10 Wrestlers Who Completely Changed To Become Main Event Stars

7. Kevin Nash

Vinnie Vegas Diesel
WWE

The Change: During his first go-around in WCW, Kevin Nash looked less like 'Big Daddy Cool' and more like a prize tit as the fast-talking Vinnie Vegas. There was just something off about seeing the near-seven foot monster play the character, and it was a blessing when Shawn Michaels plucked him from mid-card hell and turned him into smash mouth bodyguard Diesel in the WWF.

How It Helped: Buoyed by a gimmick that suited his background (Nash had worked extensively as a bouncer), Diesel rocketed up the ranks and became world champion less than 18 months after trading WCW mediocrity for the WWF's marketing machine. It was no accident.

Nash would go on to use elements of that same Diesel gimmick for the rest of his full-time wrestling career. Even playing himself in the uber-cool nWo, he maintained the same laid-back cool his WWF persona was known for; again, that wasn't happenstance. Nash had found his groove by playing an easygoing giant of a man who could turn nasty at any time.

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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.