10 Times Wrestlers Abandoned Their Comfort Zone

Risky Business.

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Wrestling can be quite the unforgiving and unpredictable industry at the best of times, so it's understandable that superstars look for stability and reliability in their act, then cling to it for dear life if a spot is secured.

As fans, its easy to lose sight that professional wrestling is still a living to the performers first and foremost, and if a role or position within a company is paying the bills, it's reasonable to accept that bottom line trumping creative satisfaction of both the audience and performer.

Author F.E Higgins once said 'What is life if not a gamble', and indeed there is often little greater joy than viewing a performer gambling on their own talents outside of their norm and eventually finding an entirely new level of success.

Whether it be leaving or entering a new promotion, or making radical adjustments to their in-ring style and/or character, the level of self-improvement is commendable in triumph and failure alike especially within typically choppy Sports Entertainment waters.

Analysing the tremendous risk, massive reward and occasional regret, here are 10 times wrestlers completely abandoned their comfort zones.

10. Sixty Minute Man

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WWE.com

Though there are those that believe John Cena 'can't wrestle', the accusations and chants now are mostly tongue-in-cheek, with Cena amassing a body of work able to rival some of the very best to step between the ropes.

But in 2007, he was still battling perceptions of his supposed inabilities, and despite a lengthy 2006 programme with Edge producing several engaging encounters and an riveting brawl with Umaga at January's Royal Rumble, Cena was still considered talentless by many.

It took guts then, to agree to an unannounced marathon encounter with Shawn Michaels that remains one of Cena's strongest ever matches and certainly a worthy contender amongst the lofty rivals in Shawn's 'best-of' selection.

Battling in a non-title rematch from the WrestleMania 23 main event weeks earlier, Cena and 'HBK' engaged in a frantic 56-minute encounter that was far superior to both Shawn's 1996 Iron Man Match with Bret Hart and Cena's with Randy Orton two years later.

After an absorbing contest, Michaels flipped out of a second F-U attempt to score with his second 'Sweet Chin Music' to collapse on top of 'The Champ' for the climactic victory. Irrefutably, John Cena could wrestle.

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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