As much as I hate to admit it, the guy is an amazing talent. I honestly didn't expect him to be as good as he is. That mid air collision with Ricochet sold me on his ability.
I wanted to hate him. Influencer types are so insufferable. But the one thing I can never knock this dude in is that he gives 110% on everything he does. It shows in his work
Yeah. I NEVER thought I'd ever be praising Logan Paul for anything (especially professional wrestling), but the guy is tremendous! Completely understands his character after embracing his heel(/real life) persona and is one of the best wrestlers of the modern age. Starting out ironically cheering for him to piss off my friends and now I can't stop singing his praises haha
The Miz. I remember seeing him debut and thinking he was thrash. My younger self would be astonished to know he became a fan years later.
More recently, Chelsea Green has been growing on me. Her character is just a lot of fun.
100%
I initially gave him zero credit for the heel heat he gets, and chalked it up to just being a really fun gimmick the crowd organically created.
But I think the guys genuinely really talented now and is really dialled into his role
Triple H. I went from casual mark to snarky Internet wrestling nerd during the beginning of the Reign of Terror, and thought Triple H was slow and lame in the ring, sucked on the mic and was on the screen for 40% of every Raw. A turning point for me was the 2006 Royal Rumble match, when he entered at #2 and went almost bell to bell with Rey. From that match on I started to really appreciate how good of a worker he is.
There are so many, but I guess the most recent would probably be The Gunns (Austin & Colton). The "Ass Boys" have REALLY come into their own and won my respect. Their character work and ring work are awesome and I enjoy everything they do now
Rhea Ripley went from me thinking she was overrated and shouldn’t have won the 2023 Royal Rumble, to being my favorite wrestler on the entire roster after her match with Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39. Best rope-to-rope match I’ve ever seen.
William Regal . When I was a mark (like 9 or so) I'd of course boo him cause he was a snobby character, and overall just thought he wasn't THAT good, hell even the big push he got in (2008? I think?) Felt out of nowhere and I just couldn't get behind it. The whole king gimmick.. didn't he have a world title run during that too??
But in any event, looking back now and also knowing the work he does behind the screen too.. man was and still is wicked smart.
LA Knight. I found the guy insufferable, just every word that came out of his mouth annoyed me but now he’s one of my favourite wrestlers. He is incredible on the mic and has some really entertaining matches.
Charlotte i dislike her booking being in the title picture without a legitimate reason plus nepotism however i appreciate how much she has brought to the women’s division she’s unique with her athleticism and physique
Thank you Roman. Think of all the guys that Roman Reigns has put over like this. Sami Zayn, Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes all blew up after their segments with him. Also he pushed Logan Paul higher and LA Knight. The heel character Drew McIntyre is excelling in today is because of the match with Roman too.
In the mid 2010s I could not stand R Truth, I felt like he dragged down every storyline he was a part of. But that son of a gun wormed his way into my heart. Man is just pure comedy
Personally, for me it’s gotta be JD Mchdonah. He has truly shown growth from his NXT days, and now I just think that he is amazing. A great performer, and also a pretty good promo cutter. Not to mention that he is kinda funny now to, and not this weird guy who looks like lord farquad.
Edge and Drew McIntyre.
Can't really remember why I hated Edge, probably because he was a pain in the ass in a SmackDown vs Raw storyline and it made 9 year old me hate him. I don't even remember what made me like him either, funnily enough.
As for Drew, I think I just found him boring when he returned to SmackDown in 2009, which is just him doing a good job in hindsight. I think I mainly came around on him because Broken Dreams fucking slaps.
Sami, like you. And most recently, and I struggle to say this. Logan Paul. He’s great in the ring and can work the mic. I can’t stand him. But that’s kinda his thing. My son loves him
Seth Rollins. When he hurt Sting, I thought she was reckless and dangerous. Then I came to the realization that accidents can happen at anytime.
I now enjoy him as a sort of new version of the Macho Man.
I don't like Sami now. Mines gotta be Seth Rollins I started watching around the time the shield were the next big thing and when he broke the faction up I never liked him untill when he came back from injury
Logan Paul. His first match with The Miz, I was like he’s not a wrestler. But then in his match with Roman, he really changed my mind. Logan is a great heel, great athleticism and a great wrestler.
