10 Best Gimmick Changes in Wrestling History

‘The Big Red Machine’ has a catalogue of achievements. A Hall of Famer, Grand Slam Champion and Mr. Money in the Bank, Kane has had a spectacular career as a performer. However, these accolades only came after some brief spells under different, less impressive guises.

Before he became the ‘Devil’s Favourite Demon’, Glenn Jacobs performed as Isaac Yankem, a malevolent private dentist. The character was supposed to have been hired by Jerry Lawler as a hitman to take out Bret Hart. He was ultimately unsuccessful during his feud with Hart and faced a series of losses for the remainder of his time as Yankem. This character was shelved in late 1996 and, following a brief stint as ‘fake Diesel’, Jacobs returned to WWE in early 1997 as Kane.

Along with his repackaging, his work with the Undertaker, Steve Austin and Triple H propelled Jacobs to success levels that he previously had not found in WWE. Kane went on to win 19 championships after his character change, as well as holding the current record for total eliminations in Royal Rumble matches. It's safe to say that Isaac Yankem likely would never have reached these levels, and the switch to Kane has worked well for Jacobs' career.