10 WWE Superstar Gimmicks That Nearly Turned Out So Differently

2. LOD 2000

In 1998, the legendary Legion of Doom were in desperate need of some refreshing. Despite being one of the most popular tag teams in the long and illustrious history of professional wrestling, they appeared out of place in the ever-evolving Attitude Era that had encapsulated World Wrestling Entertainment. With the cocky and arrogant New Age Outlaws reigning atop the tag division, and Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie serving as their main competition leading into WrestleMania XIV, WWE had the luxury of taking the L.O.D. off of television for a few months before relaunching their attempt at bringing Hawk and Animal back to relevancy with L.O.D. 2000. They would have an all-new look and manager in the form of the vivacious Sunny. They returned at the Showcase of the Immortals, decked out in new gear, new sets of spikes for each competitor and with new hairstyles that better matched the era than the over-the-top 'dos they had been sporting for over a decade. It was new and, for a few months at least. Eventually, the attempt to polish the artifact that was the Legion of Doom failed and they faded into the background as younger, more interesting and exciting characters made an impact on WWE television.

While the new look worked, it may have had longer staying power had it featured the elements of the pre-debut conceptual art. Yes folks, this is one instance where the creative team had a really cool idea that, for whatever reason, the performers themselves vetoed or management changed up at the last minute. Originally, L.O.D. 2000 would feature Hawk, Animal and a third member (presumably Droz) under hockey masks, not unlike Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th or Casey Jones from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, while also sporting camouflage tights. The drawings looked absolutely outstanding and would have given the duo the no-nonsense appearance they had been lacking for nearly a year. Unfortunately, the gear was more traditional, the spikes featured spray paint and the hockey masks were ditched in favor of generic motorcycle helmets. Rather than cheering the veterans of the mat wars onto more championships, fans were left to watch two aging stars attempt to pull off a gimmick that was completely half-assed from the minute it. Even if Sunny was smoking hot in her new attire.