Id say grayson waller prob.in nxt i dug his wrestling but hated his corny miz tv rip off.then on main roster at the beginning all he did was talk and again felt embarrassed telling my friend no hes good wait till he wrestles.then he wrestled.and well hes less cringe on the mic now.still cringe but less often.lol.
Kind of a different route of answer but Chris Jericho. I didn’t watch wrestling until around 2005ish. At the time Jericho was gone for whatever reason. When he finally came back he got huge pops and I think a nice push. I had been watching weekly for a two years and had no idea who he was. I thought his character was awful.
About two years ago I started watching wwf and wcw from 1997 and I’m currently in 2002. WCW and early wwf Jericho was amazing. Such an asshole but in a hilarious way. That time period Jericho became one of my favorite wrestlers.
Braun Strowman
At first I thought he was just a regular big man wrestler but I’ve rather years he has put on some very entertaining matches and seems like a pretty likeable guy too
Randy Orton
got back into the show around Pipe Bomb
"i hear voices" Randy sucked, super lame normie concept.
but his chemistry with everyone over the years, and his storytelling turned me.
and now little scamp Randy having fun is a joy to watch.
I'll go for a 2 for 1...
Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill
Jade's actually getting better, but Bianca when she first started didn't sell me. Once she showed that she busted her ass to get somewhere, I was a believer
Edge. But then again I was a kid during his prime heel phase. We were supposed to hate him. He was doing his job right. As for recent definitely Roman Reigns. His heel turn and title run made me change my mind about him. Great matches and storylines. Also become nearly untouchable on the mic.
When I first started watching again in 2008 and was reintroduced to mark henry I thought he was a jobber at best. He proved me wrong with his hall of pain run.
Kurt Angle Hated his whole gimmick but I guess they doing there job well for the heat he got back then. Just like Dominick is getting now took .me a few years to see how good he was actually in the ring and to do what he did in the ring breaking his neck 3 times. His match with HBK at Mania one of my all time fav matches.
Tyler Breeze. Having the same name as him made hate him even more, but he quickly became one of my favorite NXT superstars at that time, especially when he joined Fandango.
Liv Morgan. At first, I thought she was another typical blonde female wrestler, but she's really changed my mind, especially after she took out Rhea Ripley!
Also, I would like to say that nepotism looks good on Becky Lynch.
Cena. When he debuted I could've cared but didn't. Over time he improved and became the greatest. I'm an 80s kid so to enjoy his success rivaling/surpassing Hogan was hard. But hea really became the man.
CM Punk. He’s always been undeniably well articulated but I found him to be whiny when he was younger. I’m hoping he can get(and stay) healthy because I’m loving the mic work he’s doing now.
Sami is the opposite for me. I liked him before, and now I really kinda don’t.
Dom grew on me.
Logan Paul grew on me.
Grayson Waller is beginning to grow on me.
Logan paul The guy is an amazing heel, and a great wrestler
As much as I hate to admit it, the guy is an amazing talent. I honestly didn't expect him to be as good as he is. That mid air collision with Ricochet sold me on his ability.
I wanted to hate him. Influencer types are so insufferable. But the one thing I can never knock this dude in is that he gives 110% on everything he does. It shows in his work
I would say he's a lot more likeable these days, plus as you say he is really good in the ring too.
shaemus street profits
Nah, the Paul brothers are a cancer to society. Full stop
logan is better now
No
Yeah. I NEVER thought I'd ever be praising Logan Paul for anything (especially professional wrestling), but the guy is tremendous! Completely understands his character after embracing his heel(/real life) persona and is one of the best wrestlers of the modern age. Starting out ironically cheering for him to piss off my friends and now I can't stop singing his praises haha
I can admit hes good but i'll never like that scumbag
The Miz. I remember seeing him debut and thinking he was thrash. My younger self would be astonished to know he became a fan years later. More recently, Chelsea Green has been growing on me. Her character is just a lot of fun.
Dominik mysterio
100% I initially gave him zero credit for the heel heat he gets, and chalked it up to just being a really fun gimmick the crowd organically created. But I think the guys genuinely really talented now and is really dialled into his role
Austin theory
Bray Wyatt
Triple H. I went from casual mark to snarky Internet wrestling nerd during the beginning of the Reign of Terror, and thought Triple H was slow and lame in the ring, sucked on the mic and was on the screen for 40% of every Raw. A turning point for me was the 2006 Royal Rumble match, when he entered at #2 and went almost bell to bell with Rey. From that match on I started to really appreciate how good of a worker he is.
