Wrestling events used to be a big part of the entertainment industry, and fans of all ages loved the brutal battles and amusing gimmicks. However, for every genuine wrestler that succeeds like The Rock, there are a slew of others who are only in it for the thrill of it.
The organisers hoped to expect legends like The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan, but instead received a lot of wacky and weird wrestlers. The list of these crazy throwback pro wrestlers is too big to include into one film, from amusing outfits to weird techniques. We’ve attempted to expand on the most bizarre, and if you recall them, your youth was surely colourful!
Shockmaster
When you watch professional wrestling in the much-loved WCW ring, you’re undoubtedly anticipating a thrilling match. The Shockmaster, on the other hand, turned an eight-man tag team bout including some of the greatest stars of the time into a laugh-riot. It all started when Sting introduced a surprise ally who would break into the ring and provide some action!
That was not to be as Shockmaster stumbled on his entry while breaking through the fake wall. As the pyrotechnics went off, he even lost his Stormtrooper helmet, and before he could gain his composure, the audience was already falling off their seats in laughter!
To make matters worse, even the combatants on stage began mocking him, and it remains one of the most comical moments in WCW history! The organisers had envisioned an imposing figure who would portray himself as a vicious warrior, but after the catastrophe, the narrative had to be twisted.
They turned him into a clumsy fool whose actions would give some comedic relief. Fred Ottman, the giant wrestler who played the character, went on to star in many other wrestling matches, but his heroics as the Shockmaster never materialized. But, all said and done, it isn’t all that bad to have a few such moments once in a while, certainly not from the entertainment point of view!
Gobbledy Gooker
In the 1990s, the WWF’s stadium was a hive of rumours around the Survivor Series. A gigantic egg that was aggressively marketed on television was the basis of several hypotheses. The famed live-hatching event sparked a lot of interest, and viewers were eager to see what would come out of it.
Adding fuel to the fire was the remark of one of the commentators who suggested that could be a Playboy Playmate! Imagine the disappointment when all that hatched out of the egg was a giant turkey!
The figure became known as Gobbledy Gooker, although he was not well received by fans. Despite attempts to normalise his appearance in the ring, it was apparent that he would not be a fan favourite, and the character was finally eliminated. However, the wrestler behind the mask, Hector Guerrero, was a member of the renowned Guerrero family, which has provided us with some memorable names in the ring.
While Gobbledy Gooker was hated, the mystery surrounding the character was pretty entertaining. In fact, they even tried to revive the character many years later in the 2000s and then in 2015. Somehow, the audience never really caught on to the concept. You can’t really blame them, can you?
Koko B. Ware
We take a break from the funny characters to introduce you to someone who isn’t quite so amusing. Koko B. Ware made his debut in the late 1970s and quickly gained a worldwide following of youthful admirers.
Besides his fighting skills, his dressing up in bright, eye-catching colorful attires also contributed to his popularity. To add to his charisma, he was also an amazing singer and even contributed to the title track of the WWE album in 1987.
He moved around with his companion Frankie, a beloved pet who battled brilliantly in the ring and was dubbed “The Birdman.” Fans adored his high-energy performances, and when he defeated legendary fighter Nikolai Volkoff in the ring, his reputation skyrocketed.
He wasn’t a well-known champion and didn’t win any championships during his time on the show, but he kept the audience amused. We loved watching the macaw in action and the Birdman in his colorful robes and stunning moves.
It was tragic how he lost his bird Frankie in a horrific house-fire when he wasn’t present. Later on, in 2009, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and even today, he finds time for tours and meets his fans who have loved him for all these years.
Drago
Mexican wrestlers have a long tradition of being unsung heroes in wrestling, and Drago is no exception. Victor Manuel Soto Flores, a skilled wrestler, brought this eccentric persona to life. In Lucha Underground, he started enacting this unique character with an unforgettable costume. The demonic mask and helmet with horns attached gave him a devilish look that went well for the character.
It’s worth noting that Drago wasn’t only about his gimmicks. He was a tough fighter with some lethal skills, and his outfits and mannerisms were fascinating. His admirers will never forget how he stunned his opponents with a running twisting moonsault plancha.
