30. Asuka
And…NEW Raw Women’s Champion. After conquering NXT (with a 914-day, record-breaking, undefeated streak), Asuka has finally captured gold on RAW when she was awarded the championship after winning the Money in the Bank briefcase. Sure, her win was primarily due to the fact that Becky Lynch is now an expecting mother, but that doesn’t diminish Asuka’s victory in anyway. The moment Asuka and Lynch shared in the ring when the latter alerted the world of her pregnancy was exquisite, and really highlighted why both are such a hit with the fans. Her ability to seamlessly shift her excitement from winning the title to Lynch becoming a new mother was nothing short of sensational.
The Japanese import is one of the most talented performers on the roster today. Her ring gear and use of masks makes for an impressive entrance, and also serves as a sort of intimidation tactic for her foes. Her movement style around the squared-circle is like no other, and Asuka is arguably — at least according to Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer — the best worker — male or female — in the entire company.
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29. Papa Shango
Before he was commanding the famed “Hoe Train” as The Godfather or made his debut as a member of the Nation of Domination, former professional wrestler Charles Wright painted his face in a skull pattern to create the Baron Samedi-inspired character, Papa Shango. For many fans during the 90s, Papa Shango was one of the scariest figures on WWE television.
The voodoo practitioner made his entrance accompanied by a plethora of trinkets highlighted by a skull that continued to produce smoke throughout Shango’s matches. Shango’s most famous feud involved the popular Ultimate Warrior and included the latter having a “curse” placed on him. Needless to say, the Papa Shango character bombed and Wright was repackaged as Kama, “The Supreme Fighting Machine”.
Image Source: WWFOldSchool.com
28. Al Snow
“What does everybody want?” Most young people didn’t quite understand Al Snow’s not-so-subtle catchphrase, but they certainly knew just how weird the hardcore legend was. After toiling away at the bottom of the card for a number of years — and spending some time in ECW — Snow returned to WWE’s main roster with a mannequin head in tow. Snow would talk to the mannequin who he quaintly dubbed “Head” and would even use his porcelain companion as a weapon against several other competitors.
Snow is widely considered an underrated worker by many of his peers, and even works as a trainer for WWE to this day. However, he was able to win over the crowd with humorous skits which included “Head” and is known for being one of the top comedy acts of the era.
Image Source: WhatCulture.com
27. Gangrel
It doesn’t get much weirder than a wrestling vampire who is played by a guy who actually thinks he’s a vampire. That’s right, David William Heath — who works under the name, Gangrel — really walks around with the fangs in at all times. Though, we aren’t quite sure if he carries the chalice of “blood” everywhere he goes.
Gangrel made his television debut as the vampire character in 1998, sporting an innovative entrance which saw the Dracula-like creature rising from a ring of fire on the stage. Accompanied by a menacing instrumental theme you might hear in a Blade movie, Gangrel drank from a goblet of blood (zesty-mint is the preferred flavor of this day-walker), and spat it in the air — likely covering the front row of the audience.
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26. Vampiro
Vampiro was loosely considered the WCW-counterpart to WWE’s Gangrel — though the pair debuted around the same time in their respective promotions and the former didn’t fully delve into the vampire gimmick. The Canadian-born Ian Richard Hodgkinson actually earned the name Vampiro as sort of a joke. He began his career in Mexico, and when he told the company’s promoters he liked vampires they jokingly named him Vampiro Canadiense (or Canadian Vampire).
Vampiro enjoyed solid runs in both Mexico and Japan before making the jump to the states and signing with WCW. His big break came in a feud with Sting when the pair debuted a brand new match format — the Graveyard match. The two spray-painted individuals bashed each other with tombstones and Vampiro even dug a grave for the Icon. The dark, spooky atmosphere of a cemetery made for an intriguing viewing experience.
Image Source: Online World of Wrestling
25. Mantaur
Wrestling fans look back on the 90s time period of the World Wrestling Federation quite fondly, but not everything that was produced during that time was gold. Case in point: Mantaur. Half-man, half-whatever-it-is-he’s-wearing-on-the-top-half-of-his-body, the Mantaur character was based off of Greek mythology’s Minotaur — a mythical creature with the head of a bull and the body and legs of a man.
