10 Incredible Transformations From Jobbers To WWE Champions

8. JBL

Kokina Yokozuna
WWE

The personal choice of Eddie Guerrero to take over as WWE Champion when 'Latino Heat' couldn't quite stand the temperature at the top of SmackDown in 2004, Bradshaw's transformation into JBL was too much for many longstanding fans to handle.

The leap seemed too wide. He'd been a bar brawler in a dated APA act literally weeks before lifting the company's richest prize, and from a man who had rapidly become a sentimental favourite to an increasingly smaller version of the masses. WrestleMania XX's now-devastating closing shot of Guerrero and Chris Benoit was supposed to the breaking of a new dawn on a night where "It All Begins Again" for WWE. Rocket-strapping McMahon's favourite Wrestler's Court steward out of nowhere felt wildly disconnected from the concept.

The APA was over in 2000 when everything was, but Layfield's pre-Attitude Era stint as Justin 'Hawk' and a member of The New Blackjacks appeared to, fittingly, brand him as a loser for life. Respect is due not just for clinging on long enough to get his shot, but at very least shining as a promo when opportunity knocked.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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