10 WWE Superstars Who Gambled On A New Look
7. Chris Jericho Channels Nick Bockwinkel
Of course, the master of transformations makes an appearance here, and gamble is the word: your man rocked up in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 2018 looking like miserabilist weakling Robert Smith and still looked demonstrably capable of kicking "the everliving sh*t" out of the greatest generation of in-ring talent.
But in 2008, Jericho unleashed the most radical of new looks by completely abandoning the identity with which he became a star. Jericho morphed into the opposite of himself.
He removed the obnoxiously flashy waistcoat and the long tights endemic to the midcard - so many wrestlers got over by doing that, back then, that it's wonder anybody wore them in the first place - and instead wore a business suit and short trunks. He lowered his voice in stunning contrast to his rock star caterwauling, and substituted catchphrases for drawn-out long words to put his act over as one intent on doing everything to repel and not engage the audience while still, ingeniously, commanding their attention.
The gamble paid off; 2008 saw Jericho complete arguably his finest in-ring year ever.