Wrestlers who you changed your mind on over time.

[X-27]

Is there a wrestler or wrestlers who you changed your mind on over time? Whether you were a fan at one point but grew to dislike them, or you weren't a fan but they won you over somehow.

2 come to mind for me:

Ricky Starks - Dude always looked like a cosplay wrestler to me. Just couldn't take him seriously and wasn't a fan of his look or his wrestling. Then I saw his strap match against Danielson at All Out this year. Lol the beating Starks took in that match made me gain a whole new level of respect for him. Not saying he's one of my favorites...but still.

Danhausen - Just wasn't a fan. Lol but over time I have come to dig his look and character. Maybe it helps that they don't have him on screen too much. I think he works best in a small roll/background character type deal.


What about you all? Any wrestlers come to mind?

[LA Times]

Ricky Starks-I too saw him as a dollar store Rock at first, but he looks like a main eventer now and fully capable of replacing MJF as the top heel if he leaves AEW

Dustin Runnels-His longevity has always been underrated and its hard to believe he is still a fulltime wrestler in 2023

[kinnikuman]

The Acclaimed - Started out rooting for them. They were good. Then Billy came along, as did scissoring, and I can't stand them now.

Toni Storm - Never did anything for me. But love Timeless Toni.

The Gunns - Went from "Billy's kids" to one of my favorite tag teams.

Brian Cage - Went from "awesome machine" to "get off my screen".

Wardlow - Went from "dangerous MJF bodyguard" to "leave for WWE please".

Eddie Kingston - Went from tough talking NYer to "I'm sick of the loveable loser schtick".

Lucha Bros - Used to think they were one of the best teams in the biz, now I couldn't care less about them.

Swerve - Went from "meh" to OMG.

[switchbladeera]

Dec 15, 2023 12:17:11 GMT -5 kinnikuman said:

The Acclaimed - Started out rooting for them. They were good. Then Billy came along, as did scissoring, and I can't stand them now.

Toni Storm - Never did anything for me. But love Timeless Toni.

The Gunns - Went from "Billy's kids" to one of my favorite tag teams.

Brian Cage - Went from "awesome machine" to "get off my screen".

Wardlow - Went from "dangerous MJF bodyguard" to "leave for WWE please".

Eddie Kingston - Went from tough talking NYer to "I'm sick of the loveable loser schtick".

Lucha Bros - Used to think they were one of the best teams in the biz, now I couldn't care less about them.

Swerve - Went from "meh" to OMG.

This is exactly how I feel about every single one of these people and their aew arcs.

[TKO Propagandist]

Not Jack Perry

[CM Tusk]

Mox. Dean Ambrose was dull as hell to me anytime he wasn’t part of the Shield. The whole “I’m crazy, isn’t that weird?” thing he had going on just never interested me. Since coming to AEW and just being a sour old man that likes to bleed and beat the piss out of people, he’s become a favorite.

Hangman. Wasn’t a fan of the guy until he started gaining momentum towards his title match with Kenny. Now I love watching the guy. Probably my favorite AEW World title reign too.

[k5]

he’s gone now, but Joey Janella. AEW was dumb dumb to get rid of the guy.

[switchbladeera]

While I just c&p'd kinnikumens cuz my thoughts were literally identical on those guys,

Thunder Rosa: I was so hot on her coming in, but now I'd be happy if I never saw her again.

On the flipside juice Robinson. Dude was skip the match kinda guy in New Japan for me, whether it was finjuice or japan bullet club juice. But I have completely 180'd and can't wait for him to return.

[finnbalor1]

Grown to love
Juice and the Gunns- I couldn't stand the Gunns when AEW first started and I never saw anything in Juice anywhere he went but the Gunns have slowly went up on my favorites list in the tag division and Juice is just awesome now

Christian- he was meh to me at the beginning of his AEW run but he's one of the best things in the business today. Just look no farther then this week's Dynamite,he wasn't even there and he was still one of the best parts lol

Toni- loved her in NXT but I hated almost everything she did after she got to the main roster and the beginning of her AEW run,especially the awful Outcasts stuff but she's probably my favorite lady in the business atm. This Timeless stuff has been amazing

Julia and Skye- never got why so many people was so high on both of these ladies but I was just late to the party,Julia is probably the most improved in the whole company this year

Sammy Guevara- started to like him when almost everybody else was starting to hate him. Love him in the ring,enjoy his Vlog stuff and seen the guy at couple signings and I don't think I've ever meet a person that was as great to his fans as he is

Really,really dislike

Eddie Kingston- thought he was one of the best on the mic when he first arrived,never thought he was anything special in the ring but he had other great qualities to make up for it. Now he's in the same category as his bestie Mox where ill be happy if they go back to whatever Indy promotion they started at and bleed there

Scorpio Sky- loved him in the early days and only became more of a fan of him during his Men of the Year run and TNT reign but now I couldn't care less if I never saw him again. Maybe this ones more on TK then Sky by not doing anything with him but I've lost all interest in the guy

Yuta- please get this guy off my screen asap

Acclaimed and Billy- i dont have any interest at all in seeing Billy in the ring in 2024,please get those titles off these three and put them on a team that actually could use them,then put Max and Bowens back in the tag divison where they can try to get back on track

Bonus pick, Prince Nana- loving this guy

[kennyw86v2]

Britt Baker and to a lesser extent Adam Cole. Didn't like either of them, but now I do, but tbh Cole could just be the MJF rub off.

[J-MANN: Tag Team Champion]

Ricky Starks & Swerve are the first that come to mind.

[Deleted]

Toni Storm was the first to come to mind. This new gimmick of hers just does nothing for me

[destino]

Adam Copeland. Edge was never one of my guys. Didn’t hate him or anything, just didn’t really care for his stuff. I was happy to see him come back at the Rumble so he could at least get 1 last good run, but then he went right back into the “I don’t care pile”. He shows up in AEW, had a very slow start, but his match with Christian at World’s End was my match of the night and his recent match with Minoru Suzuki has me finally caring about him again.

Mox. I didn’t care at all for Dean Ambrose when the Shield broke up. I honestly thought he was a dude who seemed lost out there most of the time. Then he left. I wasn’t immediately sold on him at the start of AEW, but it happened really fast none the less. By the time he got to his match with Jericho at Revolution 2020 he was my guy and a dude who I know deserved that top spot.

I go back and forth with FTR. At times I’m like “these two are the best tag team in the world” like when they were working with The Briscoes. Then there’s moments like now where I still think they’re as good as they’ve always been, but this House of Black feud just isn’t doing it for me. I’m like “can we just hurry and get to FTR vs Young Buck IV already?”

House of Black. This is a group I should be hyped for every time they come out. Individually, I think they’re all great. But if Buddy and Black left tomorrow, I wouldn’t miss them. It doesn’t help that they lose nearly every feud they’re in and seem to exclusively work Collision. I hope things change for them soon, but I just don’t see it. Brody King though, he’s great. Wouldn’t mind seeing him do more solo work.

Miro. The Best Man was lame. The Redeemer was amazing. He’s never reached that level since. And the long gaps between he programs keep him forever cold.