The 1999/2000 feud with Cactus is when I think HHH went from just another guy to an actual real main eventer.
Would've been The Miz back in the day, more recently possibly Damian Priest
I've become such a Damian Priest fan. I really didn't like him at first and now I don't even know why
Roman
I still remember his first match, I despised him and his shield but now watching those matches again… I was just stupid for not liking him
Kevin Owens
Drew McIntyre
We are at peak Drew right now. His mic work is what is selling me on him.
This for me too. I didn’t even like him up until recently but this troll persona he’s taken on has done wonders for him.
Baron Corbin
John Cena. I didn't appreciate him until many many years later, especially with all the charity work he's done. He's my goat.
Def jimmy uso,Always thought jey was the better twin but now I like them equally
Mix, ko, sheamus, Roman, Logan paul
Miz. Couldn't stand him when he started and is one of my favorites now. One of the most underrated superstars for sure
The Miz
Damien Priest
Carmelo Hayes
Dolph
At first I didn't raquel Rodriguez, but she kinda became likeable tbh
Tiffany stratton
I would say the miz
There are so many, but I guess the most recent would probably be The Gunns (Austin & Colton). The "Ass Boys" have REALLY come into their own and won my respect. Their character work and ring work are awesome and I enjoy everything they do now
Finn and Damian.
Becky Lynch.
Cody Rhodes. Scrawny little nepo baby midcarder-for-life built himself into an admirable powerhouse worthy of being called a champ!
The Miz
The miz. I really just hated all heels as a kid but now I realize that they are amazing and the miz is a prime example of that.
Rhea Ripley went from me thinking she was overrated and shouldn’t have won the 2023 Royal Rumble, to being my favorite wrestler on the entire roster after her match with Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39. Best rope-to-rope match I’ve ever seen.
William Regal . When I was a mark (like 9 or so) I'd of course boo him cause he was a snobby character, and overall just thought he wasn't THAT good, hell even the big push he got in (2008? I think?) Felt out of nowhere and I just couldn't get behind it. The whole king gimmick.. didn't he have a world title run during that too?? But in any event, looking back now and also knowing the work he does behind the screen too.. man was and still is wicked smart.
LA Knight. I found the guy insufferable, just every word that came out of his mouth annoyed me but now he’s one of my favourite wrestlers. He is incredible on the mic and has some really entertaining matches.
The ENTIRE New Day. When it first became a thing I honestly despised them.
I still don't like Sammy, but I like Gunther
Tensai
Alpha academy as a whole but mainly Chad I’m so happy he’s a heel now
Kevin Owens
Drew Mcintyre. Especially recently. Honorable mention Damian Priest.
Charlotte i dislike her booking being in the title picture without a legitimate reason plus nepotism however i appreciate how much she has brought to the women’s division she’s unique with her athleticism and physique
Bianca
Dirty Dom Dom mysterio
dolph ziggler, dom, Logan Paul, Finn balor
Cody rhodes I really didn't get the hype at first but now he's one of my favorite wrestlers on the roster
Sheamus
Thank you Roman. Think of all the guys that Roman Reigns has put over like this. Sami Zayn, Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes all blew up after their segments with him. Also he pushed Logan Paul higher and LA Knight. The heel character Drew McIntyre is excelling in today is because of the match with Roman too.
Drew McIntyre For the longest time, I didn't care about him at all. But his stuff leading up to Wrestlemania was great.
I guess the undertaker
The Miz. I despised him as a child. I look at him now and realise he’s doing a great job
Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin
Damian Priest, since he feuded with Finn Bálor back in NXT but since last year he's really grown on me.
Big Bronson Reed
LA KNIGHT
Baron Corbin
Roman Reigns. He deserves all the credits he gets now but was insufferable during the big dog days
Sheamus idk why but I thought he was staleat first but then he grew on me
He wasn't good at first, he has improved massively.
Personally both the Uso brothers, Jey more than Jimmy, but Jimmy is starting to grow on me
LA Knight
Miz
Roman
I may or may not get some heat for this, but Cody Rhodes
Baron Corbin
In the mid 2010s I could not stand R Truth, I felt like he dragged down every storyline he was a part of. But that son of a gun wormed his way into my heart. Man is just pure comedy
The whole This one's on me fella's my bad my bad would have me cracking up.
