5 rare, unused character designs for WWE legends revealed

Professional wrestling is one of the finest forms of entertainment there is. You know that already, of course, otherwise you probably wouldn't be here.

It's the perfect combination of breathtaking athleticism, great stories, good-quality production, and so much more. Perhaps the most exceptional quality of the product for us, as fans, are the characters we're asked to invest in.

From The Undertaker to Stone Cold Steve Austin, and from Hulk Hogan to Mick Foley's incredible treble of creations, we're all able to recall the fantastic memories created for us by these incredible characters.

It may be worth considering, however, that there is an incredible amount of work that needs to be done before a character debuts on WWE television. Whether they turn out to be long-standing successes or short-lived flops, every creation from the minds of Vince McMahon, his teams, and those playing the characters have been through a process of concept, design, and discussion.

Today, we'll be taking a look at some of the incredible conceptual designs that were the forerunners to some of the most memorable names and characters in WWE history. We'll be exploring what sat on the proverbial cutting room floor, by examining 5 incredible design concepts for WWE legends that never made it on screen.

#5. Mankind

The Headcase, the creation that inspired Mankind

Mick Foley is one of the best-known names in WWE history. Before he was a Hall of Fame star and a General Manager of RAW, he wrestled in alternating stints as Cactus Jack, Dude Love, and, first of all, in WWE, Mankind.

Mankind made his WWE debut in the mid-1990s and quickly engaged in high-profile feuds with the likes of The Undertaker. While the image of Mankind may be fresh in your mind, it's fascinating to see these photos that show the original pitch for Foley was a character called Headcase.

Now there are similarities between Headcase and Mankind, and you can see where one influenced the other. Still, I would argue that the original concept of Headcase was even more sinister and frightening than the character we saw on our screens.

#4. Doink

Doink was one of the most memorable and colorful characters in the New Generation period of WWE, which took place in the mid-1990s.

First debuting as a sinister (and I mean, very sinister) heel in late 1992 before, by the end of the following year, operating as a babyface, Doink was an incredibly popular member of the roster who was adored by fans, particularly youngsters.

At the outset, as noted above, the intention was for Doink to operate as an 'evil' clown. It was an intention WWE executed to perfection, as anyone who saw Doink during the first half of 1993 can attest to. As you can see above, the version of the character that was originally plotted, ended up being quite different from the one who made it on to television.

Sporting a different color scheme for his outfit and, oddly, blue hair rather than the green that fans remember, the Doink character underwent quite a few visual changes.

Doink (with Dink) as fans will better remember him

Doink wrestled in WWE until the fall of 1995 before departing, the character infrequently returning after for cameos.

#3. Goldust

This version of Goldust never appeared on screen

During his initial run in WWE during the mid-1990s, there were few characters more controversial than Goldust.

Inspired by Hollywood movies, the suggestive, lusting individual pushed plenty of boundaries and hit a lot of buttons amongst fans and fellow Superstars with his antics and mannerisms.

But while fans were left in no doubt as to who Goldust was, and how he looked and acted, it appears he might well have never ended up that way.

These incredible drawings show two very different ideas for the visual appearance of Goldust. The one above, for instance, is a version of Dustin Runnels (who played Goldust) that wasn't Goldust at all - it was, instead, Stargate. It appears to be a warrior-like gimmick with some kind of Roman inspiration. It is, you'd have to say, about as far away from what Goldust became as you could imagine.

The version below is a little closer to how we remember the former Intercontinental champion:

While the jacket, hair and shoes are undoubtedly different to Goldust's debut, you can certainly see how the idea evolved from this version. Whatever the inspiration was, it ended up leading to the birth of a character we will not forget.

#2. Shawn Michaels

Splitting from Marty Jannetty in the early 1990s, Shawn Michaels ended his days as a tag team wrestler and went on to enjoy a solid singles career for a couple of years. After that, he hit it big as The Heartbreak Kid with feuds against the likes of Bret Hart and Razor Ramon, the latter leading to the iconic WrestleMania 10 ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. But it's fascinating to see the very first insights into what was planned for his first solo run before he reached such incredible levels of fame.

The designs are great and, looking back at the Michaels of, say, 1992 to 1993, it's clear to see that while some of this design did, in fact, make it into shaping how he ended up looking and sounding. Although, it's fair to say there appears to be a more prominent 'biker' aspect to the concepts that we never saw it quite follow through to the on-screen persona.

Above, we can see the hat had shades that did make the cut, but quite what they were seeing then, that they visualised Michaels as a biker, isn't exactly clear.

#1. Razor Ramon

The Bad Guy, Razor Ramon, was one of the most popular figures in WWE during the early-to-mid-1990s. He was a multi-time former Intercontinental Champion, winning that title in memorable encounters at both WrestleMania X and SummerSlam 1994 in bouts against Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash respectively.

Ramon, played by Scott Hall, is another wrestler whose look and feel was well established. We all remember, for instance, the slicked hair, waistcoat, and the toothpick. But what about Razor Ramon's hat? Chances are you don't remember that, because it never made it on to screen with the character who debuted in 1992.

There's an argument that what you're used to is what is correct, so the fact we can't get used to seeing Razor in a hat isn't to say it would never have worked at all, but it is certainly different.

Razor Ramon looking a little different with his black hat

The long pants were out, too, although they did feature in Razor's maiden outing in WWE before being scrapped.