10 WWE Superstars Who Gambled On A New Look

6. Mankind's Expert Character Work

Triple H
WWE

Mick Foley in 1998 gambled, to super effect, with an in-character image transformation.

For the second time that year, he was manipulated by Mr. McMahon as a pawn with which to wrest the WWF Heavyweight Title from Steve Austin. As Mankind in the autumn, he dressed for the role, pitifully, by wearing an oversized, creased white shirt and ill-fitting tie. In a visual storytelling masterstroke, he didn't look the part because the part wasn't his. It belonged to the Rock; Mankind was a diversion with which to distract Austin, and the scheme was so convoluted and inspired that the Rattlesnake never looked foolish for being deceived by it.

All the while, the abject state of Foley built him as a sympathetic figure. This image update fashioned him as a perfect transitional champion, before the Ragin' Climax of WrestleMania XV, and it worked as well in the babyface role.

The attire was so bad, on purpose, that it doubled as a taunt to Mr. McMahon: this atrocity of a "Corporate" champion was even less in the mould than Steve Austin was, which compelled the evil boss to engineer a captivating series of shenanigans to restore the title back in the grasp of the Corporation.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!