Best Character Evolutions
 

Which wrestlers do you feel have had the best character evolutions?

I think the obvious one here is The Undertaker. He's managed to reinvent and tweak the gimmick over the years and, for the most part, it's been acceptable and he's managed to stay relevant. Even though his Deadman gimmick is cartoony and over the top, he always seems to fit in with the current era.

Randy Orton

Orton he has changed a huge amount since starting-to legend killing-jobber-now the "viper"

You can't look past JBL. From beer-drinking, poker-playing mercenary for hire to a millionaire wrestling god, who would have thought he would have become a world champion?

The Miz. He went from reality-show jobber to 2-Time US Champ and winner of Money in the Bank and made it believable.

That's like if Mosh had made it to the top...

Christian

Orton for sure i'd almost like for him to though at some point revert and become the cocky heel again.

Triple H's character evolution was excellent.

CM Punks evolution to the SE savior was pretty awesome.

The Rocks evolution from a generic shining babyface, to The Great One was pretty epic.

stone cold steve austin for my review... he is a once in a lifetime superstar his SOB character evolution was so excellent.

Honestly, Cena comes to mind.

This was more of a de-evolution don't you think?

Grrrr you beat me to it.

Rock had a pretty great evolution. From the ultra face Rocky Miavia, to the Nation, to Corporate Rock, to face Rock and all the up to Hollywood Rock.

Agreed

Jimmy Jacobs...

He went from Love struck kid, to emo kid, to heart broken psychopath, to psychopathic cult leader, to lovestruck cult leader, to exiled leader.

When you look at it, granted none of us truly care for Cena, he went from virtual nobody who made his debut at a PPV against Chris Jericho, becoming the creator of "basic thuganomics" and his rapping gimmick, to face of the company aka Supercena. Plus don't forget he spawned Darren Young.

First off his MOTHER spawned Darren Young. Secondly Cena the Rapper was better character wise than Cena the Superman. Cena the superman only sells more merchandise.

Glen Jacob: Evil dentist to fake Deisel to Kane...

Honestly, Kane has been able to keep up with the times, even if I wish he was still wearing the mask.

This is the progression of Cena's character.

Generic baby face with no fans > Rapping loud mouth Heel > Generic baby face with alot of fans.

Character wise that is a de-evolution.

HBK..

Rocker..to flamboyant/cocky HBK...to the best showstopper in the business..

Surprised no one has mentioned Jericho.

The man completely reinvented himself in this latest heel run.

edge

You forgot the "Little Beserker HUSS" stage

Vince McMahon

Perry Saturn

sheamus

I'd like to think Mark Henry has done a decent job given his predicament as well.

Worlds Strongest Man>NoD's Muscle>Sexual Chocolate>Beast Heel in ECW>Over goofy face

juan hearts fags

You forgot the jobbing along with Orton on SD stage.

same

yup he does

True, but unlike Orton, Henry has never been seen as a legitimate threat to the major title scene.

Shawn Michaels-party animal rocker,Mirrored glasses wearing punk/ ladies man,the guy with the Boyhood dream,The Showstopper with crotch chops,The Comeback Kid,The family man with legendary status. At least thats how I see it.

apples

Undertaker without a doubt

That's not really a character evolution considering those are three different characters/ gimmicks and only one stuck... Kane.

I'd say Bradshaw's evolution from APA to JBL and the Cabinent was decent.

Orton definitely.

owen hart.... blue blazer---high energy.....black hart....king of harts.....nod hart....then back to bb

a tie between Taker and HHH.

I'm a huge faggot

I'm a huge faggot

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_2mPXDjXYUj...Charmander.jpg

But seriously: Johnathan Coachman AKA The Coach

Honestly, you can make a case for alot of people. I mean, had The Rock not evolved, he would have been given the "future endeavors" speech in his 2nd year. HHH was a "blue blood" and became The Game. HBK was amazing and it was funny because his gimmick totally changed, but his music never did, one of the few. John Cena did de-evolve because heel Cena was much better than superman Cena. Undertaker still makes the deadman gimmick work, which blows my mind.

