It has become increasingly apparent that "Rework" is a term riot uses when they want to nerf someone

In the past, reworks were done primarily to help champions who were suffering or behind in order to become viable. This still occurs somewhat, but increasingly riot has "reworked" champions because their kits are powerful. These reworks are extensive and generally result in champions becoming lackluster and underused. These reworks not only kill the core identity of those champions but result in low competative viability and generally turn champions into "boring bruisers" because apparently bruisers are healthy to the game even though riot has openly stated that the entire class of bruisers needs to be rebalanced in order to have purpose.

Some prime examples of this include: Nidalee: Used to be an AP poke mage, but riot transitioned so much of her damage into her melee ranged cougar form where she has 0 durability that she's only somewhat viable played as a tank. Currently underused, boring and lackluster.

Gragas: Also used to be a poke mage, was also transitioned into a bruiser (which is ironic, because they killed his durability on his W and increased his range on his R as a justification for some of his nerfs). Extremely lackluster, if you don't build damage, you feel useless, if you do build damage, you're too squishy.

Gangplank: Basically his "rework" was a poorly-vieled nerf. They've been promising things to make his kit feel less binary for ages, none of it has happened.

Olaf: There's a reason that "Olaf" is now used as a verb for "a champion who gets gutted". He hasn't had delusions of viability since his blatent nerfs ages ago.

Rengar: Again with the "boring bruiser" treatment. They transitioned a lot of damage out of his burst because they felt that being able to instagib people was broken. His rework was supposed to be a buff, but they got rid of his pushing capacity, removed his attack speed boost and now he's feast or famine to the extreme and lackluster even when fed.

Cassiopea. They nerfed her poison damage to the extreme because she was "too much of a lane bully" and now a solo mid soraka can outlane her. Her kit is still so much button mashing that it gives arthritus, and ultimitely her rework was a nerf to a champ who really didn't need nerfs.

Skarner: The one thing he had going for him was his perma slow, and that was removed in lue of a skill shot slow, as well as killing AP skarner top and removing his sustain (which would've been great for him in the new jungle...) Now he's underpicked and somewhat bland in playstyle.

Not to mention the upcoming Fiora and Tristana reworks...

Reworks are supposed to make champions "more balanced" but apparently that just means "bruisers who are boring and fall out of flavor almost instantly". There have been good reworks, but several of them lose their identities and become stagnant and ignored.