WWE Consistently Makes Poor Character Changes
Karrion Kross is now a full-time member of the WWE main roster, and his look is terrible. He debuted a new look on Monday night. It’s a cross of a discount Party City knight costume and a stripper in the world of Mad Max. Apparently, WWE wants him to be more marketable and thinks this gear will be what fans want.
WWE does this often, giving wrestlers terrible gear or a new gimmick that has no chance of landing. Kross is just the latest in the line. Here are some of the other worst looks & repackagings in WWE history.
Dusty Rhodes in Polka Dots
WWE decided to humble one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the NWA by giving him polka dots. It is a miracle that Rhodes was still able to get over. Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise, given Dusty Rhodes is one of the most charismatic wrestlers we’ve seen. Still, he could’ve been an even bigger moneymaker for the company. Instead, they put him in polka dots.
The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust
Goldust carries on the Rhodes family legacy of having some terrible gear. The original Goldust look is legendary, but in early 1998 Dustin Rhodes changed up his look. As a parody of Prince, he became “The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust”. This meant weird hair, ball gags, lingerie, and rude face paint. Not Goldust’s best look by far.
Lord Tensai
One of my favorite reactions to a repackaging has to be when Lord Tensai debuted. Fans quickly realized “wait, is that Albert?” That definitely was Albert, and he had been shaved and had Japanese tattoos added. It was never going to be a sustainable push for Albert. Fans don’t forget like that, and the presentation felt offensive and cartoonish.
Sister Abigail
No, not when Alexa Bliss started appearing as Sister Abigail. I’m talking about the planned appearance of Bray Wyatt as Sister Abigail at TLC 2017. He was set to face Finn Balor, who had debuted the Demon King character. The Sister Abigail look was universally panned by fans. We never saw Sister Abigail in action as Wyatt had to be replaced in the match due to an illness.
I think we’re for the better having never seen this character. We know Wyatt can bring a bunch of different looks to life (like his original gimmick and The Fiend). This was just a terrible look from concept to execution.
Akeem The African Dream
This… this is the worst. Maybe Kross’s terrible gear isn’t that bad.
Evan Gomes is a freelance pop culture & sports writer. Follow him on Twitter at @ItsEvanGomes, and check out his two podcasts: Crossbody of Work and The Pop Capsule Podcast.