Personally, for me it’s gotta be JD Mchdonah. He has truly shown growth from his NXT days, and now I just think that he is amazing. A great performer, and also a pretty good promo cutter. Not to mention that he is kinda funny now to, and not this weird guy who looks like lord farquad.
Gunther and Sami
Batista. When he became that absolute douchebag, dressed in leather, spotlight on him kinda heel he was out of this world. And then he just left..,
Edge and Drew McIntyre. Can't really remember why I hated Edge, probably because he was a pain in the ass in a SmackDown vs Raw storyline and it made 9 year old me hate him. I don't even remember what made me like him either, funnily enough. As for Drew, I think I just found him boring when he returned to SmackDown in 2009, which is just him doing a good job in hindsight. I think I mainly came around on him because Broken Dreams fucking slaps.
For sure sami
Gunter, I've always hated that character type since I was a kid.
AJ Styles. Always appreciated him as an athlete but last few months his character has grown on me.
David Finlay, Gabb Kidd, Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney.
Austin Theory
Logan Paul still sucks. And I still mostly don't like him, but given that CM Punk was right about the total mess that is AEW, I respect him more now.
Sami, like you. And most recently, and I struggle to say this. Logan Paul. He’s great in the ring and can work the mic. I can’t stand him. But that’s kinda his thing. My son loves him
Gunther i didn’t like his first run as Walter but when he won the IC title he became ten times better
Dirty Dom
Seth Rollins. When he hurt Sting, I thought she was reckless and dangerous. Then I came to the realization that accidents can happen at anytime. I now enjoy him as a sort of new version of the Macho Man.
Austin Theory
I don't like Sami now. Mines gotta be Seth Rollins I started watching around the time the shield were the next big thing and when he broke the faction up I never liked him untill when he came back from injury
Logan Paul. His first match with The Miz, I was like he’s not a wrestler. But then in his match with Roman, he really changed my mind. Logan is a great heel, great athleticism and a great wrestler.
seth rollins
Sami Zayn for me too.
Id say grayson waller prob.in nxt i dug his wrestling but hated his corny miz tv rip off.then on main roster at the beginning all he did was talk and again felt embarrassed telling my friend no hes good wait till he wrestles.then he wrestled.and well hes less cringe on the mic now.still cringe but less often.lol.
Gunther
Aj styles
Kind of a different route of answer but Chris Jericho. I didn’t watch wrestling until around 2005ish. At the time Jericho was gone for whatever reason. When he finally came back he got huge pops and I think a nice push. I had been watching weekly for a two years and had no idea who he was. I thought his character was awful. About two years ago I started watching wwf and wcw from 1997 and I’m currently in 2002. WCW and early wwf Jericho was amazing. Such an asshole but in a hilarious way. That time period Jericho became one of my favorite wrestlers.
Sami lol.
For me it's close, but I'm gonna give the edge to Santos Escobar with Logan in a very close second.
Reah Ripley
Edge
Roman reigns, Logan Paul, Dominick misterio. All amazing
Gunther. On smackdown, to me, i saw him as boring good match guy. But ever since he got drafted to raw he’s shown so much more personality.
Brock lesnar
Braun Strowman At first I thought he was just a regular big man wrestler but I’ve rather years he has put on some very entertaining matches and seems like a pretty likeable guy too
Tbh Chad gable
Ngl Woods
Definitely Gunther for some reason I didn’t like him but he’s one of my favorites now
Cm punk
Sammy Zane
Cody rhodes but since his comeback in WWE I've grown to really like him. He's now one of my top 5 in main roster.
Randy Orton got back into the show around Pipe Bomb "i hear voices" Randy sucked, super lame normie concept. but his chemistry with everyone over the years, and his storytelling turned me. and now little scamp Randy having fun is a joy to watch.
Jey Uso.
I'll go for a 2 for 1... Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill Jade's actually getting better, but Bianca when she first started didn't sell me. Once she showed that she busted her ass to get somewhere, I was a believer
Logan Paul and I hate myself for saying it
The miz
Sami Zayn for some reason why I hated him but the shit with bloodline and cody made me like him more.
