The top 30 horror gimmicks in pro wrestling history

4. Papa Shango

The shaman character that haunted many a young 90’s wrestling fans’ nightmares, Papa Shango, a/k/a Charles Wright, started wrestling in 1989 and was brought into the WWF in 1991 due to The Undertaker vouching for him.

In January of 1992, Wright made his first appearance as Papa Shango, a Voodoo shaman adorned with a painted face and wearing a necklace of bones. The Voodoo practitioner could cast “spells” on his opponents which would make them sick.

Shango’s most infamous feud was with The Ultimate Warrior. Fans still vividly remember the traumatic moment when Shango cast a “spell” on Warrior and made him collapse and later throw up.

Wright made his final appearance as Shango at the 1993 Royal Rumble event.

3. Mankind

The horrifying alternate persona of the WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, Foley debuted in WWE in 1996 after a successful career appearing for companies like WCW and other reputable promotions around the world.

Foley was given the gimmick of the unhinged masochist character Mankind when he arrived in the WWF. Mankind was a character who resided in boiler rooms, screamed and squeaked constantly, talked to rats and pulled his own hair out.

Mankind, after debuting, almost immediately began a feud with The Undertaker. Their feud hosted the first ever “Boiler Room Brawl” which is remembered quite fondly by a generation of fans.

Mankind ran through a host of other opponents such as Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin before feuding with The Undertaker again which led to the most infamous match of all time, the 1998 Hell in a Cell match.

Mankind also had an incredible run as a face in which he debuted his trademark sock puppet “Mr. Socko” and won the WWF Championship due to the help of Stone Cold.

Foley will be remembered for his many characters and personas over the years but none will be as beloved as the horrific Mankind.