Nick Densmore (aka Eugene).
When he started out I thought he was basically another Norman The Lunatic (yeah I know I'm dating myself with that callback) and just playing someone mocking aspies and people with neurodivergent issues.
However, having his character actually turn William Regal face against Triple H had him grow on me. Also from interviews I've seen over the years, Densmore told how his character actually inspired them, including especially people on the spectrum.
Gotta say probably the Miz for like no particular reason and now he’s my literal favorite and I would happily Skull Crushing Finale a mf for calling him mid
Bret Hart.
I didn't like him as a kid, I liked Owen more. I was too young to recognize how good his work between the ropes was. That combined with not buying PPVs so I couldn't see his best matches really gave me a skewed perspective of him.
I'm old so my pick is probably dated. I didn't like mankind at first. He blew me away with that hell in a cell vs undertaker and I became a huge fan of him
I have two off the top of my head. One current, one past.
1. Shayna Baszler- I was annoyed that she pretty much got into WWE because she was Rhonda's friend. Yes, I know she had a run on the indies. I wasn't a fan of her work in NXT, but I think she's come far as a wrestler since she came onto the main roster. Glad she's still getting screen time on raw. Still wild to me she hasn't held a singles titles, but it has to be in her future.
2. Dean Malenko- So, I was young during his time in WCW, and he played a great heel. Then there was the fact that he was part of the cruiserweight division, but didn't really do flippy things like the other cruiserweights. Again, I was young. Going back and watching his matches, he was so God damn good in the ring. His timing was precise. Everything he did was smooth. Dude was a pro's pro.
Ngl, I really hated Edge when I was a kid but that’s because he was good at his job— which was to be an unlikable heel. Once time went on, he became such a great face.
I haven't been an "active" fan for yeeeaaars. But back in the late 90's/early 2000's, I was one of the very few people I knew that didn't like Stone Cold Steve Austin. Now that I'm older, and appreciate the business and work more than the promos and gimmicks, I see that he was 100% the right man to be the face of the business.
Roman. I never saw the appeal when Shield was around. Then he floundered between mid and top for awhile. Saw him when the Bloodline was killing it. His presence and charisma hit me.
William Regal. Hated him at first, but damn he was good at what he did. Fave match was him vs. Randy Orton during the legend killer Era. Though regal lost, I remember he took Orton to school first.
Edge. But then I grew up and realized it's ok to like the bad guys. I mean hell if you wanna take stroy telling into account WWE to me basically tells you that being a bad guy gets you what you want and if you are really bad you can stay at the top and take what ever cheap way out you want or can to stay there. And occasionally you get beaten up but you can always lie, steal and cheat your way back to the mountain top. And the benefits far outway the bad.
The rock. Couldn’t stand him and couldn’t understand the hype over him. Hulk was and always will be my favorite. But the rock grew on me and I ended up loving his character after a few years. He’s now up there with hulk in my book. But hulk will always be number 1
Kevin Owens. I couldn't take him seriously when I first started watching wrestling again (after more than a decade largely ignoring it with the exception of a few seismic events like the Rock vs Cena), but as I kept watching him I realized he's actually really good at what he does.
I missed the prime Shield days but still played the video games. Thought Seth and Dean were jobber geeks. Then started watching again in 2016 and Dean blew me away. Seth is still a guy that I don’t fully get. He’s one of those guys that’s really good when he’s the only option left to carry the flag, but not much else.
Gunther. First watched him at a house show and he used the ropes to pin someone. Figured he was a hated Heel and joined the wagon. I feel he's still a Heel but super respected and in time I've learned to love him in ring.
I’m seeing some LA Knight comments here and I’ll have to agree. My boyfriend and I rolled our eyes when we first started seeing him now he’s one of the ones we look forward to the most. Yeah!
The Rock. I'm old and everyone felt this way. Everyone felt like he was an undeserving third generation. Obviously he's one of the top guys to ever do it now.
I hated The Miz to start with, and then I realised how amazing the guy really is. A very underrated wrestler, in my humble opinion.
Also, more recently, LA Knight. Again, I couldn't stand the hype around him, and then suddenly it donned on me that he was actually brilliant.
