I love October.
Maybe it’s because I like dressing up more than an 8-year-old girl at a slumber party, or maybe it’s all the scary movies that are a wonderful mix of exploitation and a bit of the ol’ ultraviolence. The real reason though is because some of us live by the sage words of Peter Steele and every day is Halloween. So, this is the one month out of the year we won’t get looked at sideways for our never-ending supply of Bela Lugosi t-shirts.
For those of us who grew up on a steady diet of the Misfits and Stephen King, we’re drawn to those wrestlers who were a bit dark, who walked in the shadows and made their sinister presence known in and out of the ring. Their supernatural elements rarely failed to excite viewers and break up the monotony of two large guys rolling around in their tights.
So, as Halloween approaches, we look back at the top 10 spooky, evil, horrific wrestlers to ever stalk the WWE. Grab your significant other, pray for daylight, and like Bender said, “hold on to your dookie, it’s about to get spooky!”
10. Waylon Mercy
Dan Spivey’s character Waylon Mercy was inspired by the villain Max Cady from Cape Fear played by the brilliant Robert De Niro. Mercy and Cady, along with Spivey’s guidance, would ultimately be the foundation for the Bray Wyatt persona.
Spivey’s relationship with Bray is no surprise as he once teamed with his father Mike Rotunda. Spivey joined WWE in 1985 and was soon paired with Rotunda, replacing Barry Windham in the US Express.
https://youtu.be/nzX3FIoW3P8
The two had mild success before Spivey started working as a singles competitor prior to leaving the company in 1988. After a few years in Japan and WCW, Spivey made his way back to the WWE in 1995 where he would debut the Waylon Mercy character. There are many parallels to be drawn between Mercy and Wyatt, and Spivey can be credited for pioneering this sinister persona.
Mercy was a polite southern gentleman who would shake the ref’s hand and apologize for breaking the rules, albeit insincerely. But between the bells, the monster came out. Mercy was vicious in the ring to the point, as a young viewer, I was scared for his opponents because their lives were in Waylon Mercy’s hands… ya know what I mean?
https://youtu.be/eeoHeno_0KU
9. Kevin Thorn & Ariel
Okay, I might be the only person on earth who’s a giant Kevin Fertig fan.
It’s a shame this brutal character never got to shine… outside of busting Balls Mahoney up that is. Poor Kevin Fertig.
The man was given two interesting characters and none were really given a chance to shine. The vampire character of Kevin Thorn was a grudging compromise between WWE and the SyFy channel that the new ECW brand was airing on. The network insisted on some sort of sci-fi/supernatural element. Hence why we got Sandman destroying that zombie for some reason.
WWE had had their vampire characters in the past and despite Thorn’s look and alluring valet, they never seemed interested in pushing him past beating a few ECW originals and jobbers. And Thorn did strike an imposing figure in his macabre attire with Ariel at his side.
Thorn’s brutal in-ring work paired well with the sensual yet sinister persona of Ariel. The mixture of sex and violence not only captured what ECW was once about but also some wonderful vampiric imagery that would make Anne Rice proud.
8. Papa Shango
Okay, so you know me as a Texas boy, but full disclosure, I’ve got family on the bayou. Now, down there the name of “Marie Laveau” is still spoken in hushed whispers. You may not believe in the voodoo priestess, but dat don’t stop dey power none, mon chér. So, be watchful as we draw this veve and call out WWE‘s version of Baron Samedi: Papa Shango.
Now despite what American Horror Story would tell you, Baron Samedi is the loa responsible for taking souls to the afterlife. He’s known for his skull makeup, funeral garb (including top hat), and penchant for cigars, rum, and telling dirty jokes to the other loa.
Unfortunately, Charles Wright was given none of the Baron’s charm and only his image. Had he been able to cut a few promos with a rum in his hand, he may not have been voted worst gimmick by fans in 1992.
Despite this, Papa Shango had some genuinely frighting moments for younger viewers, especially in his attacks on the Ultimate Warrior. The character ultimately fizzled out and Wright would go onto bigger and better things as a member of the Nation of Domination and later as the Godfather.
7. Paul Bearer
Oh, yyyeeeeeessssss! (Try not to read that in his voice, I dare you). William Moody was one of those managers, like Bobby Heenan and Jim Cornette, who really drove stories and characters of the men they represented. We’ll never see his like again. I’ve raved several times about certain wrestlers expertly pulling off gimmicks that would die with anyone else in the role, and Paul Bearer is no different. Everything about the character is ridiculous.
