9 Best WWE Attitude Era Gimmick Changes

9. Rikishi

Solofa Fatu Jr. actually went missing for a major part of the Attitude Era, simply because WWE had no idea what to do for him. A previous run as one half of The Headshrinkers tag-team (1992 - 95) had been fruitful, but once the team split he was saddled with a bunch of shoddy gimmicks that did nothing but derail his career.

First there was so-called 'Make a Difference' Fatu, who encouraged the youth of America to stay in school, stay away from crime and help to improve the communities they lived in. You can't fault the message, but the presentation was so passé and fans didn't really engage with the character.

Make a Difference Fatu was quickly dropped and repackaged as 'The Sultan', a masked wrestler who never spoke because he had supposedly had his tongue cut out. It was an improvement, but only just. The presence of managers The Iron Sheik and Bob Backlund made the whole thing appear even more anachronistic, though.

This was just when WWE were starting to push boundaries and get a little 'attitude', so a tongueless savage flanked by past-it stars of yesteryear didn't quite cut the mustard.

After sliding further and further down the card The Sultan disappeared from WWE television screens just as the Attitude Era was hotting up. Fatu was sent to Dory Funk Jr's training facility to keep in ring shape while creative came up with something new for him. His newest guise, Rikishi, debuted in the summer of '99, and this one was a winner.

With his massive frame, bleach-blonde hair and revealing thong ring attire, the Sumo-inspired character was an instant attention-grabber. Joining with the similarly directionless Scott 'Scotty 2 Hotty' Taylor and Brian 'Grandmaster Sexay' Christopher to form Too Cool was a masterstroke, as the three men went from anonymous and about to be released to one of the most over acts on the roster.