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Acts that turned it around


RedRooster

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Auld Bryan must be in with a shout. Made fun of constantly by Cole/Vince on NXT and jobbed to duds like Tarver and Slater. Sacked after his first night on the main show, brought back in a awkward spot to no reaction as a surprise tag team member when fans were expecting a big star. Thrown into a feud with the Miz who ate him up on the mic at the time and then made out to be a virgin in a love triangle with the Bellas. Turned it around by using any sliver of interview/vignette time he got to make himself memorable  and slowly but surely got himself over, even when you know deep down WWE/Vince didn't want him to. Stole the YES thing from that UFC lad and got that over insanely too, culminating in becoming undisputed champ at Mania 30.

Also snagged himself a decent wife too!

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Cody Rhodes!

When he debuted with Hardcore Holly he was insanely bland, I can remember fans used to call him 'generic create a wrestler'. Quick switch up by joining with Ted Dibease JNR and suddenly he was a decent heel character and we all kinda know where it went from there.



Bray Wyatt

Remember Husky Harris? I'll say no more

 

Alexa Bliss

Generic face character of a fairy, basically destined to be the next Kelly Kelly, turned heel and managed Blake & Murphy and actually came the breakout star of that Tag team. And whilst we are at it...

 

Carmella

Remember her as manager of Enzo & Cass? Nobody could have predicted she would be the only still with the company in 2021 and in the title picture none the less.

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Too Cool really turned it around in late 99/early 2000 by going from being a throwaway team on B-programmes to one of the hottest acts in the company when they teamed up with Rikishi. It was a huge transformation, especially for anyone who saw Scott Taylor and Brian Christopher in 1997/1998.

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7 minutes ago, Roy said:

Too Cool really turned it around in late 99/early 2000 by going from being a throwaway team on B-programmes to one of the hottest acts in the company when they teamed up with Rikishi. It was a huge transformation, especially for anyone who saw Scott Taylor and Brian Christopher in 1997/1998.

And it all happened from a  throwaway skit where they made Rikishi dance, it goes to show how on any given night your whole career can change

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19 hours ago, RedRooster said:

I'm discounting gimmick changes here (eg. Husky Harris to Bray Wyatt etc)

 

1 hour ago, theringmaster said:


Bray Wyatt

Remember Husky Harris? I'll say no more

 

73D79D5C-561A-471C-93D1-F7EA21A7EC83.gif

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2 hours ago, Roy said:

Too Cool really turned it around in late 99/early 2000 by going from being a throwaway team on B-programmes to one of the hottest acts in the company when they teamed up with Rikishi. It was a huge transformation, especially for anyone who saw Scott Taylor and Brian Christopher in 1997/1998.

You're right, but I always found Too Much to be an organically funny undercard act and got a kick out of Brian Christopher and Jerry Lawler pretending they weren't related. 

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Yeah, I feel like many names being mentioned here are simply cases of having suffered through poor booking, who were then later booked well.

Anyway, I can't believe we've come this far without a mention of Britt Baker. Whilst the catalyst for her change was booking related (heel turn), as a performer she's come on leaps and bounds. From not being able to knock out a whole sentance on commentary, to become one of AEWs most confident, charismatic and entertaining acts in the company. A proper good turn around.

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44 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

I was wondering to myself the other day whether people are going to start pretending Roman wasn't always tremendous. I dunno if you're joking but if not, it's madness.

The complete opposite!

I meant in terms of turning his career around from being an endless exercise in frustration and unachieved potential. He was always fucking brilliant - unquestionably the type of talent they should have strapped the rocket to. But it looked like he was going to spend his entire career going through this endless loop, forever booked to look a complete dickhead. Nearly half a decade of them doing the same thing over and over. Every Wrestlemania supposedly being his, ”proper,” coronation and every year they’d either bottle it or it’d bomb. I always think back to Brock Lesnar launching the title belt at Vince after that one Wrestlemania. Every single person in that company was likely just as frustrated as the fans and the performers. The answer was staring them in the face for ages.

Whilst it remains absolute insanity that they waited until the empty arena era to finally pull the trigger I’m thrilled that Roman’s no longer gonna go down in history as a botch job. He was very close to being mostly remembered as a surrogate for WWE’s toxic relationship with their own fanbase, which would’ve been criminal considering how good he’s always been. One heel turn and some blindingly whitened teeth later and it’s like the rest of his career never happened. The run he’s currently on, he’s gonna go down as an all-time top guy. Honestly, the way things are currently looking, I can see him being the babyface they always wanted him to be not long after fans return. In retrospect, the WWE career of Roman Reigns is essentially what would have happened to Rocky Maivia if it took them six years to listen to the fans and turn him rather than six months.

Edited by Supremo
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He's been the top babyface for half a decade, he's main evented WrestleMania 4 times, he's had great matches with almost everybody and he's been the biggest star to everyone bar the man-children who buy tickets to something they don't like. I get that the booking of him is baffling at times but to suggest he's turned around a flailing career with the heel turn is still mad.

If he didn't turn heel, he'd still be the biggest baby on one of their brands and still pretty much the face of the company. It wouldn't be as much fun granted but it'd be that way. 

It'll be interesting to see what happens when the crowds come back. This company cannot book a babyface to save their lives. If Reigns remains a heel who is cooler than their faces and gets cheered, he inevitably turns and then the magic goes. 

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