I know what you’re thinking, and no, Mantaur did not wrestle with the bull head-piece on — though it might have given this character more of a fighting chance. When the body piece was removed, 20-year wrestling veteran Mike Halac was shown to be the man behind the mask. Mantaur had a small push in 1995, and even had Jim Cornette as his manager for a period of time. But the crowd was never able to get over the ridiculous costume, and Mantaur was quickly made history.
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24. The Boogeyman
He’s the Boogeyman, and he’s coming to getcha’. The Boogeyman was one of WWE’s most recent attempts at a pure horror-based character. His gimmick was an attempt to bring back some of the nostalgia of the popular Attitude Era when performers lived and breathed their over-the-top characters — no matter how outlandish.
The Boogeyman acted like a typical horror-movie antagonist by hiding in closets and speaking in a spooky sing-song voice. He was often shown eating worms and scaring opposing competitors. His hair-raising entrance included unusual body shakes and the breaking of a glass clock over his head. A truly frightening specimen, especially when you consider the massive physique of performer Martin Wright.
Image Source: Online World of Wrestling
23. Luchasauras
Behind that intimidating reptilian-like mask is one of the greatest success stories in all of professional wrestling. The man behind Luchasaurus is 10-year wrestling veteran Austin Matelson. The 35-year-old was once under a development contract with WWE back in 2012. During his time in WWE, Matelson dealt with severe hip pain and even contemplated retirement.
WWE cut Matelson from its roster in 2014, and he didn’t make his return to the ring until two years later. Now, Luchasaurus is the owner of one of the best gimmicks on the entire AEW roster, and is exceptionally athletic for a man his size.
Image Source: TMW Wrestling
22. Mideon
Mideon’s entire WWE career felt like he was trying to be as weird as humanly possible. The burly Florida native made his debut on WWE programming as Phineas I. Godwinn (abbreviated PIG) in 1996, one-half of a hillbilly cousin tag team dubbed The Godwinns. During this time, Mideon would squeal like a pig during his matches in an attempt to distract his opponents.
After two years of pig squeals, the Mideon character was debuted and joined Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness. Mideon was portrayed as the brain-washed pawn of the group, and was often fed to up-and-coming baby faces in an effort to make them look strong.
Image Source: IMDb
21. Bray Wyatt
This entry doesn’t need a whole lot of explanation. Wyatt is one of the brightest — and weirdest — minds to ever come through WWE’s doors. After getting his start as part of the Nexus as “Husky Harris”, Wyatt created the cult leader character and enlisted the help of Eric Rowan and Luke Harper. Wyatt claimed the name “The Eater of Worlds” and would often speak in riddles that would go over the head of most audience members. He was simultaneously ahead of his time while also providing many of the quirks of wrestlers of old.
Then, “The Fiend” happened. Adopting a dual-personality, Wyatt began doubling as a “friendly” television host and a monstrous figure simply referred to as “The Fiend”. One of the most unique and powerful characters in recent years, “The Fiend” has been an absolute hit and has helped revitalize Wyatt’s career. His ability to quickly switch between being a friendly Mr. Rogers-like character and a menacing monster is simply unnerving.
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20. Mordecai
Vince McMahon and WWE have reached down the well of “supernatural” characters time and time again. The Undertaker is far and wide the most accomplished of these acts, but others — such as Undertaker’s brother Kane and the aforementioned Gangrel — have also enjoyed plenty of success. Mordecai was not as fortunate as many of his predecessors.
Portrayed by ECW’s Kevin Thorn, Mordecai was originally brought in to be a sort of thwart to the all-mighty Undertaker. Mordecai was a religious Zealot-type character who donned platinum blonde hair and a white beard as a sign of “purity”. He squashed a few local talents before being sent back down to Ohio Valley Wrestling, and the gimmick was quickly scrapped.
Image Source: Sports Illustrated
19. The Headbangers
Comprised of Headbanger Mosh and Headbanger Thrasher, the Headbangers were consistently one of the more exciting tag teams to watch during the Attitude Era. The pair were anything but conventional. They wore kilts to the ring, had piercings virtually everywhere, and had a penchant for heavy metal music.
Their unique look wasn’t the only thing unconventional about the Headbangers. Having been trained in a different style, the Headbangers utilized a unique tag team move-set with a brawling focus rather than the typical wrestling maneuvers seen at the time. They quickly became a fan favorite with the crowd, and their World Tag Team Championship victory in 1997 induced a memorable reaction from those in attendance.
