Pro wrestling is well known for drastic makeovers of workers, usually for a new character. There was Dustin Rhodes as Goldust in WWE, Husky Harris becoming Bray Wyatt and Glenn Jacobs putting up with several bad characters before Kane. There are times someone clearly always meant for stardom altered things like Steve Austin or the Rock as often a changed look is what’s needed to get over.

It’s more interesting to see workers who looked on a serious downside of their careers undergoing less of a full makeover than a change of their attire. It can be new outfits or hairdos and it’s remarkable how just a different set of attire can completely revitalize them. These are ten good cases of how a change of attire saved a wrestler’s career and clothes truly made the person.

Dropping His “String” Was The Best Thing That Happened To Jeff Jarrett

He Would Never Become World Champion With That Gimmick

This is a very underrated change of attire that restored a career that looked lost. Jeff Jarrett was always a talented worker and good on the mic and his first WWE run included a good reign as Intercontinental Champion. Sadly, all anyone thought of when it came to Jarrett then was that ridiculous outfit. Meant to resemble guitar strings, it instead reminded fans of a bad exotic dancer and looked sillier when he strutted around.

Jarrett carried the outfit over to WCW and seeing him wearing it with the Four Horsemen made him look like a total joke and lowered his stock. When he returned to WWE in 1998, he had a different singlet that was still rough. Jarrett finally dropped it for tights and a variety of shirts while showing a tougher attitude with shorter hair. No way would Jarrett have ever gotten to main event status in WCW or TNA had he kept the “barber pole” style outfits.

John Cena’s Change Became Iconic

One Halloween Costume Altered WWE Forever

The idea that John Cena was close to being cut from WWE in his first year may be hard to believe. Yet after his big debut against Kurt Angle, Cena was lost in the shuffle as a bland babyface in too-tight shorts and his outlook wasn’t promising. Then came the fateful Halloween SmackDown episode, where he dressed up as Vanilla Ice for a freestyle rap. Realizing he had something, Cena would undergo the change that altered everything.

He embraced the hip-hop style with cargo pants, sports jerseys, caps and chains. Cena exploded on the mic with the best promos around and fans were finally on his side. Cena has kept to this persona over the years and when he finally hangs it up next year, he’ll rank as one of the best cases of a wardrobe change not only saving a career but making it one of the biggest around.

The New Day’s Outfit Change Led To A Decade Of Dominance

Fans Rejected Them As Babyfaces Early Into Their Run

It’s truly stunning to realize the New Day is still around after a solid decade. That’s an eternity in wrestling, and thus, it’s easy to forget how Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods were all lost in 2014. Despite singles titles for Kofi and Big E, they weren’t doing much and Woods was a newcomer. The early idea of them as heels more in suits thankfully didn’t take, and they soon started shifting into matching outfits with Kofi and Big E doing spins on their older tights/singlets.

Add in the long coats and flashy colors, and in no time flat, the New Day was over huge. They’d keep up the crazy costumes with other touches, always looking fantastic and their record tag team title reigns solidified their legacy. The new attire fit the New Day to go from afterthoughts to legends.

Rey Mysterio Needed To Be Masked Again

WWE Revived His Career With The Mask

This is more changing back but still vital. One of the lowest points of Rey Mysterio Jr.’s wrestling career had to be when he was forced to unmask in WCW. Looking like a teenager in hip-hop-style outfits, Rey got a few titles, but this was a huge comedown and little surprise most thought he’d be lost to Mexico when WCW folded.

Thankfully, when WWE signed Rey in 2002, they were able to use a loophole to allow him to once again be masked. Instantly, Rey was not only over huge with fans but his masks became one of the biggest merchandise sellers for the company. Rey’s stunning longevity in wrestling proves how going back to the masks restored his standing as one of the best luchadors of his time.

Taz Went From Wild Man To Epic Fighter

Dropping The Maniac Look Aided Him

Early ECW is fascinating to look at for the initial looks at some of the future famous faces. Among them was the Tazmaniac, who was presented as a wild man character with long hair and an outfit including furs. He had a few titles but didn’t quite connect as well as he could have and it wasn’t helped by a nasty neck injury.