From the concept to Moody’s over-the-top, high-pitched portrayal, Paul Bearer was a ridiculous character. Yet somehow Moody made it work. Not only work, but become arguably one of the top five managers in WWE history.
It’s like how a movie with a talking raccoon and a sentient tree can somehow be better received than Batman and Superman locked in a deathmatch. My point is no one saw it coming. And believe me, on paper, the Paul Bearer gimmick is as ridiculous as a verbose rodent.
6. Doink the Clown (Matt Osborne)
Can’t sleep, clown will eat me… Can’t sleep, clown will eat me… Can’t sleep, clown will eat me… Okay, so the character of Doink has become a joke in the wrestling world.
Nowadays, the gimmick is usually portrayed by the overweight guy, past his prime, still booking shows at the bingo hall. Not that bingo halls are bad, I’d kill to work one. But when you’re 5’7″ the only thing you’re qualified to do in wrestling is set up the ring… or be Rey Mysterio.
My point is the character may not inspire much fear today or even a short time into his WWE run.
However, when Matt Osborne first came on the scene, he played a clown so sinister it kept John Wayne Gacy up at night. When Matt would come to the ring laughing, it was eerie, then the music would drop and so would all the humor from his face. He’d leer and sneer into the camera, the clown makeup somehow amplifying the terrifying nature of his visage.
Remember: “You don’t rake the eyes because you have to, you rake the eyes because you want to.”
5. Gangrel
Okay, let’s be honest, the best vampire character was Vampiro. I know… I know… The man even wrestled with the godfathers of horror, the Misfits. However, he sadly never graced the WWE, which is a damn shame because he and Edge could have torn the roof off the joint.
Despite this, when it comes to the soulless undead of the WWE, the crown goes to the head vampire Gangrel. Gangy not only helped launch the career of Edge, Christian, and the Hardyz, but he was also brave enough to be married to Luna Vachon. That’s right, Gangrel, at one time, had that lovely five-pack a day voice whispering sweet nothings into his ear.
Luna and Gangy married on Halloween 1994 and soon after developed his Vampire Warrior gimmick based on the glorious ’80s epic Lost Boys. If you haven’t seen this film, do yourself a favor and watch it now! It has Jason Patric and the Cories fighting vampire versions of Keifer Sutherland and Bill from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. What more could you want?!
Gangrel had been trained by the great Boris Malenko and was plying his trade in the indies. After his marriage to Luna though, he began working for WWE (where she worked at the time) as a developmental talent. This stint would only last a year before Gangrel made his way to ECW and WCW for a brief time. He made his WWE return in 1998 as Gangrel, a name taken from the tabletop RPG Vampire: The Masquerade. Think D&D for goth kids. Go clan Tzimisce.
Gangrel’s bloodbaths and hypnotic entrance music helped influence and shape the Attitude Era. Though he never got his own push, he was a veteran presence who helped guide some of our favorite wrestlers to the next step in their careers.
And just for fun, here’s Gangy teaming with Kevin Thorn on the indies:
4. Mankind
Mankind may be one of the deepest, most tragic characters to ever enter the WWE. The man was tortured and in pain, yet took it out on our most beloved stars.
Mankind had to be stopped or helped, you couldn’t decide which. Mick Foley, that ‘glorified stuntman,’ was able to capture the humanity within a monster in a way no else ever has. There are several gimmicks on this list that I will wax on at length about how they would not have worked in another person’s hands. Mankind is no exception to this.
Anytime you give a character a psychological disability, people just end up playing the Joker or some variation of him. Just look at Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face. Mankind could have been a one-note psycho like Heidenreich. Instead, Mankind made a devastating mark by immediately attacking the Undertaker. Then when we saw him as a dangerous monster and a threat to the ‘Deadman,’ Foley turned it on us. In a bit of mellow-drama that woulda made Orson Wells jealous, Mankind did an interview with Good Ol’ JR.
After his humanizing and heartbreaking interview, we saw the tortured, broken man behind the mask; we saw Mrs. Foley’s baby boy, and we felt for him. He still had to be put down like a monster out of control, but we were no longer eager for the task. Like the Killing Joke, Mankind made us look inside and see if we were only a bad day away from being the worst parts of mankind.
3. Kane
Who would have thought Hell’s favorite demon would be the mayor of an American city. Actually based on our voting record it’s not that surprising. We’re only a few years away from Idiocracy over here.