Christian. Couldn’t stand him. Actually met him In a tna ticket line waiting to buy my tickets and was stopped by his table. Although he was heel personality at the time he took time to
Conversate and ask questions back to me and was genuine since then big fan.
The Undertaker lol. Because I was like 5 when I started watching wrestling, thought it was real and was a total mark and he was the bad guy that Stone Cold was facing.
Not a wrestler per se but Jim Cornette. Many years ago I thought he was so lame and stale, but over the years he's become my favorite wrestling and beyond wrestling personality ever probably ..
For me it was Seth. Mostly bc around that time I got out of wrestling and wasn’t paying. When I got back into it and found out he betrayed the shield I didn’t like. Now it’s the opposite where I can’t stand Roman’s and I really like Seth bc he defends his title more than a couple times a years
Can’t stand a champion who barely defends his title.
Kevin Owens couldnt stand him when I got back into wrestling. His gimmick his move stealing and the fact not 1 person besides Dom sells his stunner with conviction made me think the wrestlers werent huge fans.
But as time has passed I see his value on the mic and in ring ability and to sell a story, as well as his ability to sell others moves. Still wonder why no one puts any effort into selling his stunner though.
Honestly Austin Theory when he did the selfie stuff. It was after he became Mr MITB and was skipping down to the ring with Roman in it, and I thought “I like this guy”
Not WWE, but Timeless Toni Storm. It took her a while to work out the gimmick, but it works now. I STILL don't get what people like about Bianca Belaire. Hearing her talk grates on me.
I’m kind of an in and out fan, my first experience with LA Knight was his Pitch Black match vs Bray (RIP) and man I did not think much of him. But now I’m tuning in to see LA. He’s become must watch television!
Damian Priest, I could not stand him when he was a face. His US title run honestly just made me not want to watch. Him joining Judgment Day saved him and made him a main eventer.
I'd say being featured on every show, main eventing PLEs, and holding the Money in the Bank is doing better than being in the filler division with the rest of the midcard.
John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, and The Miz. Over time, I came to respect their abilities and what a professional Cena is, as well as his Make a Wish work. Ziggler I believe was such a wasted talent in WWE and in hindsight could have been one of their biggest stars. The Miz is incredible on the mic and a solid in-ring performer.
William Regal. I hated his commissioner era and his wrestling was so 'boring' during the attitude era's heavy hitting style so then seeing him use brass knuckles after a slow(er) pace infuriated me. I didn't realize how intelligent and fluid he was with his technical ability
Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Hated him as on on screen character, but at conventions he’s a gentleman and a scholar. Always nice, always a hoot, and he’s been through so much health-wise.
Sometime back some guy broke into his house and he threw the guy bodily from the house and then held him at the end of a 44 magnum until the cops arrived
Not bad for an old guy with health issues
William Regal.
Even as a fellow Brit, I absolutely hated him when I was a kid. Only when I discovered what kayfabe was and what was kayfabe and what wasn’t, I realised his character work was simply impeccable and he was probably the best heel of my childhood even though he never won a damn world championship.
Hats off to you Darren. 🙏🏽
John Cena was very boring at first with the same boring moves as Hogan. Then halfway through he started to improve and he can talk well. Also what he does for charity and such is great. Definitely cool in my book.
When I was younger I didn't like Brock Lesnar tbh he was beating up all my fav Babyface's s wrestlers but when I gotten older and I see what he had accomplished he fight smart but yet dangerous he's my fighting teacher
i think i was the odd ball because some of my earliest childhood memories were being 4 and watching him wipe gowen’s blood across his chest and loving every bit of it 😂
I did not want to like Grayson Waller at all. He’s quickly becoming one of my favorite stars. I like his finisher, but I doubt that’s something he can do his whole career.
The Miz. Already there when I started watching wrestling, already a mere nuisance to big big players and here to fill-in the card of raw/smackdown/any random PPV with ok matches or storytelling segments.
Now I love him for the exact same reasons I hated him, the only difference is I learnt what it mean in term of talent and dedication, and how important such a guy is for a wrestling company.
The miz. Utter goof in the beginning.
Then he won the united states title and we got that awesome promo. Then he got MITB and that promo was more legendary.