As much as I hate to say this, I have to throw in Hulk Hogan. Hulk was a generic face with a huge following. He actually acknowledged that the "Say your prayers" Hogan was losing it's appeal and took a risk by turning heel. Hollywood Hogan was much better than Hulk Hogan (gimmick wise, because he has always been a shitty wrestler.) Of coarse, now he is back to generic Hogan and is only hanging around because his wife cleaned him out in the divorce.

Kurt Angle
A.J. Styles
Matt Morgan
Kofi
Santino
Vickie G

Let's not forget...

Trish Stratus
Lita

That's not an evolution of a character, but Jacobs being repackaging several times.

And Kane is probably the worst example of character development in the WWE. His history and back-story is so messed up it's difficult to even identify where it started going wrong.

this is very true his back story went to total shit, but thanks to the talent of glen jacobs he is still relevent

He's still relevant, but no-one is going to buy into him as a legit star anymore. They've had so many chances to put him firmly in the main event and never really capitalised on it. Most notably when he lost his mask and was finally being booked properly, as follows:

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but then they had him electrocute the testicles of Shane O'Mac. :nono:

This next "push" cumulating in the feud with the Undertaker will be over shortly and he'll be back in the mid card quicker than after Mania 20. One of the reasons will be because they've never evolved his character beyond monster/brother of the Undertaker.

Chavo Classic.

Mark Henry has come along way to how where he is today.

Mick Foley

What if Kane goes over under taker in this next feud?...craziness.

McMahon from play-by-play to the bastard he became.

Rocky Maivia to Da Rock

Edge from Brood to rated R superstarrrr

Recently... Orton & Miz

would Beth Phoenix be one?

I'd say the ones that really evolved very well are...

The Undertaker
Shawn Michaels
Chris Jericho
The Rock
Keiji Mutoh/The Great Muta/Kokushi Muso
Steve Austin
Brian Pillman
JBL
Sting
Scott Steiner
Owen Hart
Jushin Thunder Liger
Taz
Raven

Steve Austin: Went from being 1 of 2 hollywood blondes, to rising singles star, to ECW superstar, to a ringmaster, to the total S.O.B Stone Cold, to bringing forth a entire era of vulgarity...

Man I miss that guy.

Michael Cole

Gobbledy Gooker

Gucker*

Edge.

Never thought he'd become what he has.

"Rated R Superstar"...who'd have thought that kid who debuted with Gangrel would be a multi-time Champion?

Gangrel was the leader but the underlings became world champions.

Gotta say Batista on this one. Just looking back to 2002 when he first came up to the main roster, he was so green and shy. From his in-ring work to his mic skills, he has really come a long way over the years. I found him to be pretty darn good on the mic toward the end of his WWE run as a heel this year. Not to mention his character from a fan acceptance standpoint and his awesome entrance, he made huge improvements and evolved quite well over the last 8 years IMO

Surprised no one has mentioned Eddie Guerrero. Went from the womanizing and comedic Latino Heat, to lying, cheating and stealing his way to popularity and the US and WWE title to jealous, vicious and vindictive heel when he turned on Rey, and then repented and went back to what got him immensely over in the first place with the lie, cheat and steal persona.

Not to mention he debuted as a freaking deacon!

Johnny Blaze, Assistant to Bischoff - Johnny Spade, renamed Assistant to Bischoff - Johnny Nitro - MNM -John Morison ECW Champ - Miz and Morrison - John Morrison: Rockstar - John Morrison with a beard

I really like the change of attitude of the All American American Jack Swagger. When he won the World Heavyweight Championship he changed and got more serious. He still has swagger, but it's not the same ballistic swagger that he had before he won the title.

I think he had a pretty good little run as champion displaying all of his accomplishments and trophies. I hope that the Swagger push isn't over, but it probably is for the time being.

Whenever you are pushing a guy, and while he is getting pushed, he loses a match to Santino...it doesn't help.

As basic advice, you'll be a much better poster if you actually give reasons for your choices instead of just naming a bunch of bullshit answers like "Santino" and "Kofi."

Oh, definitely JBL.

