10 Times WWE Salvaged A Doomed Superstar

The force which came face to face with 'The Animal' Batista at WrestleMania 21 was very different to the one who wandered onto WWF television in 1995.

Dressed in a pompous tailcoat and boasting a self important attitude to match, Hunter Hearst Helmsley cut a distinct (if ridiculously heightened) figure of a man who promoted the use of proper etiquette.

This flamboyant gimmick had some legs and Helmsley would even earn his first Intercontinental title under the guise, before it eventually started to lose steam with the live audience.

A change-up was necessary in order for him to keep up the momentum he had established in the earlier part of his career and when he and his bodyguard Chyna partnered with Shawn Michaels and Rick Rude to form D-Generation X, he found his much needed second wind as a performer.

Leaving behind the character-heavy exploits of his Connecticut Blueblood persona, he simply became Triple H and steered into the childish attitude which DX became synonymous with.

This change in direction would eventually lead to him running the faction, before striking out as a singles star in his own right and forging one of the greatest legacies in WWE history.

Paul Levesque was talented enough to adapt to any character put in front of him, but you can't imagine he would have scaled the heights he did if he was still lumbered with his initial gimmick in the company and thankfully he was salvaged before he was lost in the shuffle.