Wrestling Spoilers & Rumors

With Halloween just around the corner, ChampionshipWrestlingOnline.com takes a look at some of the scariest wrestling gimmicks. There are fifteen on the list, how many of them made you hide behind your sofa?!

15: Abyss
Abyss is TNA’s answer to Kane, complete with his menacing mask and dominating physique. Since debuting in TNA in 2003, he has competed against the likes of Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles and Ron Killings. His most memorable run in the company to date came when he aligned himself with James Mitchell to feud against Raven in a bloody feud.

14: Rellik
Having previously worked for WCW and WWE under the name of Johnny “The Bull”, John Hugger began using the name “Redrum” with a gimmick similar to that used by The Great Muta. Using this name he appeared on two dark matches for the WWE, before joining TNA, debuting with the name Crimson Blood. This would be quickly challenged to Rellik, aligning himself with Black Reign and James Mitchell.

13: S7VEN
After Dustin Runnels had left the WWF, WCW began playing vignettes of a character which could be described as a cross between his WWF character Goldust and The Undertaker. The build up would go on for weeks, eventually revealing his name to be S7ven. When he finally made his debut, S7ven would “float” to the ring, in one of the most time consuming entrances ever seen, before Dustin publicly denounced the gimmick and began competing as “The American Nightmare”, a play on the gimmick used by his father Dusty Rhodes.

12: Psycho Sid
Sid truly optimised a main event wrestler during the 1990’s. In multiple stints in the WWF, WCW and ECW, he was never far away from the top level title picture. He would have a number of gimmick variations, but the most memorable would be Pyscho Sid in 1996 through to 1997. Psycho Sid would give chilling promo’s and terrorise Shawn Michaels and his family until he gained a World Title shot at Royal Rumble 1997.

11: Isaac Yankem, DDS
Glen Jacobs (who would become Kane) gained his experience at main event status in the WWF as Isaac Yankem, an evil dentist who liked nothing more than to spend the day ripping the teeth out of his patients’ mouths! He would come to the ring accompanied by the sound of dentist drills and often try to remove the teeth of his opponents. Isaac Yankem’s biggest feud came against Bret Hart in 1995 over the World Heavyweight Championship - which he would ultimately end up the looser of the two.

10: The Human Odities
In 1998 the Human Odities, which consisted of Kuurgan and Golga entered the WWF alongside the Jackyl’s “Truth Commission”. They would compete against lower level competitors, before expanding in numbers, introducing “The Giant Silva” and Luna into the stable. The Odities would ditch the evil gimmick for a fun loving one, and aligned themselves with Sable and the Insane Clown Possee.

9: Raven
In the mid to late 90’s the Raven character was more of a physiological monster rather than a physical one. Raven would get inside people’s minds and manipulate them into following him during his “Flock” or “Nest” storylines.
Raven’s biggest feud came in ECW, against Tommy Dreamer, which would involve the likes of Stevie Richards. In WCW, his feuds against the likes of DDP and Perry Saturn stand out. He had a fairly unsuccessful spell in the WWF’s “Hardcore Division”, before becoming a main event competitor in TNA and would lift the World Heavyweight Championship. Scott Levy has now retired from professional wrestling.

8: Vampiro
Vampiro made a name for himself in the wrestling world in Mexico and then later in WCW. Portraying a gothic character, Vampiro would climb the roster in WCW to a near main event level feud with the legendary Sting before the promotion was purchased by Vince McMahon. During this bitter feud Vampiro would stalk Sting, resulting in battles in graveyards and eventually lead to an Inferno Match. Vampiro has since appeared in TNA wrestling, aligning himself with Raven, before leaving the business.

7: Papa Shango
Papa Shango was one of the many gimmicks that Charles Wright (who would become the fun loving pimp the Godfather) portrayed throughout his wrestling career. Papa Shango was based around a voodoo worshiping character, who was able to inflict pain on his victims using black magic. His highest level feud as Papa Shango, and perhaps his entire WWE career was against The Ultimate Warrior, who he placed a spell over, causing the Warrior to vomit violently, as well as to be covered in black tar like substance. The gimmick would become stale and ultimately scrapped by the creative team.

6: Gangrel
David Heath has played a character which is said to run very close to his lifestyle throughout the majority of his career. He gained the most recognition for his character in the WWF, ditching his usual name of “Vampire Warrior” for Gangrel. As Gangrel he would form “The Brood”, a trio which included Edge and Christian, in order to feud with The Hardy’s, before aligning themselves with the Undertaker’s Ministry Of Darkness. A key feature of his gimmick was the “Blood Bath” where Blood would fall from the arena rafters to douse his rivals. Gangrel was said to be set to return to the WWE under the reformed ECW brand, but due to weight issues he was released.

5: The Boogeyman
Perhaps years too late to truly serve it’s purpose, but back in 2006 Marty Wright, who had been offered a contract despite being thrown off the “Tough Enough” competition, debuted on Smackdown as The Boogeyman. His debut was heavily built, with many vignettes, similar to a horror movie trailer being aired on both Raw and Smackdown. The Boogeyman would recite lyrics, break a clock over his head and terrorise members of the roster, including Lita and King Booker. Despite not having much wrestling ability, the Boogeyman gained in popularity and would become a fans favourite.

4: Kane
Kane arrived in the WWF as the Undertaker’s brother, who had survived a terrible fire which had killed the Undertaker’s parents and left him severely burnt. With the demonic Paul Bearer by his side, Kane wore a sinister leather mask to hide his appearance. Kane would eventually become more human, removing the mask and began talking. Even though he was a fans favourite, he showed his evil side during a feud with Matt Hardy in 2004 and has since recaptured his psychotic routes in his recent feud with Rey Mysterio.

3: Doink the Clown
Doink the Clown first appeared on WWF television as a fun loving fans favourite clown, who would laugh and joke with the audience. However in order to move away from the gimmick, Doink would become evil, much likened to Pennywise from Stephen Kings “It”. His theme music from this gimmick is often considered to be one of the best “evil” theme tunes that has been produced by the WWE.

2: Mankind
Upon entering the WWF Mick Foley, who had gained recognition as Cactus Jack was given the gimmick of Mankind, a boiler room dweller who had befriended the vermin that scurried around him. Mankind would hobble to the ring on the verge of a mental breakdown, feuding with the Undertaker while aligning himself with Paul Bearer. During this epic feud the pair contested in many gimmick matches, such as a Buried Alive match and a Boiler Room Brawl. The Mankind character would ultimately become a comedy character in 1998 as Foley finally won over the fans.

1: The Undertaker
Was there any doubt who would take the crown as the most “evil” gimmick in wrestling history? The Undertaker has been a staple of the main event scene since arriving in the then WWF in 1990 under the guidance of Ted Dibiase. The Undertaker has gone through many changes in his career in order to stay current with the direction that the company has headed towards. Many people will say that the peak of his character was during 1999, building the “Ministry Of Darkness” and tormenting Vince McMahon. Despite the fact his career has been winding down over the past few years, The Undertaker remains a money making commodity in terms of merchandise and pay per view revenue and is never too far away from the Heavyweight Championship picture.