Nikki Cross & 9 Other Wrestlers Who Recently Reverted To Their Old Gimmicks

Wrestlers are constantly changing their gimmicks across major promotions like WWE and AEW to make sure that they remain relevant and popular, and those changes are often welcomed by fans. However, while it is a good thing that the business is constantly switching things up, the problem with change is that not everything is going to work.

There have been plenty of times when a character change simply hasn't worked, and that has ultimately led to a wrestler then reverting to what they had done previously. Seeing people go back can sometimes be a negative situation, but there are other times when it is the right call to make, simply because it is a popular character that connects better.

10 Nikki Cross

Nikki Cross is a maniacal character that is crazed and over the top, often just doing whatever she wants when she wants. However, she switched that up when deciding to become a superhero by being Nikki A.S.H. which is something that worked out in terms of getting her to the top level.

As a superhero Cross was able to claim the Raw Women's Championship, but it isn't a gimmick that worked in the long term. That is why she has recently returned to television as Nikki Cross, showcasing the aggressiveness that fans loved previously.

9 Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy and Private Party appear in Impact

Matt Hardy has played a wide variety of characters throughout his career, with many of them working and often being very different from the other. He doesn't stay the same for long, and that has included his AEW career. He has done a lot of different things in AEW, but recently he has reverted to a previous gimmick.

After working with his brother again, Matt was left in a tough spot as Jeff was suspended for issues in his personal life. That has led to him going back to his old gimmick of wanting to manage Private Party, which is what he ended up doing before.

8 Braun Strowman

When Braun Strowman was initially released by WWE, he took to the independent world with the Control Your Narrative movement, and that saw him work a very different character. It is one that didn't quite work out and wasn't able to garner the interest levels that he had hoped for.

However, Strowman recently returned to WWE, and he did so under the same gimmick he had previously. Fans are well aware of whom the monster is as he uses his size and strength to dominate, and so far going back to that has proven to be a hit.

7 Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss worked a unique character alongside The Fiend as she tapped into a much darker, and far more aggressive side of herself. That then continued after Bray Wyatt had been released as she continued to have supernatural elements by having the Lilly doll that would control people.

However, in recent times Bliss has gone back to a babyface character that she played previously. This gimmick is a little more generic than other aspects of her career, but working alongside Asuka and Bianca Belair is proving to be a hit for her.

6 The O.C.

The Good Brothers, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows recently made their way back to WWE, and they were immediately back to being the same characters that fans had seen before. Aligning with AJ Styles, who has also reverted to a previous character is something that fans have enjoyed seeing.

This character is similar to what they all did in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as well because The O.C. is WWE's nod to the Bullet Club without the company being able to use that name,

5 Veer

WWE tested the idea of Veer joining the main roster for so long that it eventually became a joke. He eventually turned up and had a very brief run on Raw before being put on ice as the creative team seemingly forgot about him completely.

However, Triple H has since brought him back to NXT, and Veer has returned to his previous gimmick by reforming the Indus Sher partnership alongside Sanga.

4 Mia Yim

Mia Yim is another wrestler that Triple H has wasted no time bringing back to the company, and this time there is no Retribution gimmick that she is being saddled with. During her previous, main roster run there were a lot of problems for Yim, and it was always going to be tough for her to get past.

However, this time she appears to be back as her NXT which is more suited seriously. This should hopefully allow Yim to showcase to the world exactly what she is capable of as a wrestler, which will be a good thing.

3 Candice LeRae

Candice LeRae is in the exact same position as Mia Yim because her original run in WWE had also come to an end with a different character. She walked away from wrestling due to being pregnant, and when she returned it was as the same babyface character she had played before.

This was different from how fans lost saw her, because LeRae was working as a heel in The Way during her time in NXT. Now she is in a similar role that people are more familiar with.

2 Apollo Crews

Apollo Crews has spent the majority of his career working as a top babyface, but that was changed when he began teaming with Commander Azeez, tapping into his heritage while working as a heel. It showed a different side of his personality and did lead to him winning the Intercontinental Championship.

However, he has recently gone back to his old character when returning to NXT. As part of WWE's developmental brand, Crews has once again been all smiles and positivity, which is working again for now simply because it is on a fresh show.

1 Elias

Elias' guitar-playing character has been hit-and-miss at times in WWE, largely depending on how he has been booked. There were moments it was a hot act, and other times the company didn't focus on it, which is likely why WWE changed things up with the Ezekiel gimmick.

That was something that Vince McMahon appeared to be heavily behind, but when Triple H took over the creative department that all changed. The Game immediately got rid of the brother character, bringing back the Elias gimmick that fans are more familiar with.