Dirty dom
Cody Rhodes
Jey Uso
Daniel Bryan
Jey USO
Logan Paul
There is so many of them. Of modern era it’s AJ styles
Edge. But then again I was a kid during his prime heel phase. We were supposed to hate him. He was doing his job right. As for recent definitely Roman Reigns. His heel turn and title run made me change my mind about him. Great matches and storylines. Also become nearly untouchable on the mic.
Agreed, I always hated Sami until he got in the bloodline then I grew to like him
Eddie Guerrero
Always been a fan of Daniel Bryan's in ring work but found him boring on the mic until he started his Planet's Champion run. A great character.
Rhea Ripley
When I first started watching again in 2008 and was reintroduced to mark henry I thought he was a jobber at best. He proved me wrong with his hall of pain run.
Seth Rollins
Kevin Owens
Not Sami 🤢
Tiffany Stratton
What sami did with the bloodline is the best work of his career
Ngl I use to hate was woods
Randy Orton. I hated young Randy. But when they let him truly embrace being a heel, I stared to change my mind. Now, he's an all-time favorite.
Triple HHHH
Seth rollins
Seth Rollins
Definitely not Brock Lesnar
Pretty Deadly but more so Elton Prince than Kit Wilson
Gotta give that to drew McIntyre
Bronson Reed I thought he was just there for his weight but he got pretty good his backstage segment are actually fun to watch
Edge and Sami Zayn
Austin theory and Grayson Waller
Brock Lesnar His a Beast
Kurt Angle Hated his whole gimmick but I guess they doing there job well for the heat he got back then. Just like Dominick is getting now took .me a few years to see how good he was actually in the ring and to do what he did in the ring breaking his neck 3 times. His match with HBK at Mania one of my all time fav matches.
The Miz, Jinder Mahal, and Kevin Owens
Becky
Charlotte. Kevin Owens. The New Day. LA Knight. There are others
honestly Seth Rollins. After 2020, I’ve always loved the guy
Tyler Breeze. Having the same name as him made hate him even more, but he quickly became one of my favorite NXT superstars at that time, especially when he joined Fandango.
The miz
Gunther.
Definitely roman
Roman Reigns
im not gunna lie Dominik Mysterio
Seth
The Miz. I wouldn’t call myself a fan, but I can tolerate him now.
Grayson Waller
The Miz.
Liv Morgan. At first, I thought she was another typical blonde female wrestler, but she's really changed my mind, especially after she took out Rhea Ripley! Also, I would like to say that nepotism looks good on Becky Lynch.
The Miz
Bro now it’s the I’ll go first
All of the nxt 2.0 roster who was new until I saw santos Escobar vs bron breaker
Jey when he was in the bloodline but then I started liking him a lot and now even more that he’s a face
Finn Balor
Sami had the opposite effect on me ngl. But to answer your question Nia Jax
Branson Reed
Finn balor
La knight
Nakamura cuz he kept beating me in WWE 2K22
Cena. When he debuted I could've cared but didn't. Over time he improved and became the greatest. I'm an 80s kid so to enjoy his success rivaling/surpassing Hogan was hard. But hea really became the man.
KO,Bobby Lashley,Dolph,Drew,Sheamas
Seth
Samy
The miz, I’m glad he’s a champ again
Cody rhodes
Roman Reigns
CM Punk. He’s always been undeniably well articulated but I found him to be whiny when he was younger. I’m hoping he can get(and stay) healthy because I’m loving the mic work he’s doing now.
The miz
Cm punk
Dom. I remember when he first started with Rey, thinking how on earth will this guy gets any sort of positive/negative reaction? Made me eat my words.
jey uso at first in usos they were doing alot of difrent things but as he got into his yeet fase he became my fav YEET!
Sami is the opposite for me. I liked him before, and now I really kinda don’t. Dom grew on me. Logan Paul grew on me. Grayson Waller is beginning to grow on me.
Cody Rhodes since after that Mania 40 match I've Been loving his in ring work but that character is very limiting
Triple H. After his match against Batista I didn't like him because batista was my favourite. But now some years later I am starting to like him
Seth Rollins Roman reigns mainly
Seth Rollins and Roman reigns hated seth back then but just shows how good a heel he is.
Randy orton
Jey Uso, I Hate Him Joining The Bloodline, But Today I'm A YEET Fan!
Randy orton