He once won the Lucha Underground Trios Championship and had some outstanding performances in some of the most closely contested battles. He wasn’t unbelievably tall or freakishly strong, but his grotesque mask made him a known face among the fans. He still performs as Drago at the age of 45 and is often quite a handful for the younger fighters.
Doink The Clown
Doink the Clown stands out among the myriad of gimmicks we’ve seen in the WWF or WWE. The wrestler who created this bizarre persona, Matt Osborne, gets all of the credit for making it so appealing to the audience.
Matt was initially working in WCF after a drug issue got him fired from WWF. Vince McMahon wasn’t too keen to offer him a job again, but he managed to convince him nonetheless!
He was offered a deal after a couple of excellent fights, and Vince urged him to work on a gimmick that would appeal to the audience. He eventually appeared as the wrestling clown, despite the fact that many people told him that it may jeopardise his career.
He was inspired by the Joker, and after a lot of effort, he was able to pull off one of the strangest looks in wrestling history. The figure was shown to be a psychopath whose heinous pranks were fatally terrible for his foes. However, behind all the crazy antics, he was a technically sound fighter who was precise with his moves in the ring.
There was an unfortunate end to this successful stint when the drug problem caught up with him one more time. The cheers turned to jeers from the audiences, and eventually, the character was scrapped, but not before it left an indelible mark on the fans.
Giant Gonzalez
An eight-foot-tall gigantic fighter was always going to be a show-stopper, and Jorge Gonzalez was the right man for the job. Like a fish to water, this Argentine basketball player turned to wrestling. His ring moniker, Giant Gonzalez, was a great fit for his size, and he made full use of his massive body. He was a part of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under this ring name, and had many illustrious battles back in the day!
He is regarded as one of the all-time tallest wrestlers and was quickly drafted into the WWF due to his popularity. The figure was given a full-body costume with tearing muscular aches and bushy hair and was depicted as a villain.
He was a part of numerous incredible matches, including the Royal Rumble match in which he defeated The Undertaker despite not being in the ring. However, Undertaker did get the better of him in the subsequent fights, and he turned against his former ally Wippleman. He was known among the fans as a beastly fighter, and his intimidating appearance made him stand out among the wrestlers.
Unfortunately, his health issues forced him to early retirement and later caused his untimely death at the age of 44. Our heartiest gratitude goes out to the fallen giant, who entertained like no other!
Papa Shango
Papa Shango appears to be based on a character from the film Live and Let Die. Charles Wright, a wrestler known by his ring moniker The Godfather, played the role. His greatest years were spent with WWF, where he was also quite successful.
He won the WWF Intercontinental Champion and also the WWF Tag Team Championship alongside Bull Buchanan. His illustrious wrestling career reached several highs, but we will be more focused on his stint as Papa Shango.
In 1992, the WWF rebranded him as Papa Shango. This figure was meant to be a voodoo priest, therefore he was clothed in voodoo garb. His entrance into the ring was a show-stopper, as he was armed with a talent that would produce billowing smoke. Even the ring lights appeared to be under his control, and he used a bit of magic in his battle manoeuvres.
For instance, he could cause pain from a distance and make his opponents vomit from a distance. However, despite some remarkable fights, fans weren’t too kind to his gimmicks. Eventually, it was terminated, and we stopped seeing this creepy fighter with a painted face, battling enemies in the strangest of ways!
Zeus
Zeus was one of many people who had loved the silver screen, and his entry on the WWF platform was one of them. This role was performed by Thomas Lister Jr. in the wrestling film No Holds Barred. The character’s popularity did not go unnoticed, and soon, he was included to be a part of WWF.
The movie’s character was kept, and he was revealed to be the ‘Human Wrecking Monster.’ He was costumed like a legendary monster and had a few memorable moments in the ring. One of his most memorable moments was when he faced off against the great Hulk Hogan in the ring.
It was implied that he intended to confront him because he was envious of his victory in the film. However, even in the fight, Hulk Hogan emerged victorious. Zeus even formed a brief alliance with The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase, but one more time, the team lost to Hulk Hogan’s. Later on, he continued wrestling sporadically for the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico, and he was still a favorite among the fans!
