Trish Stratus & 9 Other Wrestlers That Improved Tremendously

A career as a professional wrestler is not an easy choice and not everyone is cut out to be one. The prerequisites for a successful career are not possessed by everyone that steps into a ring and it is difficult to achieve. Sometimes a wrestler may seem as though they are built for the wrestling business, but a lack of experience and character doom them to an early career end when they do not improve.

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Thankfully, there are wrestlers who are able to put the work into improving during their career and they come out much better on the other side. While finding success is a long and hard road, there are many examples of wrestlers who started out poor in their careers but were able to find success once they found a path to improving.

10 Trish Stratus

When Trish Stratus debuted in WWE in 2000, very few fans had her pegged as someone who would revolutionize women's wrestling. However, the former fitness model was able to transform not only the public perception of her but was able to leave a lasting legacy on professional wrestling that few wrestlers - male or female - would ever be able to replicate.

After working very hard on improving her in-ring skills alongside Fit Finlay, Status began to rise in the rankings in the women's division. Ultimately, she would become the cornerstone of the division and the eventual gold standard that other women's wrestlers would be compared to for decades to come.

9 Batista

As a part of the storied 2002 Class of OVW, Batista debuted in WWE as an intimidating bodyguard alongside Reverend Devon. Fans initially dismissed him as they had seen many hulking monsters like Batista appear on the roster only to fail quickly from the wrestling business. However, after becoming close friends with Triple H, Batista's fortune started to change.

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After working closely with other veteran wrestlers, Batista began to improve drastically to the point that he became one of WWE's most bankable stars. After first impressions faded, Batista had a Hall of Fame-worthy career and surpassed all expectations that fans had of him initially.

8 Eddie Kingston

Prior to joining AEW in a star-making role, Eddie Kingston was a down-on-his-luck independent wrestler who had experienced little success in his long career. Despite having wrestled since 2002, Kingston had struggled to make a name for himself in any large-scale company for several reasons, including reports of his negative attitude.

After several years of the same-old routine, Kingston seemed to focus heavily on improving his physique and in-ring abilities, which finally landed him his big break in 2020. Kingston is proof that focusing on achieving a dream can make it a reality, and is one of the greatest improvement stories in modern wrestling.

7 The Miz

Many wrestlers from the infamous Tough Enough competition were not fortunate enough to make it further on WWE programming. However, The Miz was one of the contestants that were given another chance in WWE, but the initial response from the audience was not positive. Due to Miz's below-average in-ring skills, he was rejected very quickly by the audience.

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After several years of toiling around as a host for WWE, The Miz started to show improvement in the ring in 2007. From that point onwards, he has steadily improved in all facets of the business and has become one of WWE's most reliable performers. The Miz has quietly become one of WWE's most consistent wrestlers and has earned the fan's respect because of it.

6 Candice Michelle

WWE's depiction of their female talent during the 2000s was very different than how women are treated in the modern product. The focus was placed much more on their looks instead of their in-ring abilities, which is why talents like Candice Michelle were initially hired. Used as eye candy for most of her career, Candice's in-ring performances were less than stellar when she was first hired.

However, Candice deserves all the respect in the world for making a genuine effort to improve her in-ring skills. In 2006, Candice started to improve drastically, to the point that she would become the first former Diva Search contestant to hold the WWE Women's Championship.

5 Drew McIntyre

Modern-day WWE fans would scoff at the thought of Drew McIntyre being anything but an unstoppable force in the ring, as he has consistently delivered as a main eventer since he returned to the WWE in 2017. However, fans that witnessed McIntyre during his humble beginnings know just how much he has improved since then.

When McIntyre debuted in WWE in 2009, he was coined as "The Chosen One" by Vince McMahon himself, which should have spelled great things for him. Ultimately, this moniker would be too much for him to live up to as his skills were not ready for that type of pressure, and he quietly crumbled under the weight of the expectations. It would only be after improving that he would finally experience success in WWE.

4 Bobby Lashley

When Bobby Lashley first arrived in WWE in 2005, he was immediately pushed as a top talent due to his look and size. Unfortunately, it was very apparent that he did not have the experience or abilities to shoulder that kind of responsibility and he floundered.

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It would only be after a ten-year absence from WWE that Lashley would have the experience to thrive in WWE. Since he returned in 2018, Lashley has proven that he just needed time to gain the confidence and abilities to be a WWE success story, and he has flourished ever since.

3 Britt Baker

Prior to Britt Baker's head-turning run as AEW Women's Champion in 2021, there were very few fans that were interested in what she had to offer as a performer. With her career floundering, it seemed as though Baker's days in AEW were numbered if she did not make a change.

Thankfully, once she started performing as Dr. Britt Baker DMD, she improved both her in-ring abilities and on the microphone. Following her hard work, she became an important fixture on AEW programming and help showcase the women's division in ways that most fans would not have thought were possible.

2 Ken Shamrock

Following an impressive career as a mixed-martial artist, Ken Shamrock made the transition to professional wrestling in 1997. With a legitimate fighting background, Shamrock was viewed as a true tough guy by fans, but his in-ring performances were not on the same level as other wrestlers in the Attitude Era when he first arrived.

However, Shamrock's natural athletic abilities helped him adapt over time to the demands of being a WWE superstar. By the end of his rookie year, fans were able to see a clear improvement in his in-ring work, which made him incredibly popular during his WWE stint.

1 Roman Reigns

Before he became The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns' WWE career was not headed in the right direction. After several years of criticism of his in-ring and microphone performances, fans were rejecting Reigns as the next main eventer in WWE unless he began to show some improvement in how he was portrayed.

Thankfully for Reigns, his character change in 2021 helped solidify him as one of WWE's most valuable performers. With one of the most impressive improvement stories in WWE history, Reigns owes his success to patience and perseverance during his improvement period.