AEW Wrestlers Who Are Completely Unrecognizable These Days
In professional wrestling, one of the only constants is change. Performers such as Sting, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Matt Hardy, and Chris Jericho are often credited for their ability to freshen up their characters when the time is right to roll with the ever-changing landscape of the industry, maintain relevance, and appeal to an audience that's always looking to be entertained. Sometimes that can be a subtle tweak or shift in persona from babyface to heel. Other times, the changes are far more drastic, including a revamped look, adding or changing a nickname, new music, joining a faction or a tag team, and much more.
While All Elite Wrestling has only recently surpassed the fifth anniversary of its existence, many of the promotion's wrestlers have noticeably evolved since we first saw them. But in most cases, this can only be looked at as a positive since, even in a relatively short five-year span, staying just the same can be downright boring. The promotion itself has endured its fair share of change during its run to this point as well, beginning without a television deal, then launching "AEW Dynamite," adding "Rampage" and "Collision" and of course, spreading its wings from the days of recurring shows in Jacksonville, Florida, all the way to enjoying the tremendous success of All In across the pond in London, England at Wembley Stadium in August 2023.
It will be interesting to see where the company and its talent continue to grow from this point forward. For now, though, let's look at five wrestlers who have undergone a significant transformation since debuting in Tony Khan's wrestling promotion.
Max Caster
After making his AEW debut in a trios match alongside Luther and Serpentico in a loss to Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, and Marko Stunt) on the now-defunct YouTube show "AEW Dark," Max Caster would only wrestle one more time (in a "Dark" loss to Shawn Spears) before being aligned with Anthony Bowens and being dubbed The Acclaimed. It was that shift that propelled Caster to the heights he and Bowens (and later Billy Gunn) have gone on to enjoy in the company.
The biggest difference, visually, since those first couple of appearances for Caster (aside from the elephant in the room of no crowd that will forever be tagged to pandemic-era wrestling) is that he started rocking a pair of headphones and the microphone he carried actually got plugged in so he could rap. His familiar silver-and-pink look was there from the beginning but back then, he simply draped a corded mic around his neck while sporting a mustache.
As part of The Acclaimed, Caster is both a former AEW Tag Team and Trios Champion. These days, when he's not getting suspended for crossing lines with his freestyles, he, Bowens, and Gunn have scissored their way to consistent popularity with the AEW fanbase. At press time, however, The Acclaimed hasn't been featured on "Dynamite" since in nearly four months so perhaps that isn't the greatest sign after all.
Jamie Hayter
When she made her AEW debut in October 2019, Jamie Hayter had a look that can be compared to that of current "WWE SmackDown" superstar Blair Davenport — and that's no coincidence. The pair tagged together in Stardom and Revolution Pro Wrestling as part of the Oedo Tai faction throughout the rest of 2019 and into 2020. Hayter's first match was a loss to Dr. Britt Baker DMD on an episode of "AEW Dynamite" and she would make another appearance two weeks later, tagging with Emi Sakura in a win over the team of Riho and Shanna, before returning to Japan. Her association with AEW was supposed to continue before the pandemic put a stop to that.
Hayter wouldn't be seen again in AEW until August 2021 when, sporting blonde hair and an all-black look befitting a pro wrestling surprise run-in, she aligned herself with Baker and officially signed with the promotion. She would go on to win the interim AEW Women's World Championship at Full Gear in 2022 with the "interim" tag removed days later after Thunder Rosa relinquished her claim due to injury. From there, Hayter would enjoy a 190-day run as champion before losing the title to Toni Storm at Double or Nothing 2023. Her reign remains the third-longest in company history behind Hikaru Shida (372) and Baker (290).
When AEW fans last saw Hayter at that event, she was back to rocking multi-colored hair, now black and blonde. Before the match with Storm, Hayter had reportedly been dealing with multiple injuries and wasn't expected back until early this year as a best-case scenario. To date, she has not made her re-debut, and fans will surely be eager to see what she brings to the table when that does eventually happen.
