13 Wrestlers Who Can't Let Go Of The Past

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One of the most important abilities that a pro wrestler needs to have is reinvention. Wrestling fans are notoriously fickle and will grow tired of any gimmick if you give them a few months. Therefore, wrestlers need to be able to reinvent themselves into someone new and equally (if not more) interesting than their previous gimmicks.

Professional wrestling is something often closely associated with nostalgia. This mostly applies to fans of the sport, but sometimes wrestlers themselves can get wrapped up in feelings of nostalgia. In a business where stars have to constantly evolve in order to stay fresh in the eyes of fans, nostalgia can be a potentially debilitating thing to a wrestler's career, which has been evident in WWE in recent years.

Whether it’s a wrestler caught up in their glory days or married to an outdated gimmick of theirs, some stars just can’t seem to catch up with the times. This makes them stick out like sore thumbs and, in the worst cases, can ultimately force the industry to leave them behind. Let’s get on with the list.

UPDATE: 2023/10/06 07:30 EST BY LIZZY FLANAGAN

One of the most important abilities that a pro wrestler needs to have is reinvention. Wrestling fans are notoriously fickle and will grow tired of any gimmick if you give them a few months. Therefore, wrestlers need to be able to reinvent themselves into someone new and equally (if not more) interesting than their previous gimmicks.

If a wrestler fails to keep up with the times, their act will grow stale. Some wrestlers may be able to get away with being unchanging if their gimmick is built on authenticity (think Eddie Kingston and Katsuyori Shibata), but most will find themselves lost in the shuffle if they don't evolve.

13 AJ Styles

AJ Styles was the second leader of the notorious Bullet Club in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He found immense success during his time in Japan which included a title reign as IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

Now, in WWE, AJ Styles and the Good Brothers (also former members of Bullet Club) like to play dress up and call themselves the O.C. While AJ Styles is more than talented enough to reinvent himself, he chooses to stay in the past.

12 Jay Lethal

Given his lack of charisma and solid yet uninteresting in-ring work, it’s a wonder Jay Lethal finds himself on television at all. His AEW theme song references the entrance music of Macho Man Randy Savage. This is because Jay used to parody Macho Man with his “Black Machismo” gimmick. It made him popular in TNA and he hasn’t let go of it since. His inability to advance past this is proof that he needs an evolution.

11 MVP

During the empty-arena era of WWE, the company experimented with several new factions. Some of these turned out much better than others. One of the most popular was the Hurt Business, a team made up of Bobby Lashley, Cedric Alexander, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP.

The faction disbanded just a few months after it formed, but to this day MVP continues to work toward a reunion for the team. While a lot of fans do actually want to see the Hurt Business back together, it seems less and less likely the more time goes on.

10 Ricochet

Around 2015, Ricochet was one of the most popular independent wrestlers on the scene. This was all because of his eye-catching high-flying style that made his spots go viral after every match. He quickly became synonymous with high-flying, which is something he carried into WWE. Unfortunately, Ricochet hasn’t been able to find any new sense of identity since then. While he can still wow audiences with his flips and daring stunts, the act has definitely gotten a bit stale.

9 Matt Hardy

While Jeff Hardy is known for his death-defying feats in the ring, Matt Hardy is more known for his creative mind. During Matt’s time on the independent circuit and in TNA, Matt created his "broken" persona. This gimmick is where his infamous "delete" chant originates. Matt Hardy continues to bank on the popularity of this gimmick, bringing it from TNA to WWE and then from WWE to AEW.

8 Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy also earns a spot on this list, but for very different reasons than his brother. Jeff Hardy hasn't changed very much in terms of his onscreen personality; he has been the same zany, enigmatic wrestler fans know and love for most of his career.

RELATED: Every Major Hardy Boyz Tag Team Feud, Ranked Worst To BestWhere Jeff's inability to let go of the past shows most clearly is his refusal to give up high-flying stunts. He isn't the young and spry athlete who can recover from these kinds of bumps anymore, but he continues to put himself in danger.

7 Sting

This is a controversial addition to the list. While Sting has aged very gracefully in the wrestling world, that does not change the fact that he has been doing the same gimmick for almost the last 30 years. "Crow" Sting debuted in WCW in 1996. It was an instant hit with wrestling fans and became so popular that Sting began to transcend the business. With a gimmick that beloved, it almost makes sense that Sting doesn't change much about it.

6 Braun Strowman

Believe it or not, there was a point in time when Braun Strowman was very popular and taken seriously. The Monster Among Men and former member of the Wyatt Family was a central contender for the WWE Championship and even became WWE Universal Champion. However, since making his return to WWE in 2022, Braun Strowman has both failed to recapture that magic and failed to come up with a new iteration of his character. He is currently injured and we hope he changes it up when he returns.

5 Hit Row

In NXT, Hit Row became an incredibly popular faction. Much of this was because of the group's frontman, Isiah Scott (now known in AEW as Swerve Strickland). The group was released from WWE in November 2021. When they returned to the company, Swerve had already moved on. Still, that didn't stop Hit Row from trying to recapture the magic they had in NXT. They have been failing immensely, which likely led to the release of Top Dolla from WWE in 2023.

4 Jeff Jarrett

While the phrase "if It ain't broke, don't fix it" does hold a lot of validity, it can also be taken too far. For example, Jeff Jarrett hit his first guitar shot on an opponent in 1993. Now, several decades later, he is still most known for coming to the ring and hitting his opponents over the head with an acoustic guitar. It makes you wonder if Double J is just a one-trick pony.

3 The Miz

The Miz called himself awesome once and never did anything original ever again. He still wears the same style of ring gear, the same A-lister persona, and the same middle-of-the-road wrestling abilities. I mean, The Miz even still puts on "Miz TV" segments, a gimmick that he first debuted over a decade ago. The more time goes on, the more The Miz feels like a relic from a lost time.

2 D-Generation X

Every so often, WWE pulls DX off the shelf and parades them out for the WWE universe for a reunion or anniversary. Every time they do it, the stunt feels even more awkward. DX was a faction built on rebelling against authority. Now, the guys in the group have become those same authoritative figures they used to rebel against, making these reunions feel very goofy. WWE should learn to leave the past where it belongs.

1 Chris Jericho

Fans might find Jericho's inclusion on this list might puzzle some fans since Jericho prides himself on his ability to reinvent himself. However, ever since he came to AEW, what reinvention has he really done? He gives himself goofy nicknames like "The Ocho" and "The Demo-God," but at the end of the day, he's the same middle-aged man with a bad spray tan and a tacky leather jacket. His segments often are some of the cringiest storylines and matches in AEW and his bizarre match with Adam Cole at Double Or Nothing 2023 is easily one of the worst AEW PPV matches. His seemingly never-ending parade of factions and alliance/feud with Sammy Guevara has also run its course for a long time now.