Halloween is a favorite holiday for many people. Some people just like candy, but others embrace the day because they like being spooked.
There are countless scary characters associated with Halloween, and WWE has taken some of these concepts and turned them into successful gimmicks.
With pro wrestling falling somewhere between a circus and a sporting event, it helps when a Superstar can create an interesting character who can pull people in with their personality.
We have seen vampires, voodoo shamans, zombies and otherworldly weirdos in the ring for decades. They help add something to the product guys like John Cena and Roman Reigns aren't capable of contributing.
Since the scariest night of the year is coming up, it seemed appropriate to look back through WWE history at some of the scariest Superstars to step foot in the ring.
1 of 10
Some people rely on supernatural gimmicks to create a frightening character, but a few Superstars were able to scare fans while playing realistic people.
Raven is a great example of this. He can't summon the dead or create fire from nothing, but he was a master manipulator, and that can be just as scary.
During his ECW days, Raven was one of the more violent and unhinged members of the roster. He was the kind of guy who would put himself in danger if it meant his opponent would suffer, too.
When he got to WCW, he adopted somewhat of a cult leader persona. His flock sat with him at ringside and did his bidding. Ghosts and demons are scary, but someone who can convince his followers to put themselves in harm's way can be just as frightening.
2 of 10
After the New World Order fizzled out, WCW needed to find someone for Sting to feud with. Vampiro seemed like the perfect option.
Both men painted their faces and used similar iconography to intimidate their opponents. It seemed like a match made in heaven.
Vampiro was a like a walking representation of Dia De Los Muertos, so naturally, the younger fans found him spooky.
Unfortunately for Vampiro, WCW's execution of the feud was lacking. He and Sting ended up fighting in a Human Torch match in what many would consider one of the worst performances of either of their careers, but at least it created a highlight reel moment when Sting was set on fire.
It's not even worth getting into how bad their First Blood match was.
3 of 10
Before he was throwing punches as Kama and leading the ho train as The Godfather, Charles Wright wrestled as the voodoo practitioner known as Papa Shango.
While many would look back on this character as an embarrassing failure by the creative machine behind WWE, kids who grew up during the early '90s had a different impression.
Papa Shango was completely different from everyone else on the roster at the time, and it made him intriguing to young kids, even if he was kind of scary.
Seeing him cast a spell to cause his opponents to vomit was offputting and entertaining at the same time.
4 of 10
We went through a period in the mid-2000s when vampires were the hottest thing in Hollywood. Between movies like Twilight and shows like True Blood, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing or seeing something related to the fanged demons of the night.
Before this craze took off, WWE had its own resident vampire who embraced the scarier aspects of the mythology over the suave look most of today's vampires use.
Gangrel would rise up through a ring of fire on the stage and spit blood into the air while heavy metal music echoed in the arena. It was an awesome entrance.
For some reason, WWE never gave Gangrel the kind of push he deserved. Instead, he was used to make other Superstars look good like The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian.
WWE tried to recreate the magic with Kevin Thorn, but it wasn't as effective outside the Attitude Era.
5 of 10
The Boogeyman is one of those characters you either loved or hated when he first debuted. Other than his name, he didn't appear to be copying any known characters from mythology or fiction, so he was unpredictable.
Watching him force his opponents to eat worms while laughing with his semi-toothless grin was upsetting in so many ways. If you were a little kid at the time, you were either glued to the screen or hiding your head in a pillow.
Had this character existed during the colorful wrestling era of the '80s, he would have been much more successful than he was in the new millennium.
One of the most disturbing moments in WWE history happened when The Boogeyman bit a growth off the face of Jillian Hall. To save you from losing your lunch, that video has not been included, but if you like to be grossed out, go find it on YouTube or the WWE Network.
6 of 10
When Doink the Clown first debuted on WWE television, his personality was closer to The Joker's than Bozo the Clown.
He used intimidation tactics and played mind games with his opponents. And let's face it; most people find clowns creepy as it is.
He had the potential to be WWE's version of Pennywise from It, but instead, he was watered down and turned into a babyface the little kids could cheer for.
Coulrophobia, or fear of clowns, is more common than people might think. Thanks to The Insane Clown Posse and the creepy clown epidemic in 2016, it won't be going away anytime soon.
7 of 10
Bray Wyatt has gone through a tumultuous few years of bad booking and multiple losses, but his first year on the main roster was incredible.
The way he pulled you in with his twisted promos was unlike anything we had seen in years. He was smarter than the average psychopath, and that's what made him so scary.
His cult-leader-like personality was enough to make him intimidating, but the way he used imagery and wordplay elevated him above past characters like Waylon Mercy and Raven.
It would have been fun to see where the Sister Abigail angle was going, but he was forced to sit out Tables, Ladders & Chairs with an illness, so it's unclear how WWE will proceed from here.
One thing we know for sure is no matter how weird his character gets, Wyatt will always put everything he has into his performances to make himself as terrifying as possible.
8 of 10
When Kane finally decides to hang up his boots for good, he will go down in history as one of the most iconic characters in WWE history.
His legacy will forever be tied to The Undertaker, but he was able to step out of his brother's shadow and prove himself to be a competent performer throughout the years.
The Devil's Favorite Demon might not have the same bite he had when he first debuted due to so many runs as a babyface, but his first couple of years were great.
He was so scary due to his size, silent demeanor and his ability to manipulate fire. Setting The Undertaker's casket on fire at the 1998 Royal Rumble let everyone know what kind of monster he was.
9 of 10
People can talk about Hulk Hogan being the most famous wrestler in the world or Ric Flair being the most talented, but The Undertaker will go down in history as WWE's most successful creation.
When The Deadman enters an arena, all eyes are on him. Everything about the presentation of his character pulls the viewer in and hypnotizes them, especially his entrance.
When he works as a babyface, nobody is more popular, but he did some of his best work as a villain. His gimmick is tailor-made to be a bad guy, so it's easy for him to scare young fans with a few short sentences and a single glare into the camera.
Children more prone to being frightened might even find him scary when he is trying to be the hero. That's how effective The Undertaker is.
10 of 10
Whenever you have a gimmick based on an established character like a vampire, demon or cult leader, you know what you are going to get. The scariest thing to many people is the unknown, and nobody was more unpredictable than Mankind.
He was a demented recluse who could go from calm to ripping out his own hair in a matter of seconds. He screeched while attacking his opponents and spoke in a creepy, high-pitched tone to emphasize how unhinged he was.
One of the most memorable and frightening moments from his career didn't happen in a ring. It happened during an uncomfortable interview with Jim Ross. Mankind attacked the veteran announcer in what is still an unsettling scene to watch.
Today's fans are more familiar with the Mick Foley who dresses up as Santa and wears a flannel vest over a Cactus Jack shirt, but The Attitude Era wouldn't have been the same without Mankind's terrifying antics.
No comments:
Post a Comment