Ridiculous politics aside, something more unbelievable is the work ethic and longevity of Glenn Jacobs and the character of Kane. Just like Mankind, this gimmick was dangerously close to being a one-off. In fact, the gimmick was only supposed to run through his feud with the Undertaker. Thankfully, Vince saw potential in the masked monster and we were blessed with years of exploding ring posts.
As humble as ever, Jacobs never gives himself credit for the success of the character. Instead, he credits riding the legacy of the Undertaker, Mark Calloway’s kindness to him, that the brilliant writing of his introductory storyline. Jacobs is selling himself short though as he’s been able to reinvent the character throughout the years almost as much as ‘Taker has done. The ability to stay fresh as a silent monster seems a nearly insurmountable task. Yet, every time the red lights hit and the inferno blazes, you know someone is in for a beating.
Kane may be used to put over the new guys now, but back in the day he was the most frightening presence in the WWE. Kane was the WWE equivalent of Jason Vorhees, he laid out Vader like it was nothing, and he put fear into the ‘Deadman’s eyes for the first time ever. That alone earns him his spot on this list.
2. Bray Wyatt
I can already hear some of you groaning about Bray Wyatt being this high on the list what with the poor booking he’s experienced over the last few years, but bear with me.
Full disclosure, I stopped watching wrestling for nearly 10 years. Then I get a phone call from a friend insisting I tune back in to watch this guy named Bray Wyatt. He wasn’t wrong, I was hooked by this sinister cult leader and his charming Southern drawl. The way he moves was unlike anyone I’d seen before, and the way he played with his opponents was like a cat with a mouse. Bray is enticing and entrancing, like a good cult leader should be.
Bray is better with followers, it’s true, and he’s best with Harper and Rowen flanking him. How many nights of Raw ended with an upper carder laid out at their hands while Bray spread his arms over them like an unholy sacrifice to Sister Abigail. These men were dangerous, frightening, and effective.
Not only did Bray know how to play the numbers game, but he’s one of the best on the mic and at playing psychological games. Imagine a program with him and Triple H that was allowed to blossom as both tried to get into the mind of the other.
If you want proof that Bray is terrifying, just watch his program with John Cena. True, Super Cena wins as always, but that little kid serenading Big Match John was beyond unsettling.
If given the proper push, Bray could truly be the new face of fear in WWE. And it needs to happen soon, or they’ll be pushing Mark Calloway’s corpse out for special events.
1. The Undertaker
I know you’re all shocked by this entry. Can you feel the sarcasm there? This is actually a difficult entry to write. What can I possibly say about the Undertaker you don’t already know?
I could go on at length about how Mark Calloway is one of the most respected men in the business. We could discuss his storied career that somehow keeps going like the Energizer Bunny. These paths have been tread so often the grass ain’t ever coming back. But the ‘Deadman’ is truly an icon, and the greatest scary wrestling gimmick ever.
Many people have claimed to have a part in bringing Calloway to the WWE, but it was Vince McMahon who gave him the role as the Western undertaker who would build the caskets for the souls he was going to take. Watching ‘Big Red’ sand a coffin was ominous, to say the least. You knew that coffin was intended for a beloved superstar and there was little to keep them from the Undertaker’s wrath and being put six feet under.
Again, this could have been a ridiculous gimmick like Papa Shango that was lambasted by fans. Somehow, though, the presence of the ‘Deadman’ was never a joke.
The air got thinner when the gong sounded and a pall hung over the crowd, with the man in the ring facing down his own demise.
How many wrestlers have said in shoot interviews that watching the Undertaker come to the ring is surreal and intimidating? For goodness sake, these men are going into a scripted bout with a friend and it’s still terrifying just to watch him walk to the ring. That’s the kind of aura and persona the Undertaker has cultivated over the years and it still sends thrill and chills through us all every time he makes an appearance.
That does it for this top 10 list. I hope it wasn’t too scary to revisit some of the most dastardly fiends in WWE history. Let me know how I forgot the Boogeyman (I didn’t, he was just awful).
Now, if I may be serious for a moment. As you all know, my father is battling throat cancer and kicking its ass. He’s almost through his treatment, but the cost has been excruciating both on his body and on his bank account. Medical treatment in the states isn’t cheap. So, I won’t sugar coat it, this is a plea for your support through this time. This is a link to a GoFundMe account to help pay for my father’s treatments: LINK. Even if you can’t give, just leave a message of support below. Your words and kindness have helped heal in ways you don’t even know. Thank you all.
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