WWE Superstars' Shocking First Photo Shoots

When superstars first come to the WWE, they are nothing more than lumps of clay waiting to be molded and shaped by the all-mighty Vince McMahon. As almost always is the case, what a wrestler looks like when he enters the company is nothing like how he looks when he leaves. Years of workshopping different costumes and gimmicks force WWE stars to constantly evolve until the WWE Universe finds something they want to latch onto.

WWE recently posted many of their stars very first photoshoots to show just how far many of them have come in such a short time. From John Cena to the Big Show and everywhere in between, even some of WWE’s most legendary competitors have undergone amazing makeovers since their debuts.

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You can see all of the WWE’s first photos here, but for now, we’ve picked out ten that are totally mind blowing. You won’t believe how much some of these stars have changed.

Daniel Bryan

Well who is that young whippersnapper? Here’s a classic example of how much you can gain by letting a talent grow into their own character. Daniel Bryan was a clean cut “indy darling” when he arrived in the WWE in 2009-10, but it wasn’t until he was able to grow out the beard and be himself that he captivated the WWE Universe with the YES! movement in 2013.

Roman Reigns

BOOOOOOOOOOOO! Sorry, it’s just a reflex. The Big Dog made his debut in NXT back in 2012 and even then it was clear WWE had him marked for greatness. Looking more like The Rock than a member of The Shield, Reigns had less tattoo on his arm and some kind of random horseshoe on his tights. Reigns wouldn’t need the luck as he has remained near the top of the main event scene for the last three years.

Dolph Ziggler

Much like when your mom accidentally sends you to picture day wearing an embarrassing t shirt, Dolph Ziggler’s first WWE shoot happened to come at a time where he was Kerwin White’s personal caddy. For those of you that don’t remember, Kerwin White was Chavo Guerrero dressed up as a white man because he was tired of getting held down by the WWE. This was either the most offensive or brilliant gimmick ever. We’re still not sure.

Mark Henry

If you have an Olympic background, you best know you’re going to look like a flag threw up on you during your first WWE photoshoot. Such was the case for World’s Strongest Man, Mark Henry, when he transitioned from the Olympic scene to the WWE. Before he would become Sexual Chocolate or the bringer of Pain, he was just a huge ol’ hunk of Americana.

Dean Ambrose

No jeans, tank top or scraggly beard here, but Ambrose still looked ready for greatness back in 2011.

Randy Orton

The only voice in Randy Orton’s head back in 2001 was one that said give me more tattoos and what are we doing with these bangs? 13 Championships later and The Viper has become one of the WWE’s most respected in-ring veterans.

Charlotte

It wasn’t all that long ago that the genetically superior daughter of the Nature Boy had her first shoot with the WWE, but you can already tell how much work Charlotte has put in to becoming The Queen she is today.

Big Show

Weeeeeeeellllll … it’s your cool substitute math teacher, the Big Show. When Paul “Big Show” Wight signed a ten year deal with the WWE back in 1999, who could have possibly imagined he’d still be breaking rings and wowing crowds 18 years later. Even moreso who could have imagined that glorious mane would have left his head and ran down to latch onto his beard.

Darren Young

WOW! Man has John Cena changed since his debut in the WWE back in 2002. Wait just a minute, our fact checking department is telling me this is actually Darren Young. I think they’re wrong, but let’s move on. Will the real John Cena please stand up?

John Cena

There he is! The prototypical WWE Superstar. Hmm, Maybe that’s what they should have called him. Anyhow, there’s a guy with Ruthless Aggression written all over his face. 15 years later and Cena has become one of the greatest stars in WWE history. And looking back at this photo, I think we can all see why he prefers jorts to spandex.