10 Best Gimmick Changes in Wrestling History

The late Windham Rotunda has been lauded as one of the most creative minds in wrestling history. His in-ring work as The Fiend, as well as his cinematic encounters with the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton and Braun Strowman, are evidence alone of that fact. However, like many others, his professional wrestling career had a slow start under another guise: Husky Harris.

Likely remembered best for his brief role in The Nexus in 2010, the character of Husky Harris also spent several years in WWE’s former developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). The Husky Harris character debuted there, working with several future WWE superstars and developing his skills in the ring. However, in July 2012, the former Husky Harris appeared in NXT as a mysterious cult leader.

Then going by the name Bray Wyatt, Rotunda recruited Erick Rowan and Luke Harper to his ‘family’, with the trio finding success in the form of the NXT Tag Team Championships. Their popularity was clear to see, as they made their way to the main roster just one year later, targeting WWE superstars in a bid to win them over into the Wyatt Family. Rotunda would find success throughout his career as Bray Wyatt, picking up multiple Tag Team Championships and having an ill-fated WWE Championship run.

Who knows whether Husky Harris would’ve found success as a regular character on WWE TV? It’s unlikely, of course, with fans being universally captivated by Wyatt’s performances and incredible creativity. Thankfully, he was given the room to flex his creative muscles and became more popular as Bray Wyatt than Harris ever would have.