10 Great Wrestling Careers Ruined By Bad Gimmick Changes
Nothing destroys a promising wrestling career like a botched repackaging: just ask these guys.
Every wrestler needs a fresh coat of paint at some point in their career. Even the most popular gimmicks and characters run their course in time, and there's only so long fans can watch the same old wrestler doing the same old routine before they start tiring of the act.
It happened to Hulk Hogan, whose incredible buzz died down long before his WWE departure in 1993, and it's happening with Roman Reigns today. Staleness is a buzz-killer, and something WWE must avoid at all costs.
These moves are usually done with the intent of prolonging the wrestler's shelf-life, and mid-career gimmick changes have salvaged many a career. Unfortunately, wrestling's many creative teams have churned-out more than their fair share of dross over the years, and their decisions have tanked many great performers along the way.
Chavo Guerrero was never the same after becoming Kerwin White, for example, and the same goes for Val Venis and The Godfather's post-Right To Censor careers. It goes much, much deeper than that, however, and none of the wrestlers within were ever the same thinks to these creative disasters.
10. Giant Bernard Becoming Tensai
Matt Bloom struggled to elevate himself above WWE’s midcard as (Prince) Albert and A-Train, but he found tremendous success in Japan after leaving Vince McMahon’s company in 2004. A decorated tag wrestler, he became one of Japan’s most popular gaijin wrestlers as Giant Bernard, teaming with the likes of Karl Anderson and Tyson Tomko to score multiple titles and tournament wins in NJPW and Pro Wrestlng Noah.
Lord Tensai was WWE’s attempt at cashing-in on his Japanese success, and boy did it flop. Bloom redebuted in March 2012, promptly destroying Alex Riley, and embarking on a considerable win streak. The fact that he scored big victories over the likes of CM Punk and John Cena showed WWE’s faith in him as a top star, but it wasn’t to be, and the wheels soon fell-off.
Fans taunted Tensai with mocking chants of “Albert” every time he wrestled, and WWE did a poor job of explaining the gimmick. Tensai soon dropped the “Lord” from his name, got rid of his traditional Japanese robe, and exiled his follower Sakamoto.
A losing streak followed, before Tensai eventually became a dancing goofball as one half of Tons of Funk, then faded into obscurity altogether. He was taken-off television and transitioned to a trainer’s role in 2014, and the Tensai debacle effectively killed his in-ring career.