10 Wrestlers Who Left And Returned More Badass
8. PAC
In his formative years, PAC tore up Dragon Gate by very much wrestling within the pulsating, acrobatic in-house style and transcending it with his formidable power and star aura.
In WWE, he developed his prodigious grasp of psychology in a superb transformation from desperate NXT tweener to main roster BASTARD, a role cruelly unexplored that has now fully informed his deadly approach, in which he withholds the spectacular reaches of his arsenal with barely-suppressed, crowd-baiting glee. He perfected it upon his 2018 return to Japan's number two promotion, but not after a tricky transition process.
His Open The Dream Gate Championship win over Masato Yoshino was received with a lukewarm fan and critical response; it was felt that PAC slowed the pace down to an extent that generated a bored strain of heat, but over time, fans grew accustomed to his more methodical approach, and it bore long-term success, in that fans were willing to receive the emerging project Ben-K as his successor.
Between the stalling and heat spots, and snarling body language, PAC became a badass in part by dusting off a top-rope Tombstone piledriver, as one does.