When he came back, the newly named Taz had cut his hair and dropped the “wild man” outfit for a sleeker singlet to go with his new MMA-influenced style. That outfit and look instantly sold Taz as this tough guy with wicked submission moves and became an ECW legend. Toning down from a “wild man” just sparked Tazz to his greatest success.

Bayley’s Heel Turn Changed Everything

One Night In Her New Outfit Gained Her A Title

If there’s a worker who looked like they could never pull off a heel turn, Bayley was it. She was one of the brightest and most loveable characters in NXT with the bright outfits, including the arm streamers, pigtails, and that exuberant smile. Her main roster run looked rough, a couple of titles here and there but nothing compared to her potential and that smiling babyface persona holding her back.

That’s why it was striking when Bayley faced Charlotte, pulling back her hood to reveal a shorter haircut and an outfit sleeker and showing herself off more. That heel turn reinvigorated her with some nice title reigns and an improved wardrobe. Her return from injury had her changing the outfit again into a tougher persona with Damage Ctrl and the outfit combined with the improved promo work to cement Bayley as one of the best heel turns of all time.

JBL Got Huge Going Corporate

His New Suited Look Led To His True Fame

While it was part of a larger makeover, it’s still impressive just how much shifting his wardrobe elevated John Bradshaw Layfield from midcarder to main event star. Having spent time in the APA as a tough guy in jeans and a dark shirt, not much was expected of Bradshaw when he went solo in 2004. What no one could have expected was a complete transformation as he was coming out in expensive suits and a cowboy hat as a rich guy.

Moving from jeans to shorts in the ring was another change, along with fancy jackets heading to a match. That led to JBL’s surprisingly long WWE Championship reign and more titles before becoming a popular commentator. All it took was a new attitude and wardrobe to transform JBL into one of the biggest champions of the Ruthless Aggression Era.

She Was Never Suited For A Fairy Tale Gimmick

Like other NXT female wrestlers, Alexa Bliss’ early character didn’t quite suit her. With her size and blonde hair, she resembled a princess and WWE went for it by having her dress up out of a fairy tale. She would even blow “fairy dust” at the fans and being a babyface didn’t suit her. She would drop it for a better look as a manager.

After joining the main roster, Bliss shifted her outfit to a mix of cut shirts and shorts, often based on Harley Quinn and other comic book characters. This led to her huge success with multiple championships, and she is still a top star for the company. She may not have ended up a princess, but Bliss’s great looks have aided her wardrobe change.

Ron Simmons Has Twice Saved Himself With An Attire Change

He Had Bad Luck With Bad Headgear

Twice, Ron Simmons has managed to drop a lousy look holding him back for major success. The first was in WCW when he and Butch Reed were forced under masks as Doom, constantly losing to the Steiners. Once they were unmasked, the pair changed to a serious team that became dominant NWA World Tag Team Champions.

When he joined WWE in 1996 as Faarooq, Simmons got an ugly outfit topped with an atrocious helmet, looking less like a gladiator than a goofball. He dropped that for his darker militant look for the Nation of Domination and later the jeans and shirt for the APA that gave him far more life. Simmons would have to utter a “DAMN” at how nutty his looks were and good thing he dropped them.

Becky Lynch’s Steampunk Change Was Vital

This Was The Start To Becoming “The Man”

Becky Lynch has joked her biggest wish would be to scrub all video of her early NXT days from WWE programming. After joining the company, Becky was forced into the most cliche Irish act imaginable, from green tights to even a stupid “jig” in the ring. While she toned that down, the green-themed outfits didn’t suit her and she wasn’t given the right pushes.

That all changed with Becky’s makeover, dying her hair orange and then the steampunk look that instantly set her apart and elevated her up. The main roster had a few shifts, with her fame embracing her stardom, the leather jacket fitting “the Man,” and even bits like the cap later on. That first attire change is what led Lynch on her journey to the top and free her of the Irish cliches.