5 WWE Superstars who should revert back to their original character
Things have been changing in WWE. Ever since Vince McMahon retired as the Chairman of the company back in July, World Wrestling Entertainment has been undergoing significant changes.
Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Nick Khan all received major promotions, with The Game now in charge of WWE's creative direction and talent relations. With his promotion, the product has been evolving and several superstars who have either left the company or were released by the promotion have returned.
Beyond the television direction and bringing in new talent, Triple H has been attempting to fix some of the outlandish or downright bad characters given to wrestlers during the previous administration. While some of the gimmick changes during Vince McMahon's regime worked, some simply didn't.
Nikki A.S.H. has become Nikki Cross again. LA Knight ditched his Max Dupri persona. Austin Theory recently dropped his selfie gimmick in favor of a more serious attitude. With these changes in effect, there are still a handful of stars who could use a shakeup of some kind, including returning to their original characters.
Below are five WWE Superstars who should revert back to their original character.
#5. Doudrop should go back to her WWE NXT UK name
Doudrop is currently a member of the WWE RAW roster. The Scottish superstar first joined World Wrestling Entertainment using the name Piper Niven in the Mae Young Classic. She later joined NXT UK where she was a top threat to the NXT UK Women's Championship.
When former RAW star Eva Marie needed assistance on the red brand, she chose Piper Niven to be her aid. Piper was called up to the main roster, but she no longer had the name fans knew her by, instead becoming known as Doudrop. She started doing wacky dance moves with her fingers and wore bright colors with eccentric hairstyles.
In many ways, Doudrop has already begun reverting back to her Piper Niven persona. She started to wear better gear in darker colors with a more serious attitude. Doudrop's hairstyles have even been toned down. Still, WWE needs to pull the trigger and officially make her Piper Niven again with a refreshed character.
#4. Becky Lynch should become "The Man" again
Becky Lynch is one of the biggest stars in WWE and arguably the biggest female superstar of all time. The first-ever SmackDown Women's Champion and the longest reigning RAW Women's Champion rose to prominence once she went from The Lasskicker to The Man.
The Man revealed that she was pregnant in 2020 and took a leave of absence from wrestling. Upon returning in 2021, Becky transitioned into Big Time Becks. The new version of Lynch wore eccentric and over-the-top clothing, and she was no longer the cool babyface she was prior.
Thankfully, Becky was seemingly transitioning away from the Big Time Becks gimmick prior to her recent injury. She turned babyface after her final bout before needing time to recover. If Lynch returns as The Man, fans around the world will be ecstatic to see the tough, confident, and heroic Becky back in action.
#3. Zack Gibson & #2. James Drake, The Grizzled Young Veterans should take their names back
The Grizzled Young Veterans are one of the most talented tag teams in WWE. The pair brought their popular act to the NXT UK brand, where they became the inaugural NXT UK Tag Team Champions. The pair later moved to NXT, though they never replicated their European success on the developmental brand.
James Drake and Zack Gibson disappeared from television for a short period of time before re-emergining with a new look, new attitude, and new names. James Drake became Jagger Reid and Zack Gibson became Rip Fowler. Together, they are known as The Dyad and they're part of Joe Gacy's faction known as The Schism.
While the two stars are finding success in The Schism, they were much better off as The Grizzled Young Veterans. Zack Gibson's look was less over-the-top at the time and they seemed far more comfortable in the role. The two wouldn't necessarily have to leave The Schism to return to their past names and refresh their look, but regardless, they could use a change.
#1. Butch should become The Bruiserweight once again
Butch first joined WWE after wrestling on the independent scene as Pete Dunne. The Bruiserweight joined World Wrestling Entertainment via the NXT UK brand where he became the second-ever NXT UK Champion. He later moved to NXT where he found success, albeit not in terms of titles.
Pete Dunne was called up to the main roster earlier this year on the WWE SmackDown brand, but he was changed up considerably from his portrayal on NXT and NXT UK. He wore a goofy hat, tank top, and slacks, and began going by the name Butch.
The Butch character started out as essentially a mute rabid dog, going after anyone and everyone. While Butch's over-the-top persona has been toned down recently, he's not yet back to being The Bruiserweight fans know and love. Hopefully Pete Dunne returns sooner rather than later.