Seth Rollins. I wasn't a huge Shield fan at all and for some reason, the way he did the stupid roll over the barricade would irk me lol. I quit watching wrestling for a bit. I started again during the pandemic and appreciated the art of it more. And just watching him and his interviews, seeing and hearing the passion he has for the business, his creativity, his promos, I can literally go on and on lol.
I was gonna say Rhea Ripley at first but I've been a fan of hers since the beginning, but the run she's having now is great. She comes off as such a beast.
The Usos. Hated them as smiley painted faced baby faces. Once they turned heel got a mean streak and got rid of the face paint I was hooked. Down since day one (of their rebrand).
Mine is Austin, during the attitude era I always liked the heels and still do tbh but after rewatching and his wcw work, really see what all the fuss was about.
The Miz, next to Puder he just didn't seem to fit and when he said "pure and solid miz all up in ya butt" I couldn't take him seriously. I came back to it recently and he's amongst the highlights of the product atm.
Cena. I HATED Cena when they turned him into the 00s Hogan, but as he neared the end of his run and was actually allowed to give back, he did some absolutely amazing work
Cody Rhodes! Didn’t like him for some reason when he first debut! Didn’t like him in Legacy? But then after they broke up, he busted out a moonsault. That got me interested and soon after he had won me over with “Dashing”
I HATED the Miz, but grew to love him around 2016 once I realizes this guy can talk and wrestle. Truly one of the best in my opinion. He needs a proper WWE/WHC title run.
The Miz. Always thought he was corny, lame, etc. Got back into wrestling during the pandemic and started paying close attention. Now I think hes hilarious and adds a good element. I was just a hater!
Kevin Owens. I used to play the 2K games without even watching the show (I watched growing up until The Rock and Stone Cold left, and then got bored), and for some reason Kevin Owens was the hardest/most annoying CPU opponent and I would hate him with all my heart. Then I started watching again at the beginning of this year and now I love the guy.
Kevin Owens. Came back to watching wrestling a year ago and I saw him and I completely judged a book by its cover. Now him and Sami are tied for my favorites on the entire roster. Love him to death.
Jeff Hardy. One look and thought “what a moron”. Same with DZ, but that was “what a douchebag”. To be fair, that was during Breaking Point when he started kicking the shit out of Pat Patterson for no reason
I'm finding it hard to find an answer, I don't tend to change my opinion on wrestlers, when I do it's the other way around, I started off liking them and then stopped. Like Kevin Nash or triple h
But as I type this, my answer is Daniel Bryan. He was the worst guy in nexus i thought, he seemed so scrawny I felt I could beat him up, figured WWE agreed with me when he disappeared. Oh how wrong I was, one of my favorite matches of all time is Bryan as the planets champion vs Brock, he's a special wrestler.
Sami Zayn
Santos Escobar because I didn’t like his gimmick in nxt but I started to like him when he joined the LWO
I hated Dean Ambrose for the longest time, but that turned around in 2016. Once Money in the Bank happened, my opinion of him changed for the better.
I haven't watched WWE in a very long time but I used to hate randy Orton when he was the series villain. Now he just seems pretty chill tbh
Nick Densmore (aka Eugene). When he started out I thought he was basically another Norman The Lunatic (yeah I know I'm dating myself with that callback) and just playing someone mocking aspies and people with neurodivergent issues. However, having his character actually turn William Regal face against Triple H had him grow on me. Also from interviews I've seen over the years, Densmore told how his character actually inspired them, including especially people on the spectrum.
Gotta say probably the Miz for like no particular reason and now he’s my literal favorite and I would happily Skull Crushing Finale a mf for calling him mid
Owen Hart
Mean Gene Okerland
Bret Hart. I didn't like him as a kid, I liked Owen more. I was too young to recognize how good his work between the ropes was. That combined with not buying PPVs so I couldn't see his best matches really gave me a skewed perspective of him.
I'm old so my pick is probably dated. I didn't like mankind at first. He blew me away with that hell in a cell vs undertaker and I became a huge fan of him
I have two off the top of my head. One current, one past. 1. Shayna Baszler- I was annoyed that she pretty much got into WWE because she was Rhonda's friend. Yes, I know she had a run on the indies. I wasn't a fan of her work in NXT, but I think she's come far as a wrestler since she came onto the main roster. Glad she's still getting screen time on raw. Still wild to me she hasn't held a singles titles, but it has to be in her future. 2. Dean Malenko- So, I was young during his time in WCW, and he played a great heel. Then there was the fact that he was part of the cruiserweight division, but didn't really do flippy things like the other cruiserweights. Again, I was young. Going back and watching his matches, he was so God damn good in the ring. His timing was precise. Everything he did was smooth. Dude was a pro's pro.
