It's strange to imagine a time before the likes of The Undertaker or Triple H were household names in the world of professional wrestling. These characters have been around for so long that they're almost part of the furniture, constants in a world where things are ever-changing, only - as it turns out - they haven't always been there. Long before The Undertaker was revered as the longest running gimmick in the wrestling business, there was 'Mean' Mark Callous, as the real-life Mark Calaway worked his tail off to try and make himself a star in the industry. For Triple H, a man poised to take over as the dominant male controlling WWE, there was Jean-Paul Levesque. A far cry from the man many fans know today, Levesque was simply another guy earning a living from pro wrestling, striving to be noticed. These examples are not alone, there are so many cases of top stars in the wrestling world being forced to play characters that are pretty laughable, lame or just plain silly in retrospect. This list looks at some of the biggest and best examples, and gives thanks to the creative team, along with the stars themselves, for eventually realising that these personalities were simply not going to cut it.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
