10 Wrestlers Who Completely Changed To Become Main Event Stars

5. Kane

Isaac Yankem Kane
WWE

The Change: Glenn Jacobs deserved a break after playing the rotten Isaac Yankem dental gimmick and cosplaying as Diesel between 1995-97. Kane, despite being pitched as a short-lived foe for The Undertaker, promised something a little higher-profile. Over 20 years on, Jacobs is still playing the part.

How It Helped: Nobody could have predicted that someone pulled from the monster factory spawning 'Taker opponents in the '90s would lead to one of WWE's most successful gimmicks. Kane has transcended the original chargrilled nature of the story to carve his own path, and that was never a given.

By going under a mask and coldly dissecting hapless victims, Kane was immediately taken as a threat to his storyline brother. After that, he was off to the races and had a chance to prolong his run by becoming an unlikely, albeit short-lived, WWF Champion at the expense of Steve Austin.

Kane succeeded where Yankem and the 'fake' Diesel failed. It turned Jacobs into a bonafide WWF headliner.

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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.