I'd say Booker T is right up there.

Harlem Heat <> TV/US Champion singles wrestler <> brief reformation with Harlem Heat <> GI Bro <> World Champion <> InVasion Booker T <> 5-Time, 5-Time, 5-Time <> Goldust and Booker <> Fighting for the World Title (underdog) <> King Booker

Not to nitpick, but Edge didn't debut WITH Gangrel. He joined up with him shortly after his debut, though.

Didnt he debut at Summerslam as Sable's tag team partner?

He was more the WWE's version of Raven at the time, then Christian showed up, and then he joined the brood.

Ok, but u know wat I mean.

Actually, Booker T started out as G.I. Bro, before taking the name Booker T in the late 1980s, early 1990s. And Harlem Heat was originally known as The Ebony Experience in the GWF in Dallas, Texas.

"The Ebony Experience"...:|

I'd say Taker, Jericho, and CM Punk

Gooker

Andrew Hankinson

Freaking Deacon-Imposter Kane-Festus-Luke Gallows

THIS...

I've got to disagree with some of the guys mentioned here. Not that their characters were bad or anything, but I think the best character evolutions would be the ones that happen so naturally, and make perfect sense in the context of who the performer is.

The Undertaker, for example, is probably the most successful "gimmick" of all-time, but his relationships with other wrestlers, and the random changes he makes have often been fairly illogical. It's just like Kane. Another of my favourite characters, but not one that I would say makes perfect sense in an evolutionary sense.

One guy I would mention is Kofi Kingston. When he showed up, the guy was there to have a good time, and he didn't really make the impact he needed to make. But something constant about the character is how that when he gets fucked over -- he gets angry about it. So often guys get beaten down, and then it's forgotten. When Edge took Kofi out of the Elimination Chamber a few years back, Kofi had a match with Edge on Superstars that was just superb, and really started some "Could Kofi be something?" discussions.

Then there was that stuff with Randy Orton. Legacy took out Kofi randomly, but Kofi did not let it go. He started that feud with Orton. We've also seen his anger come out in his feud with Dolph Ziggler. Vickie slaps Kofi in the face, and he goes nuts and destroys Ziggler. Now, I'm not sure if the consistency is the aim of the character, but if not it is even more impressive on Kofi's part to continue to show that dark side he has.

Another I would like to bring up, is Chavo Guerrero. While it may not seem like much, I think that Chavo's development is a very subtle thing. One thing I've noticed about him, is that in a kayfabe sense, his performance depends on confidence. Let's start with Kerwin White. He became Kerwin White to sort of get away from the Guerrero name or whatever. It was a bit of a joke, but it was Chavo's way of avoiding having to live up to the Guerrero legacy. When Eddie passed away, Chavo reverted back to being himself, and got a bit of face attention, but then "quit" when he lost a few matches because he wasn't good enough.

He eventually joined up with Vickie Guerrero and Edge, and became a bit of a "gopher." This was pointed out by guys like Triple H, and Chavo would deny it, but he was essentially a stooge for the big players in that angle. He then went to RAW, was used in comedy angles, and his issues with Hornswoggle and the Guest Hosts seemed to really get into Chavo's head. Recently on SmackDown!, we've seen Chavo sort of distance himself from Vickie Guerrero, partially because of the visible disapproval he has of Vickie's relationship with Dolph Ziggler. Now that he's on his own, Chavo has been mounting confidence and a desire to live up to the Guerrero name, and he's actually gotten some mixed reactions in his more credible showings.

The story of Chavo Guerrero finding himself is a very little one in the WWE; but it's one that I personally really enjoy.

CM Punk deserves mention. Although it's hard to connect the heel CM Punk to the face CM Punk, the hints were always sort of there. Punk has maintained that his only addiction is competition, he has always been Straight Edge, and his short relationship with The New Breed hinted at Punk's desire to lead.