Image Source: WWE.com
18. Val Venis
The Big Valbowski wasn’t shy — especially around the ladies. Adopting the gimmick of an adult film star, Venis wore a towel around his wrestling tights and danced suggestively on his way to the ring. Venis’ signature maneuver — a top-rope frog splash — was dubbed “The Money Shot”. Often times, Venis was more concerned with pleasing the women in attendance than actually paying attention to his opponent.
Venis enjoyed a mid-card run during his WWE days, and held both the Intercontinental and the European title for periods of time. Hailing from Canada, Venis was regarded as a fairly competent wrestler, but most remember him for his 80s-sounding theme music and boisterous attitude.
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17. Sean O’Haire
O’Haire had all the makings of one of the all-time greats. The WCW Power Plant product was an athletic marvel. With the physique of a bodybuilder, O’Haire moved like no man his size should. O’Haire was billed at 6-foot-6, 270-pounds, but could pull off moves many of the cruiserweights were doing. His most death-defying maneuver was a flying senton he named the “Seanton Bomb” — an obvious ode to Jeff Hardy’s “Swanton Bomb” (for comparison, Hardy is about three inches shorter and 60 pounds lighter than O’Haire).
When O’Haire came over to WWE, he adopted a fascinating “devil’s advocate” persona which saw him encouraging viewers to do things like break the law, commit adultery, and succumb to vices. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see the character completely fleshed out as he was released in 2004. He tried his hand in professional mixed martial arts following his wrestling career, winning four of his six pro fights. In 2014, O’Haire was found dead as a result of suicide.
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16. Perry Saturn
Speaking to inanimate objects continues to be a theme among the weirdest wrestlers of all-time. Perry Saturn was a wrestling machine during his time at WCW. In fact, former 27-time Hardcore Champion Raven enlisted Saturn to his stable, the “Raven’s Flock”, simply because of Saturn’s intimidating look and dominant wrestling style. Saturn boasted the aura of someone you didn’t want to mess with, and then his jump to WWE happened.
After a short run with The Radicalz — a team of WCW defectors who “invaded” WWE consisting of Saturn, Dean Malenko and the late Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit — Saturn was given a mop to work with. Yes, the tool used to clean kitchen and bathroom floors. The mop was given the incredibly creative nickname “Moppy”, and anytime Saturn was seen on television the mop was with him. In an ode to Tom Hanks’ character in Castaway, Saturn believed the mop was alive and he even fell in love with Moppy at one point. Safe to say, Saturn’s run with Moppy was short-lived but created some memorable moments.
Image Source: WWE.com
15. Glacier
The 90’s saw a surge in two key forms of entertainment — pro wrestling and violent video games. WWE and WCW were kings of the wrestling world, while games like Mortal Kombat stretched the boundaries of what can be shown on a type of media that is specifically targeted towards kids. The forces that be in WCW thought it would be wise to bring together wrestling and the popular video game with the result being Glacier.
Glacier was almost an identical rip-off to a MK character named Sub-Zero. In the game, Sub-Zero is a ninja who wears a blue mask around his face and shoots pure ice out of his hands. While Glacier was never able to shoot off any ice beams on WCW television, he did feature an over-extravagant entrance which included prop snowflakes dropping from the ceiling. WCW invested a ton into the character — between his detailed ring attire and lavish entrance — but it wound up being a dud.
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14. Rosemary
Formerly working under names like PJ Tyler (an ode to her favorite band Aerosmith) and Courtney Rush, Canadian-born Holly Letkeman debuted in TNA with a zombie-fied cheerleader character with the name Rosemary. Rosemary became one of the more feared women’s wrestlers in the promotion for quite some time, and eventually won the TNA Knockouts Championship in 2016.
The best way to describe her persona is if Harley Quinn from the Batman series was a zombie. Even though she has did plenty of work outside of TNA, it’s difficult to find many pictures of Letkeman without the Rosemary face-paint applied. She has adopted the character fully, and has even taken some similar roles in Hollywood in feature films.
Image Source: Daily Mirror
13. Doink The Clown
Doink seemed innocent enough when he debuted in 1992, playing pranks on various wrestlers from ringside. As clowns do, Doink would use several props including putting “kick me” signs on the back of wrestlers jackets and throwing buckets of fake water on wrestlers after matches. But by late 1993, the Doink character evolved into something out of our nightmares…
Doink The Clown became Doink The “Evil” Clown equipped with dark and sinister music and a sadistic sense of humor. His pranks became more and more cruel, and his finishing maneuver — The Stump Puller — was downright diabolical. Doink was straight out of Stephen King’s IT as he terrorized the WWE roster for another year before the evil clown character had ran its course.
