10 Most Radical Wrestler Attitude Adjustments

The abandoned art of character development within WWE in 2018 has created a significant problem for WWE - the dilution of major change.

Gone are the days of heart-wrenching heel turns on a semi-regular basis, babyface comebacks that inspire souls rather than steal them, and personas that actually resonate enough for their decisions to matter too. John Cena's Hulk Hogan-esque push in 2005 was a hark back to simpler times despite the audience never being more complex in their wants and needs. The 'Ruthless Aggression' crowd was made up of those clinging on from the instant gratifications of the Attitude Era and growing up with a product on the rocks. Neither side espoused much passion for much, other than a WWE system they felt was crumbling. A system John Cena was front and centre for. A system now stewarded by Roman Reigns.

Literally systemic. Without a fix - or need for one - the company can never go back to what it knew. But the wrestlers can. Rusev earned a sort-of push earlier this year when he threatened to walk. The New Day tacitly positioned themselves as heels long before the company knew they were booking baddies. Bayley and Sasha Banks have scraped their unending 2018 turmoil from the bottom of the barrel with fire banter over Twitter rather than fire content on television.

There's a rich history of performers taking control of their own destiny for the better of themselves and the product at large, even if sometimes the change is a necessity.

NXT and WWE Performance Center doyen William Regal is always a picture of resplendence at his suited and booted best, and doesn’t even appear too separated from the snooty stereotype he brilliantly portrayed during his most famous tenure. It was a far cry from the real Darren Matthews at his worst, and the gimmick he badly failed with before ‘William’ came to life.

Throughout the 1990s, Regal relentlessly abused drugs and alcohol alongside numerous freewheeling WCW colleagues, with a particular low being when he urinated on a flight attendant without even realising he was doing so. He couldn’t even recall it when he woke up in a jail cell hours later. He escaped the Atlanta asylum in 1998, but hadn’t gotten away from his real problems, appearing drunk with a slurring promo at Goldust’s expense during a match whilst working as his useless ‘Real Man’s Man’ persona.

The transformation when he made a permanent return in 2000 was striking. The upgraded version of his WCW ‘Lord’ gimmick was enhanced by deft touches he made through straight-thinking sobriety. The Regal that returned was the same one that survives to this day as a vital cog in WWE’s greedy talent acquisition machine.