Juice Robinson has revealed the unusual reason behind the dramatic change in his appearance when he returned to AEW in 2025.
Robinson had been sidelined with a leg injury before making his return at AEW All In 2025. When he resurfaced, the longtime Bang Bang Gang member looked noticeably different, having shaved off the long beard that had become part of his trademark appearance.
During an appearance with Tony Schiavone on What Happened When podcast (see video below), Robinson explained that the decision actually came after a mishap at the gym.
“The real reason is, I got it caught in a lat pulldown cable, and it ripped like four out,” Robinson said. “I got angry, went home from the gym, and shaved it all off. When I saw it, I was like, ‘Whoa.’”
Once he saw himself clean-shaven, Robinson decided to lean into the change for his eventual AEW comeback. He wanted his return to feature a completely different presentation, including darker gear and a more subdued look.
“I knew when I was coming back, I was like, ‘I’m taking this bitch down to the skin. I’m going to make it look shocking.’ I just wanted it to be a huge change,” he explained. “My thought was coming back with all black and being a little more subdued just to see how I felt and where the wind took me.”
Robinson viewed the makeover as something of a reset following his time away from the ring, although he suspected that he would eventually return to a look closer to the one fans had previously associated with him.
“I knew I would eventually find myself back to where I am now, but I kind of wanted a blank slate.”
Robinson then went into more detail about the gym accident that prompted him to finally get rid of the beard.
“I’m pulling it down to my chest, and my beard was long and it’s going through my beard. I’m coming off the leg injury so I’m just trying to get a lift in,” Robinson recalled. “I got it caught in the pulley, and it ripped like six long-ass hairs out midset.”
That was apparently enough for Robinson to decide the beard had to go.
“I was pissed. I was embarrassed. ‘What am I doing? Get rid of this shit.’”
Robinson has since grown his beard back, although it has not returned to the same length he sported prior to his injury.
