10 Bizarre Times Wrestlers Experimented With Their Look

Braving the change, CM Punk, Ric Flair and others make bold choices with their famous faces.

Dolph Ziggler
WWE

There's a tremendous bit of old documentary footage on YouTube of a wannabe wrestler that was so cheap, he used to re-use his tissues, replaced his tanner with tea and taped his boots closed all in the name of saving a dollar or two.

As with wrestling itself, most of what you see is a work. If "The World's Cheapest Wrestler" as a profile on "Extreme Cheapskates" hasn't clued you in, most of the reality is semi-scripted, with young trainee Matt Rivera lifting cartons of milk and getting his mother to shave him as part of this exhibition in frugality.

The segment all leads to him getting a tryout in TNA, with Kurt Angle, Magnus and Chris Sabin on hand to share a few sobering words about his sh*tty gear and horrendous-looking sello-boots. Angle himself notes that shoelaces are less than a dollar, ripping through the staged and silly narrative with the simplest dose of logic. It's all as daft as it sounds, and the kid seemingly never made it in the industry beyond this curio.

If only he'd spent just a little more and made a few changes, perhaps the Impact lads might have gone easier on him. That's not to say shifting things with your look is the key to success. Even wrestling's biggest icons have made some strange left-turns...

10. Randy Savage

Dolph Ziggler
WWE.com

The expedited pace of pro wrestling in the late-1990s was hard on a number of talents that thrived in the era, let alone ones that were products of periods that felt bygone.

It was a pity time eventually caught up to so many pioneers, especially when it drastically impacted the quality of their output. Such was the case with Randy Savage.

The former WWE Champion hadn't ever felt stale in WCW, such was the success of his 1994 move. Re-entering a squared circle Vince McMahon had deemed him too old for, the Macho Man proved his worth all over again with some awesome displays between the ropes as well as at the box office alongside old rival Ric Flair. He was a perfect fit in the New World Order between 1997 and 1998 too, elevating Diamond Dallas Page and others with selfless and strong showings.

1999 was more than just a bad Limp Bizkit song though, even if Savage returned from a hiatus dressed like one. Decked out all in black, he drained away his unique vibrancy to try and blend in with the bland rest. Boasting the biggest body he'd ever had, Savage compromised much of the fire, grace and snap that defined his dynamic offence too. The game was very suddenly gone, but the dated legend simply wanted to keep on playing.

In this post: 
Dolph Ziggler
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett