10 Wrestlers Who Made Drastic Late Career Changes

1. Hulk Hogan

Hulk himself, Eric Bischoff, Ric Flair and others have repeatedly told how anxious Hogan was before agreeing to turn heel at WCW's Bash At The Beach 1996 pay-per-view. Perhaps feeling he could never turn back if he spat in the face of fans, Hulk took his time over the decision. Once he'd made his mind up, it was all hands to the pump.

Over the summer of '96 and into 1997, Hulk embraced a monochrome colour scheme, shaded in parts of his beard (whilst smartly keeping the trademark blonde moustache as a subtle nod to his past) and started referring to himself as "Hollywood".

As the nWo's leader, he was bad-ass.

The whole thing was a million miles away from the walking cartoon character Hogan had played since finding fame in the early-to-mid-80s. It took a lot of backbone for Hulk to throw away the trusty red and yellow, stop ringing off catchy lines like, "say your prayers and take your vitamins", and embrace a new, darker on screen personality.

What other startling or drastic late wrestling career alterations can you think of? Let us know down in the comments section below!