Image Source: WWE.com
12. George “The Animal” Steele
“The Animal” was one of the original thwarts to long-time champion Bruno Sammartino. In the ring, Steele lived up to his nickname. He acted like a wild animal inside the squared-circle and never broke away from his character. Steele would rip up the turnbuckle with his teeth, slump around the ring in a stooped posture, and couldn’t speak more than a couple of words during interviews.
The announcers sometimes even remarked that Steele was indeed the “missing link”. His patented green tongue that he brandished during matches only added to the effect of his unstable behavior.
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11. Ember Moon
After years of working on the independent circuit under the name Athena, Ember Moon has swiftly become one of the rising stars in WWE’s women’s division. Though her wrestling skills are certainly impressive, her original look — and hard-hitting move-set — sets her apart from the rest of the women’s roster.
Moon has adopted the gimmick of the “War Goddess”. She dons a shoulder piece which looks like body armor and walks to the ring with the backdrop of a full red moon behind her. Her red eye contacts give her a supernatural appearance and completes one of the most unique looks in all of women’s wrestling today.
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10. Ultimate Warrior
Warrior was truly one-of-a-kind. Though he seemed like a typical product of the 80s on the surface — flowing blonde hair, tight ring attire, body-builder physique — Warrior was anything but ordinary. Warrior boasted unparalleled levels of energy whenever he was featured on screen. Warrior would run to the ring in a frenzy and proceed to shake the ropes to psyche himself and the audience members up.
When Warrior was given a live microphone, he was one of the most captivating performers in WWE history. Warrior’s promos were filled with completely bizarre nonsense ranging from talking about spirits from ancient times to ordering his opponents to “fill the spaceship with the rocket fuel”.
Image Source: EWrestling
9. Velveteen Dream
24-year-old Patrick Clark Jr. first appeared on WWE’s reality show Tough Enough which aired in 2015. Fresh out of wrestling school, a young Clark was talented — but raw — and eventually lost the competition-based show that awards the winner with a WWE contract. However, Vince McMahon and company saw enough to bring on Clark Jr. full-time and give him a shot in the developmental-brand called NXT.
There wasn’t a whole lot of buzz surrounding Clark Jr. following the hiring, but everything changed as soon as he debuted as the Velveteen Dream. Based heavily on the late musician Prince’s persona, Velveteen Dream loves the color purple almost as much as he loves himself. Demanding his opponents “say his name” and sporting wrestling tights with his own face printed on them are just some of the antics Dream has done to get the NXT crowd completely behind him over the past few years.
Image Source: Instagram/dreamwwe
8. Aleister Black
Anybody who rises from a coffin during his entrance is going to raise a few eyebrows. Just from watching one match of Black’s, one can easily tell he’s unlike other superstars. For one, Black has had formal training in mixed martial arts, which allows his move-set to look far more realistic than an average WWE performer. His bevy of tattoos also set him apart from the rest of the pack.
Though his look is a bit insidious, Black carries a calm demeanor with him to the ring. You will regularly see him sitting with his legs neatly crossed in the middle of the ring to mock his opponents. He’s a rising star in the business, and yet another reminder to not judge a book by its cover.
Image Source: WhatCulture.com
7. “Broken” Matt Hardy
Real life brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy formed one of the most popular tag teams of all-time. Though, as is the case with several tag teams that came before them, there’s always one-half that stands out a bit more than the other. In this case, Jeff was an unquestioned fan favorite and seemed destined for the main event spotlight. Jeff was the daredevil of the duo, and was both admired by men and fancied by women. Matt faced a bit more of an uphill battle as he wasn’t nearly the natural athlete or risk-taker Jeff was (or is).
To keep up with his brother, Matt had to get a little weird. Enter, “Broken” Matt Hardy. Adopting a strange speech pattern and a woefully unkempt hairstyle, Hardy began speaking as if he was a thousand-year-old being who had taken over Matt Hardy’s body in an effort to “DELETE” the rest of TNA’s roster. He has since brought the “Broken Universe” back to WWE and most recently AEW. Hardy remains a popular and brilliant figure within the realm of wrestling.
