10 WWE Stars Who Were Unrecognizable From Their Early Days

1. Isaac Yankem - Fake Diesel - Kane

From an evil dentist to an imposter of a former top guy to a crazed man in a mask that has also taken off his mask, you could say that Glenn Jacobs has changed more than anybody in wrestling. He started out as Isaac Yankem in 1995 as a dentist brought in by heel Jerry Lawler to go after Bret Hart mainly. It was one of those ridiculous gimmicks that were all too common in the mid 1990s WWE that was never going to work, yet they tried it anyway. What was unique about the character was that he had a full head of hair plus yellow teeth, which made it funny because a dentist with bad teeth is hypocritical. That's pro wrestling! When WWE lost Diesel and Razor Ramon in the spring of 1996 it was a significant loss for them because they were major players in the company. For whatever reason, Vince McMahon thought it was smart to bring in a Fake Diesel and Fake Razor Ramon. The Fake Diesel character was played by Jacobs although he looked nothing like Yankem. If you didn't know about backstage happenings in wresting maybe you didn't know it was the same guy. That's how different they looked. In late 1997, Kane debuted. He was under a mask with his "father" Paul Bearer and he was put into a main event position immediately as the "brother" of The Undertaker. It's been a great role for him. He's one of the longest tenured WWE employees ever and even though he's in his late 40s he is still on TV nearly every week. When he took off his mask for the first time in 2003 it was a big deal. Most people like him better with the mask on, but his promos without the mask have been great sometimes especially in 2010 as a top heel on Smackdown. We've seen Kane in many different roles in the past 17 years. He's been masked and unmasked so many times it's hard to keep track. He's also been "Corporate Kane" like he is now. All three off his looks are different. Give him credit for pulling it off. He's one of the better actors in WWE. It's why he's been able to last as long as he has.
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John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.