Big Bill
You've known him as Colin Cassady, Big Cass, Big Cazz, and Caz XL outside of AEW, and W. Morrissey within before rebranding himself as Big Bill. No matter what you call him, however, you can't deny his impressive stature and dominating demeanor. (You might also dig deep and say, "You can't teach that). Now aligned with the ultimate wrestling chameleon in Chris Jericho, Big Bill may eventually turn another page in his book. However, one thing that sticks out since his AEW debut, stepping through "The Forbidden Door" in May 2022 as W. Morrissey while under contract with TNA, is the improved shape he is in compared to his time in WWE.
Bill's physical transition came after a series of addiction and health problems, including a seizure he suffered in 2018 while at an event for House of Hardcore. Once upon a time, Bill donned traditional wrestling trunks and boots when he competed. These days, he rocks a pair of jeans and work boots when stepping inside the squared circle. Now under the "learning tree" with Jericho, it will be interesting to see where he goes from here, both look and persona-wise. Regardless of what his future holds, however, it's clear that Bill is in a much better situation than he was during his darker spells.
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Kris Statlander
When someone fancies oneself as an alien, even as part of a wrestling gimmick, change is inevitable. This was the case for Kris Statlander whose original gimmick was "The Galaxy's Greatest Alien." Pair that with her green, half-painted face and affinity for "booping" people on the nose, and you don't really have the makings of a persona that can be taken seriously.
So how do you flip that around and give the performer a fresh start? Well, there's no great time for an injury but in Statlander's case, an ACL tear in 2022 paved the way for a character refresh and major equity boost when she returned at Double or Nothing 2023. Now sporting a more traditional look, Statlander answered an open challenge from then-TBS Champion Jade Cargill. Statlander wasted no time in the impromptu match, smashing Cargill with haymakers and landing a roundhouse kick before beating the champ following a Friday Night Fever — a move formerly known as The Big Bang Theory, which went by the wayside with the rest of the alien stuff.
Statlander would defend the belt against Cargill on an episode of "Rampage" in September 2023 in what became Cargill's last match for AEW, making Statlander the owner of Cargill's only two losses in the promotion. Statlander held the TBS Championship for 174 days before losing it to Julia Hart at Full Gear in a three-way match that also featured Skye Blue. These days, with both feet firmly planted right here on Earth, Statlander remains in the TBS Championship picture, loosely aligned with current champion Willow Nightingale and frequently interacting with Hart, Blue, and Mercedes Mone.
Julia Hart
Much like being an alien, although quite a bit different, a cheerleader gimmick can only go so far in pro wrestling. With that said, the days for Julia Hart's rah-rah pom-pom stuff were numbered from the start. Of course, her alignment with the equally as cheesy Varsity Blondes tag team at the time made perfect sense with Hart, Griff Garrison, and Brian Pillman Jr. working as kindred (and campy) spirits.
Speaking of spirit, it's hard to fathom how actual cheerleaders in college football can keep up the overall cheeriness when their team is getting boat raced on the field, and all due respect to Garrison and Pillman (now WWE's Lexis King), The Varsity Blondes weren't ever going to be championship contenders. It was a welcome change, then, when Hart was blackmisted to the face by Malakai Black, which led to her slow turn to the dark side and an ultimate alignment with The House of Black faction, with Hart donning all-black attire and very much exhibiting a black heart in turn.
The character shift has worked out well for Hart, culminating in her TBS Championship win over then-champ Kris Statlander and fellow challenger Skye Blue at Full Gear 2023, a reign that lasted five-plus months until her eventual loss to Willow Nightingale. And the pundits, for what it's worth, have taken notice, with Hart named Female Breakout Wrestler of the Year by the New York Post and Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Most Improved for 2023. Of late, Hart remains up to no good, magically turning off the lights at AEW shows to cause distractions, most of which are aimed to benefit Blue, who has become an ally, and both remain in the TBS Championship hunt.