and then Shinsuke Nakamura before finally dropping the strap to AJ Styles. Adding muscle to his frame, growing a beard and embracing his heritage changed Mahal from a comedy act to a WWE Champion.