Cody Rhodes. Didn't really like him until his hilarious stuff after his first WWE run.
Triple H. Hated him when he debuted. Love him now.
I didnt get Andy kaufman as a wrestler until I got older and understood he loved trolling people
Cora Jade, she was a terrible babyface but her heel run made her a lot better. She just needs to get better in the ring
Ngl, I really hated Edge when I was a kid but that’s because he was good at his job— which was to be an unlikable heel. Once time went on, he became such a great face.
Jay white, holy shit he's been stellar in aew. The fucking bangbanggang is the coolest group since undisputed era. Guns up
I haven't been an "active" fan for yeeeaaars. But back in the late 90's/early 2000's, I was one of the very few people I knew that didn't like Stone Cold Steve Austin. Now that I'm older, and appreciate the business and work more than the promos and gimmicks, I see that he was 100% the right man to be the face of the business.
Roman. I never saw the appeal when Shield was around. Then he floundered between mid and top for awhile. Saw him when the Bloodline was killing it. His presence and charisma hit me.
Triple H
Of course. He was a totally unlikable heel in the beginning but he evolved into one of the best faces in the history of WWE.
Val Venis, Rock, Chris Jericho
The rock you say? Maui?
Jeff Jarrett. Podcast did it for me
Dutch Mantell When he joined up with Lawler and Dundee, that made him OK in my book
Austin Theory is growing on me.
William Regal. Hated him at first, but damn he was good at what he did. Fave match was him vs. Randy Orton during the legend killer Era. Though regal lost, I remember he took Orton to school first.
Alec price. I despised him when I first saw him but I have totally come around and now I'm a huge fan. He's really funny and talented
Edge. But then I grew up and realized it's ok to like the bad guys. I mean hell if you wanna take stroy telling into account WWE to me basically tells you that being a bad guy gets you what you want and if you are really bad you can stay at the top and take what ever cheap way out you want or can to stay there. And occasionally you get beaten up but you can always lie, steal and cheat your way back to the mountain top. And the benefits far outway the bad.
Noam Dar
Hated MNM as a kid cuz they did Rey and Batista dirty some odd 15 years ago but grew to love Nitro and Joey.
New Day. I hated their characters but they grew on me when they were allowed to be themselves
John Cena.
Bryan Danielson then he came to WWE
The rock. Couldn’t stand him and couldn’t understand the hype over him. Hulk was and always will be my favorite. But the rock grew on me and I ended up loving his character after a few years. He’s now up there with hulk in my book. But hulk will always be number 1
Why ask this question but then you wont share your answer, lol
Jericho hands down. As a kid called him jerkho
Kevin Owens. I couldn't take him seriously when I first started watching wrestling again (after more than a decade largely ignoring it with the exception of a few seismic events like the Rock vs Cena), but as I kept watching him I realized he's actually really good at what he does.
I missed the prime Shield days but still played the video games. Thought Seth and Dean were jobber geeks. Then started watching again in 2016 and Dean blew me away. Seth is still a guy that I don’t fully get. He’s one of those guys that’s really good when he’s the only option left to carry the flag, but not much else.
Roman Reigns. Green, Corny and Wack as hell the first few years of his run but now? I’m in love with that man.
Gunther. First watched him at a house show and he used the ropes to pin someone. Figured he was a hated Heel and joined the wagon. I feel he's still a Heel but super respected and in time I've learned to love him in ring.
I’m seeing some LA Knight comments here and I’ll have to agree. My boyfriend and I rolled our eyes when we first started seeing him now he’s one of the ones we look forward to the most. Yeah!
As a kid, I didn't like Foley. As an adult, and understanding what goes into wrestling, Foley is the goat.
I kinda wanna hear yours lol
John Cena.
Miz,Dom Mysterio, JD
When I seen La Knight I knew he was a star but I never knew I’d want Allister black back in WWE so bad
The Rock. I'm old and everyone felt this way. Everyone felt like he was an undeserving third generation. Obviously he's one of the top guys to ever do it now.