Glacier
Glacier is probably familiar to anybody who grew up watching wrestling events in the 1990s. With his distinctive clothing ensemble, this figure was difficult to overlook. Because of the striking resemblance to a character named Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, they added a well-written backstory for the character to prevent litigation.
The fictional narrative was that he had trained in a mixture of martial arts and wrestling in Japan. During this training, he was given a 400-year-old helmet by his master, who also assigned the name Glacier to him.
All of this may seem silly today, but we used to watch it as if we were mesmerised. Glacier first appeared in WCW in 1996, and there was a lot of excitement around him. The show made a point of emphasising this character’s enigmatic nature as well as his amazing abilities. Glacier’s spectacular entrance was a little too creative, and it was clear that WCW was spending a lot of money to make him famous.
He walked through blue laser lights and fake snow, and rumors suggest that almost $35000 was spent simply for his costume and entrance! Unfortunately, the character did not quite live up to the hike around it and never won any major tournament. Although we don’t remember him for his fights, we certainly cannot put the character out of our minds!
Xanta Claus
When we think of Santa Claus, we generally conjure up images of a jolly old guy who gives gifts to children on Christmas Eve. That was not the case when the WWF debuted their own version of Santa Claus in the ring.
He was portrayed as a normal evil man who worked for Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, rather than a standard nice guy. He even went on to say that he managed to buy Santa with his incredible wealth, and the fans were witness to a monstrous Santa who would walk into the ring and ambush other wrestlers.
They even gave him a compelling storyline, emphasising that this wasn’t Santa Claus, but the evil Xanta Claus. He arrived from the South Pole, and unlike his Northern counterpart, he stole children’s toys.
Jonathan Rechner, who went by the ring moniker Balls Mahoney, did a great job in character. He donned the Santa suit without the distinctive white trim and had black stubble instead of the fluffy white beard that you associate with Santa.
His appearances in the ring as Xanta Claus were rather limited, and only after a couple of other appearances, did they do away with the character. The fans hardly missed the presence of a nefarious Xanta Claus, and he went on to be remembered as just one of the failed attempts to create an iconic character.
Mantaur
You might be shocked to learn that a wrestler who only lasted a year in the spotlight on this list! He did, after all, due to his outrageous clothing, which made him stand out for the little time he entertained.
Mantaur made his debut roughly around 1995 in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE). His character did not have a proper back-story as such, but clearly, he had taken inspiration from the minotaurs from mythology!
The enormous bull’s head that we donned as part of his costume was one of the most bizarre aspects about it. He kept faithful to his persona, and even his attacks were based on his physical look.
During a battle, for example, he would charge at his opponents and stomp them like a bullish beast! His characteristic move of taunting his opponents is particularly memorable. During his stint with the WWF, one of his major achievements was when he got a face-off against Razor Ramon during an inter-continental championship event.
He was also famously a part of a Royal Rumble event, but he barely lasted ten minutes in that! Towards the end of 1995, Mantaur, or Mike Halac, who was the man underneath the ridiculous suit, retired, putting an end to a bizarre career.
ARACHNAMAN
Brad Armstrong, a well-known wrestler, is the man behind the mask of this persona. His wrestling career took off quickly, and fans adored him for his fighting abilities and attractive looks. However, things didn’t go so smoothly for him when he took on the role of Arachnaman.
For starters, the costume had a very strong resemblance to Spiderman, and so were his actions in the suit. Imagine a purple and yellow colored Spider Man suit and a man shooting string webs out of his hands! As you would expect, the move did not go unnoticed by Marvel, who threatened to sue WCW if they didn’t withdraw the character.
A lawsuit with Marvel is the last thing anyone wants, so it’s no wonder that Brad Armstrong had to look for new characters this time. His appearances as the Candyman, when he would throw out candy to children, are well remembered. While this was well-received, his appearances as Buzzkill, in which he donned false braids to imitate a character developed by his brother, Road Dogg, were even more well-received.
He went on to have a long and prosperous wrestling career, but we still can’t get over the weird Arachnaman look that was straight out of a Spiderman comic gone wrong! He donned the look in the year 1991 for the CWC events and, pretty soon, the character became a thing of the past.