Chris Jericho's evolution of character has been brilliant. You can see the influence he's had over guys like The Miz and Matt Hardy in developing their respective heel characters at certain points (to varying success), and Jericho was not just content with saying "I'm a bad guy now." If Jericho turns face, I'd like to see it progress from where he currently is, and not just a regression back to his face loving ways. I have nothing but admiration for the complete dedication Jericho has put into his heel run, and it's good to hear spatterings of face reactions for the current Chris Jericho.

Joey Mercury could be another brilliantly evolved character. From coming in with a Hollywood lifestyle with Melina and Johnny Nitro to having his face exploded, to his addiction with pain-killers leading to him becoming who he is now. We haven't really heard Mercury's reasons for joining up with Punk, but that could be a brilliant little story if done right.

The same goes for Luke Gallows, disregarding his run as Imposter Kane. From being Festus to becoming the Sin-Free Soldier. His dedication to Punk is almost admirable, even though we're not meant to like Gallows. Punk did save him, and he's paying Punk back and putting up with a lot of shit. One day, I think Gallows will turn on Punk, and the pay-off will be amazing for him.

The Miz is a brilliantly evolved character, too. From being a reality star and trying to use that to connect with the WWE audience, to almost denouncing that and "getting serious." The Miz wants it to be perfectly clear that he's not a reality star anymore -- he's a Superstar. That is why one of my dream feuds at the moment is The Rock vs. The Miz. Hearing The Miz compare the paths they have taken -- The Miz leaving Hollywood for Stanford, and The Rock doing the exact opposite.

As far as the more zany characters go -- I think Goldust is so well developed. From being this bizarre guy who plays mind games, to earning respect for it. There hasn't been much by way of progression beyond that, but over the years Goldust has lost the chip on his shoulder, and has almost become more accepting of who he is.

Big Daddy V/Viscera also had a very interesting progression that made some good sense. He got programmed by The Undertaker to serve in the Ministry of Darkness, but then he almost harboured a grudge for it, returned with Gangrel to randomly attack The Undertaker, and while his "World's Largest Love Machine" gimmick was a bit of a bust, it was him celebrating his freedom again. Then he channeled that darkness The Undertaker put into him, and he became Big Daddy V.

Oh, and MVP. From showing up as "the highest paid athlete in SmackDown! history" to earning respect whilst still keeping some (if not enough) of his flavour. MVP's progression from heel to face wasn't so much "I'm a good guy now," rather than him earning his spot as a fan favourite. I think we need to see it develop further into a more selfish MVP, though.

Noid, opinion on JBL?

I did grow to like the JBL character, but I'm not sure how it really came from his Bradshaw character. The change was pretty sudden. It was like the Bradshaw thing was an act, and he was just following Faarooq (and before that, The Undertaker), but eventually he came onto his own and decided to be who he actually was.

That's the best way I can make sense of it.

Remember the time when Brock stole Austin's ATV, and Austin came to smackdown to be confronted by the entire roster who betrayed Heyman/Lesnar and returned back to the locker rooms? Heyman got so upset he fired Farooq and gave Bradshaw the option of quitting. He chose not to, revealing his heel side. The next week they aired vignettes of him appearing on Fox news (lol) as well as talking about him being a self-made millionaire and the week after that he came to his JBL longhorn entrance complete with limo.

I see two answers to this, depending on what is meant by the question:

Jericho, far and away, has done the most with his character over a very long period of time. Every face and heel turn has shown a different side of Chris, and not just going from "face mannerisms a" to "heel mannerisms b" even as far back as his run in WCW (one of my favs is the "I"ve beaten everybody in the cruiserweight division" where he walked around with Iuekea's grass skirt and Mysterio's mask as trophies) actually even before, but I didn't know of his ECW stuff until I became a fan of his.

In the vein of who has improved the most as time passed, I would have to say The Miz. The Rock is an easier choice, but the road was a lot longer from the mediocre Flex Kivana with no charisma to the "Most Electrifying Man...". A few short years ago, upon his debut as diva search shill, you would have never said to yourself that Mike Mizanin would EVER become anything beyond a backstage interviewer. And a terrible one at that. "Boooo! Where the fuck is Kevin Kelly??" Now, he has a legitimate shot at being a main eventer, possibly carry the company, and being believable at it in ring and mic skills.