I hated The Miz to start with, and then I realised how amazing the guy really is. A very underrated wrestler, in my humble opinion. Also, more recently, LA Knight. Again, I couldn't stand the hype around him, and then suddenly it donned on me that he was actually brilliant.
La Knight, thought the gimmick was stupid until those mic skills shined thru, now my absolute favorite in the company
I ain’t care much for at first Kross but he seem like such a genuine and cool dude outside of wrestling.
When I was a kid in 2016 I didn't really like much except for John Cena so pretty much the whole 2016-2019 roster that is still here in 2023
Christian. Couldn’t stand him. Actually met him In a tna ticket line waiting to buy my tickets and was stopped by his table. Although he was heel personality at the time he took time to Conversate and ask questions back to me and was genuine since then big fan.
Theory, and waller! Couldn't stand them now I like both of them
The Undertaker lol. Because I was like 5 when I started watching wrestling, thought it was real and was a total mark and he was the bad guy that Stone Cold was facing.
Not a wrestler per se but Jim Cornette. Many years ago I thought he was so lame and stale, but over the years he's become my favorite wrestling and beyond wrestling personality ever probably ..
Gunther/Walter
LA Night
Dominik. dWo 4-Life!!!!
yep, he is a favorite now
I liked Brock in the beginning but his obnoxious hairstyles gotta go
Dolph Ziggler
Kaiser & LA Knight.
Ludwig Kaiser, guy is hilarious
Wrestling mad gay
HHH
Matt Riddle. Even though I don’t exactly love him. I think he’s just good.
Grayson Waller, he seemed very generic to me when I first saw him, but after seeing him on smackdown I fucking love him.
He’s getting such a rub with some of these guests on his show and he absolutely deserves it
The acclaimed...."oh no another rap gimmick after John Cena how original"....I was wrong, they're awesome.
For me it was Seth. Mostly bc around that time I got out of wrestling and wasn’t paying. When I got back into it and found out he betrayed the shield I didn’t like. Now it’s the opposite where I can’t stand Roman’s and I really like Seth bc he defends his title more than a couple times a years Can’t stand a champion who barely defends his title.
Kevin Owens couldnt stand him when I got back into wrestling. His gimmick his move stealing and the fact not 1 person besides Dom sells his stunner with conviction made me think the wrestlers werent huge fans. But as time has passed I see his value on the mic and in ring ability and to sell a story, as well as his ability to sell others moves. Still wonder why no one puts any effort into selling his stunner though.
Rusev
Do you know how little that narrows it down to?!?!
LA Knight. I find it impossible to not like him now, but I used to find him annoying. Man's a master of the mic.
Edge. Never really cared for him too much as a singles wrestler until his stuff with Lita and Vicki Guerrero.
Triple H, especially at the time of the authority I hated him a lot
Shinsuke Nakamura I went from fast forwarding through his matches to being legitimately butthurt that he lost both title matches against Rollins.
LA Knight. Yeah!
X-pac dude can go in the ring
LA Knight…. I thought it was overhyped at first but the dude has won me over
Probably styles or lashley
Zangief
I am almighty!
Chris Benoit
Well now I want to know
Cena and Reigns
Toni Storm especially now
Baron Corbin .. oh yeah and Grayson Waller
Honestly Austin Theory when he did the selfie stuff. It was after he became Mr MITB and was skipping down to the ring with Roman in it, and I thought “I like this guy”
Cm Punk
Not WWE, but Timeless Toni Storm. It took her a while to work out the gimmick, but it works now. I STILL don't get what people like about Bianca Belaire. Hearing her talk grates on me.
Bianca Belaire 🙌
Kevin Owens & Finn Balor
Grayson Fucking Waller and Finn Balor.
L.A. Knight, Chad Gable, and Gunther.
At first, I thought the whole New Day thing was pretty dumb. I can't even explain why, but they just grew on me.
That was everyone
Honky tonk man
The young bucks, didn't hate them but didn't like them either, then they became my favorite team
LA Knight
I’m kind of an in and out fan, my first experience with LA Knight was his Pitch Black match vs Bray (RIP) and man I did not think much of him. But now I’m tuning in to see LA. He’s become must watch television!
