Picture Credit: Drew Mcintyre and Roman Reigns (Instagram)
The combination of long hair and beard works well in professional wrestling. Over the years, whether in old-school wrestling or the modern era, seeing talents with a mix of both has become a conventional look. The flowy and floating long hair looks captivating, enhancing the overall look. On top of it, the beard becomes a cherry on the cake, giving most Superstars a complete look suitable to their gimmicks.
While some wrestlers only keep long hair, some maintain a beard all year. On the other hand, a handful of wrestlers keep both simultaneously, and a considerable number of them have attained success, winning the biggest honors in WWE, particularly the world championships.
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Let’s have a look at such former World championships who kept long hair and beard throughout their careers in WWE.
6) Bray Wyatt (3-Time World Champion)
Bray Wyatt’s long hair and beard played a significant role throughout his WWE career, starting from his tenure at The Wyatt Family’s beginning. He underwent several transformations, playing different gimmicks in his decade-long run in the Stamford-based promotion. Seeing him with facial hair or beard or lengthy locks was a normal occurrence for fans.
During his run as The Wyatt Family’s leader, The Eater of the World kept his beard size for about an inch, complementing with long hair touching his middle back. Playing the gimmick, he was also seen in long dreadlocks. Once he dropped the gimmick and introduced himself as the Firefly Fun House host, his alter ego, The Fiend, he shortened his hair, but it was still long. On the contrary, he kept a full-face beard that was not as long as his Wyatt Family days.
Bray Wyatt left a lasting legacy in WWE, winning the world championship three times under different gimmicks. His maiden world title, the WWE Championship in 2017, was followed by two Universal Champion reigns in 2019 and 2020.
5) Drew McIntyre (3-time World Champion)
When Vince McMahon introduced a young Drew McIntyre as the ‘Chosen One’ in 2009, he looked entirely distinct from the current 39-year-old Scottish Warrior. He did have long hair, but he missed a full beard. Additionally, he had a less muscular definition back then.
Rediscovering himself when McIntyre returned with a new look and attitude in 2017, he sported a full beard alongside the long hair. Up to now, his appearance has remained the same. Today, Drew is a three-time world champion, boasting two WWE and one World Heavyweight Championship reign.
4) AJ Styles ( 2-Time WWE Champion)
AJ Styles’ transformation from his TNA days to WWE is truly phenomenal. Filled with hope and aspirations, a young AJ Styles embarked on his major wrestling journey from TNA, not WWE. He was a late bloomer in WWE, arriving for the promotion in 2016. Previously, he gained recognition due to his incredible work as a TNA star.
In his TNA years, he appeared unrecognizable compared to his current look in WWE. Styles in his 20s had short hair and a clean, shaved face. The veteran Phenomenal One in his 40s has long, flowing hair and a thick beard, making him appear a new person.
Styles is a Grand Slam Champion, winning each active title of WWE. Being a two-time world champion, his both reigns were with the prestigious WWE Championship before SmackDown’s move to the Fox network.
3) Seth Rollins (5-Time World Champion)
Seth Rollins has made a profound impact on his WWE career, becoming one of the finest Superstars to walk into the squared circle in the past decade. A leader, a messiah, and a visionary, every version of Rollins has entertained the fans, whether through his ring work or character development.
One thing that has remained constant in his career is his look. He is one of the WWE wrestlers with long hair and beard who has barely made a significant change in his physical appearance. Yes, his outfits have evolved over the years as he would wear flash jackets and shirts in the ring, but he has neither cut his long hair nor shaved his beard.
A Grand Slam Champion, Rollins’ list of WWE honors is remarkable. Apart from being Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank winners, he is a five-time world champion, which includes WWE, Universal, and World Heavyweight Championship tenures.
2) Roman Reigns ( 6-Time World Champion)
Seth Rollins’s former Shield tag team partner turned nemesis, Roman Reigns, is deemed as the most dominant world champion of the modern era, with his last WWE Undisputed Championship reign lasting 1316 days, becoming the man with the fourth lengthiest WWE Champion reign. Besides the record-long reign, he previously clinched the world title five times including WWE and Universal Titles.
At the outset of his WWE career, he donned long hair, alongside a bearded look. As time progressed, he still had his hair length the same because it became a signature part of his character as the Big Dog. When he morphed into the Tribal Chief, he grew his beard more, bringing a full facial hair look.
1) The Undertaker (7-Time World Champion)
Very few WWE Superstars demonstrated the same level of dedication as The Undertaker did to his gimmicks throughout his thirty-year-long career. Evolving as a performer in different ways, his hair and beard went through district transformation to comply with his character’s needs.
At his initial WWE phase, playing the sinister persona under Paul Hearer’s guidelines, he displayed long hair with a French-cut beard. He modified the beard style as the Ministry of Darkness leader, shaving his mustache and keeping a goatee alongside the long hair. However, once he adopted the American Badass gimmick, he switched to short hair for the first time while keeping the beard intact, making the look suitable for the persona.
At the twilight stage of his career, The Deadman returned to his origins, sporting his long hair and French-cut bearded look. For the greater part of his career, The Undertaker’s lengthy dark hair and beard became a trademark style. The WWE Hall of Famer is a seven-time world champion and one of the most accomplished names in history.
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Avik Das is an English Literature graduate with an experience of over six years as a professional writer. He has written for renowned publications such as The Sportster, Sportskeeda, Pinkvilla, and The Things
