Who made the biggest transition to their gimmick?

[The Duke]

Earthquake, John Tenta, Golga, shockmaster...

Rey Mysterio Unmasked...

Mortis to Kris Kanyon...

Ernest Miller... Karate expert to dancing with James Brown...

Mick Foley's Dude Love gimmick...

The Giant to the Big Show...

Those were just a few drastic changes I could remember, but my favorite would be Shawn Michaels Rocker gimmick to HBK...

Fred Ottman was the shock master. He played Typhoon. Not Tenta.

Also, THE Brian Kendrick is one of the most ******ED changes, not anything radical or revolutionary.

Mad props for the dude who caught Kane as one of the Kings Knights before Issac Yankem.

And I agree with the Hogan change as the most drastic. Sure, there was the whole attitude era, but Hogan was always the role model. Then he turned his back on the fans and became the big time anti hero. BIGGEST swerve in wrestling history, end of story. Also, the best change EVER!

 

[KING_OF_KINGS_SHOWSTOPPER]

i would have to say randy Orton. when Orton started he was a face. once he had his injury with his arm you could tell he would be making it big time, from a star to a superstar. randy wouldn't have been as big of a star as he is today if it wasn't for HHH and Ric Flair for bringing him into evolution. from when he won his 1st ic champions ship then to beating Benoit at summerslam you could tell Orton was gonna turn face. Once he lost the title back to HHH Orton worked well as a heel then now back to face Orton really sold his work to the fans.

 

[makeitvab]

I'd say Cm Punk is one of the biggest I've seen.

True he did something similiar in ROH but!

He started out as a very boring on the mic "scene kid saying no drugs and alc" and even though he lived this SxE lifestyle it came off as extremly fake/scripted.

He's now a very amusing and occasionally genuinely creepy *and this is coming from a huge punk mark!* Cult leader/jesus mix. There was a minor transition where we saw a bit of an ROH heel punk, during the Jeff hardy angle, but then BAM! starts shaving heads, leading prayers, and growing a wicked beard.

 

[Zombie Moan]

2 wrestlers come to mind for their multiple gimmicks:

Papa Shango- a wrestling voodoo priest, became shoot fighter Kama Mustafa. Which transitioned to The Godfather a wrestling pimp. then joined Right To Censor and became the Good Father.

Konnan El Barbaro- Masked Powerhouse wrestler, loses his mask becomes a "pretty-boy." Later joins the WWF as Max Moon a cyborg from outer space. In WCW adopts the "K-Dog" cholo gimmick.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Sorry to the guy who claimed Kane was a Knight... he wasn't... he was a dentist... The knights were Horowitz, Gaylord and Valentine...

Anyways... I'd go with Brian Pillman... Vanilla babyface former NFL player to High flyer in tiger trunks to crazed lunatic with a gun on RAW to member of the Hart Foundation to woman stealing bastard (what they were going for when he died)... Thats a HELL of a transition...

 

[longlivetheBrood]

I've got to go with The Deadman. To be half of the Skyscrapers, a generic, bland tag team with Dan Spivey to suddenly appear out of nowhere at Survivor Series as this macabre figure dressed in all black that puts opponents in bodybags, sprinkles dirt on them, worships an urn and utterly dominates opponents, that takes a pretty big swerve in approach, ring style, etc. And to think Eric Bischoff told him people would never pay to watch him wrestle lol.

Kane's a definite honorable mention, from dentist to Big Red Machine.

OMG how did One Man Gang not get a mention...I mean good god Akeem was a monstrous joke.

 

[Wolf Pac]

The obvious ones like Hogan, Austin, Rock, Taker & Kane have already been said, so I'll pick out one that hasnt been said.

Shawn Michaels - Although the Rockers were a good team, their looks were certainly gay. Michaels was in Jannetty's shadow and when they split although I believe WWE's attempt was for Jannetty to become the estabilished one, HBK was the one who made a name for himself, got a huge fanbase, stole the show at most Wrestlemania's earning himself the Mr. Wrestlemania name, WWE's first ever Grand Slam Winner, he's the perpetrator of wrestling's biggest story ever, the Montreal Screwjob. I honestly believe that when it comes to naming the greatest wrestler ever, it's out of Kurt Angle, Ric Flair & HBK...and maybe Bret Hart.