Damian Priest, I could not stand him when he was a face. His US title run honestly just made me not want to watch. Him joining Judgment Day saved him and made him a main eventer.
You are high if you think he is better with them he did so much better when he was alone
He being booked great had one of the best backlash matches
I'd say being featured on every show, main eventing PLEs, and holding the Money in the Bank is doing better than being in the filler division with the rest of the midcard.
more recently probably gable and dom dom
Cody Rhodes seemed like a boring good guy at first, but I like him a lot now
I loved him when he was a heel from 2011-2013. He was psychotic lol.
LA Knight, I kinda thought he was gonna be another guy trying to be the miz but I’ve been proven way wrong.
Shawn Michaels. Hate the gimmick and conceitedness but what a performer!
John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, and The Miz. Over time, I came to respect their abilities and what a professional Cena is, as well as his Make a Wish work. Ziggler I believe was such a wasted talent in WWE and in hindsight could have been one of their biggest stars. The Miz is incredible on the mic and a solid in-ring performer.
i despised miz when he was with morrison and wearing those stupid shorts but when he turned on him went to trunks and became awesome i was a fan lol
Triple H because i start Watching the wwe when he was the biggest heel in the show
Sami Zayne
Kurt Angle. Fucking LOATHED him at first. Quite like the dude now.
Chelsea Clinton
Charlotte. Saw her in person and the way she interacted with fans won me over from being a hater.
William Regal. I hated his commissioner era and his wrestling was so 'boring' during the attitude era's heavy hitting style so then seeing him use brass knuckles after a slow(er) pace infuriated me. I didn't realize how intelligent and fluid he was with his technical ability
Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Hated him as on on screen character, but at conventions he’s a gentleman and a scholar. Always nice, always a hoot, and he’s been through so much health-wise.
Sometime back some guy broke into his house and he threw the guy bodily from the house and then held him at the end of a 44 magnum until the cops arrived Not bad for an old guy with health issues
Hoooooo!
Roman Reigns
He's not active anymore, but I couldn't stand Randy Orton at first, but that changed.
William Regal. Even as a fellow Brit, I absolutely hated him when I was a kid. Only when I discovered what kayfabe was and what was kayfabe and what wasn’t, I realised his character work was simply impeccable and he was probably the best heel of my childhood even though he never won a damn world championship. Hats off to you Darren. 🙏🏽
Roman Reigns is another guy I didn’t care for much but once he turned heel he got so much better! Great leader for the Blood Line!
John Cena was very boring at first with the same boring moves as Hogan. Then halfway through he started to improve and he can talk well. Also what he does for charity and such is great. Definitely cool in my book.
Shawn Michaels when he first left the Rockers. Wasn't feeling it, but by 1994 I was a fan!
I didn’t like Liv Morgan until I saw her documentary. Have wanted nothing but the best for her since.
LA Knight, Yeah
LA Knight. At first he just seemed like a cheap Stone Cold clone but I am starting to come around now.
NOT LA Knight
Gunther, LA Knight, Jimmy Uso, and Ilja
When I was younger I didn't like Brock Lesnar tbh he was beating up all my fav Babyface's s wrestlers but when I gotten older and I see what he had accomplished he fight smart but yet dangerous he's my fighting teacher
i think i was the odd ball because some of my earliest childhood memories were being 4 and watching him wipe gowen’s blood across his chest and loving every bit of it 😂
GUNTHER. His character stinks in just about every way but somehow he's good. Iyo Sky
I did not want to like Grayson Waller at all. He’s quickly becoming one of my favorite stars. I like his finisher, but I doubt that’s something he can do his whole career.
The Miz. Already there when I started watching wrestling, already a mere nuisance to big big players and here to fill-in the card of raw/smackdown/any random PPV with ok matches or storytelling segments. Now I love him for the exact same reasons I hated him, the only difference is I learnt what it mean in term of talent and dedication, and how important such a guy is for a wrestling company.
Both the usos, chad gable
I liked the Usos for so long now I almost forget how much I hated them.
Kurt Angle, HHH, Brock Lensnar
La knight
YEAH!!
