The top 30 horror gimmicks in pro wrestling history
By Paul Bradley
Wrestling has had a plethora of horror themed characters and FanSided is here to break down the top 30.
30. The ECW Zombie
One of the most infamous characters in WWE history but not in a good way.
The revamped version of ECW, under the WWE banner, debuted on SYFY on June 13, 2006 and the very first match of the new third brand featured … a zombie?
The Zombie, portrayed by Timothy Calkins Jr., came out to the ring covered in dirt, corpse makeup and raggedy clothes. He walked with his arms outstretched in the classic zombie walk and groaned incoherently into the mic. The Zombie came out to a stunned audience reaction as fans had no idea what to make of this movie monster come to life.
An ECW original, The Sandman, came out to face The Zombie in the inaugural match for ECW on SYFY and won quickly and handily. The Zombie appeared for a few more weeks before disappearing from the company.
The Zombie was one of the most ridiculous characters that WWE has ever produced and one that will be remembered infamously for a long time to come.
29. Lio Rush
Lio Rush? Yes Lio Rush.
Lio Rush, the current NXT Cruiserweight Champion, is a wrestler who’s character has nothing to do with horror. Or so people think.
Rush is a former CZW Champion and while Rush was champion his character took a very dark turn. Rush debuted an alternate persona known as “The Blackheart.” Rush would come out to a haunting cover of “Paint It Black” by Ciara and would have his body painted up with black and white veins emanating from a drawn-on black heart. Rush would slowly creep out to the ring with a molasses-like pace but in the ring his speed was unmatched. Rush, with this persona, had incredibly violent matches with the likes of Shane Strickland, Joe Gacy and Joey Janela.
This version of Rush was more vicious, bloodthirsty and came off as almost evil. “The Blackheart” may never rear his head in WWE but fans can always look back fondly on the dark alternate persona.