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6. Kane
Billed as the Undertaker’s deformed brother, Kane made his debut as the mask-wearing fiend in 1997. Kane’s character drew direct inspiration from the slasher movie villains of the 80s — most notably Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees. During the early years, Kane would never talk and rarely ever moved at a pace faster than a walk. He would decimate his opponents coldly and calmly as he produced fire from the ring posts during his entrance.
Strangely enough, Kane’s character became even weirder when he finally removed the mask. Kane lost the mask in 2003 as the result of a match stipulation, and the character completely fell off the rails. He went on to set commentator Jim Ross on fire, and had a kayfabe child with Lita (Amy Dumas). He also found some time to star in two putrid horror movies (See No Evil and See No Evil 2) and was even elected Mayor of Knox County in Tennessee.
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5. Goldust
Dustin Runnels — son of the famed Dusty Rhodes — was at a cross roads of his career. He would be the first to admit he wasn’t nearly as charismatic or gifted as his father, and he was unable to get his wrestling career going as a result. He spent several years in WWE before Vince McMahon finally came up to Runnels with an intriguing idea.
McMahon wanted Runnels to undergo a complete character change. Runnels would sport all gold attire and face-paint and become one of wrestling’s first androgynous character in Goldust. Safe to say, Goldust was a polarizing figure during the early inception of the character. His entire gimmick was intended to make his opponents (and in turn, the audience) feel uncomfortable. He would touch his chest and breathe deeply at odd times, and was a “seductive” character. It seemed to have worked out just fine for Runnels, though, as the persona lasted over two decades and was exactly what Runnels needed to break free from the shadow of his father.
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4. The Undertaker
He wasn’t the absolute first wrestler to have “supernatural” powers, but many can thank The Undertaker for all of the sorcery, witchcraft and outlandish story lines that have littered wrestling for the last several decades. “The Deadman” has done it all during his career — performed demonic incantations, strung up wrestlers to a giant cross, shot lighting bolts at his opponents, and even “buried” his enemies alive.
Nobody in pro wrestling was more committed to their craft than The Undertaker. Until very recently, he was never on social media and hardly ever broke character outside of the ring. He is an icon for all wrestlers — new and old — for helping keep up the illusion of the business and being one of the best to ever do it.
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3. Sting
The Icon, the Franchise, the Stinger, whatever it is you refer to him as, Sting is a hall of fame talent through and through. Sting wrestled for nearly 30 years before finally calling it quits in 2015 — and what a career it was. He found success at nearly every level, and was a star wherever he went. To this day, Sting is the only wrestler who is a member of both the TNA and WWE Hall of Fame.
Though he was a natural in the ring, Sting’s weirdness came from his off-beat promo skills. His penchant for breaking the fourth-wall and his quirky dialogue and delivery made for some unintentionally comedic moments. It hasn’t been fully confirmed, but all signs point to Sting drawing some inspiration from Jim Carrey’s character in The Mask — though Sting was a bit more intimidating than his green mask-wearing counterpart.
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2. Kenny Omega
Even the greats can be a bit on the weird side. There are many wrestling pundits who consider Omega to be the best performer in all of professional wrestling at the moment. There’s nothing the Canadian can’t do whether it’s cutting-edge promos or putting on historically-great matches. Omega has fought all over the world, and recently made All Elite Wrestling his home.
Though he’s settled down a bit since becoming more of a main-stream attraction, Omega was far more of a radical personality when he was rising the ranks. His nickname during his tenure in Japan was “The Cleaner” and Omega would high-step his way to the ring with several cleaning tools as a result — including brooms and mops. Omega — real name Tyson Smith — is also a big fan of video games, and uses many references from his favorite games within his move-set — such as the v-trigger knee strike which was taken from the Street Fighter series, or the One-Winged Angel which is featured on the soundtrack of Final Fantasy VII.
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1. Mick Foley
The man of many faces — and talents — Mick Foley is one of the greatest professional wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots. Now a best-selling author, Foley has underwent as many character changes as any of the all-time greats. Though the Hardcore legend Cactus Jack and the ladies man Dude Love were memorable, none gave Foley the same type of notoriety he received during his time as the mask-wearing outcast, Mankind.
Mankind debuted in 1996 as a deranged schizophrenic who talked to himself and seemed to enjoy pain. His signature catchphrase — “Mommy!” — was one of the most recognizable sound bites of the era. Mankind feuded with all of the top stars of the time — Undertaker, Triple H, Stone Cold Steven Austin, and The Rock — and was certainly the most popular of all of Foley’s personas.
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