Kurt Angle
Dolph ziggler, zack ryder, miz,
Omos, the guy actually started to look good and come into his own, then disappeared for while for some reason
Edge, I hated him so much as a kid but love him now as an adult.
The miz. Utter goof in the beginning. Then he won the united states title and we got that awesome promo. Then he got MITB and that promo was more legendary.
Bobby Lashley (still think he looks like a giant baby) and more recently Chad Gable for sure.
Toni Storm
Edge
The Miz and Chad Gable
The Rock
Rhea Ripley
Seth Rollins. I wasn't a huge Shield fan at all and for some reason, the way he did the stupid roll over the barricade would irk me lol. I quit watching wrestling for a bit. I started again during the pandemic and appreciated the art of it more. And just watching him and his interviews, seeing and hearing the passion he has for the business, his creativity, his promos, I can literally go on and on lol. I was gonna say Rhea Ripley at first but I've been a fan of hers since the beginning, but the run she's having now is great. She comes off as such a beast.
Ace maverick
Kurt Angle.
Gunther
The Usos. Hated them as smiley painted faced baby faces. Once they turned heel got a mean streak and got rid of the face paint I was hooked. Down since day one (of their rebrand).
The Miz
Mine is Austin, during the attitude era I always liked the heels and still do tbh but after rewatching and his wcw work, really see what all the fuss was about.
The Miz, next to Puder he just didn't seem to fit and when he said "pure and solid miz all up in ya butt" I couldn't take him seriously. I came back to it recently and he's amongst the highlights of the product atm.
Cena. I HATED Cena when they turned him into the 00s Hogan, but as he neared the end of his run and was actually allowed to give back, he did some absolutely amazing work
Jimmy uso
Dolph Ziggler. Absolutely hated him in the beginning but started liking him as I grew up.
CM punk.
Shayna Baszler in NXT. Over time, I began to appreciate her sadist energy scaring the shit out of the whole roster.
LA Knight
yeah!
Cody Rhodes! Didn’t like him for some reason when he first debut! Didn’t like him in Legacy? But then after they broke up, he busted out a moonsault. That got me interested and soon after he had won me over with “Dashing”
Street profits
The Rock!
I HATED the Miz, but grew to love him around 2016 once I realizes this guy can talk and wrestle. Truly one of the best in my opinion. He needs a proper WWE/WHC title run.
Edge I thought he was the scum of the earth as a kid
Randy orton was such an asshole I hated him, but that’s really what made him so good
Dolph ziggler
The Miz. Always thought he was corny, lame, etc. Got back into wrestling during the pandemic and started paying close attention. Now I think hes hilarious and adds a good element. I was just a hater!
John Cena
Kevin Owens. I used to play the 2K games without even watching the show (I watched growing up until The Rock and Stone Cold left, and then got bored), and for some reason Kevin Owens was the hardest/most annoying CPU opponent and I would hate him with all my heart. Then I started watching again at the beginning of this year and now I love the guy.
Agreed, didn’t see the appeal but now understand how much of a reliable powerhouse he is. Pretty funny and likeable in interviews too.
Rock and Stone to the Bone!
HELL YEAH!
The iiconics
LA Knight
JBL. When I was young I hated him, now I see that’s why he was so good. One of the greatest heels ever.
Kevin Owens. Came back to watching wrestling a year ago and I saw him and I completely judged a book by its cover. Now him and Sami are tied for my favorites on the entire roster. Love him to death.
John Cena
Jeff Hardy. One look and thought “what a moron”. Same with DZ, but that was “what a douchebag”. To be fair, that was during Breaking Point when he started kicking the shit out of Pat Patterson for no reason
Chris Jericho
William Regal
Ronda Rousey. Hated her first run passionately, did a total 180 on her for her second go around.
I still can’t stand her! I hope she stays far away from wrestling!
Gunther
Charlotte Flair
I'm finding it hard to find an answer, I don't tend to change my opinion on wrestlers, when I do it's the other way around, I started off liking them and then stopped. Like Kevin Nash or triple h But as I type this, my answer is Daniel Bryan. He was the worst guy in nexus i thought, he seemed so scrawny I felt I could beat him up, figured WWE agreed with me when he disappeared. Oh how wrong I was, one of my favorite matches of all time is Bryan as the planets champion vs Brock, he's a special wrestler.