5 Superstars that brought animals to the ring 

As was revealed on Monday Night RAW, Erick Rowan's cage has been housing a disgusting giant furry spider. The Redwood chased off No Way Jose and his conga line before petting it and putting it back in the cage for the night.

WWE has been home to several animals over the years (no not the Road Warrior), that either won the hearts or scarred the minds of the WWE Universe over the decades. With Rowan finally revealing his pet tonight, we figured we'd look over some of the WWE Superstars who decided to bring animals to the ring with them.

Whether it was for mind games or genuine appeal for the fans, these wrestlers and their pets will have definitely left a lasting impression on the WWE Universe.

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#5 Koko B. Ware

Koko B. Ware and Frankie were an iconic duo

Prior to making his way to the WWE, Koko B. Ware was a heavily accomplished professional wrestler. Early in his career, he became the first ever Mid-American Television Champion while working with the Continental Wrestling Association. He'd also become quite a talented tag team wrestler, capturing four titles with Norvell Austin as the Pretty Young Things.

Just before joining the WWE, Ware had become a singles competitor, and began coming out to Morris Day's "The Bird", becoming "The Birdman" Koko B. Ware in the process. The WWE Hall of Famer made quite a name for himself when he finally joined the 'fed by adding a new staple to his character.

Ware began carrying his pet Macaw, Frankie, to the ring with him, a decision that turned him into one of the most popular characters the company had at the time. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, and while he had quite a solid career in the territory days, he'll always be remembered for rocking the bird dance with Frankie at his side.

#4 Erick Rowan

Erick Rowan's nasty pet has finally been revealed

For months, Erick Rowan has been carrying a cage to the ring. Every one of his opponents would attempt to take a peek inside to see what Rowan had been bringing with him. At first, Big Red was upset that anyone would attempt to lay their eyes on whatever it was.

However, eventually he embraced this, demanding his opponents see his pet. At one point, Rowan's hand was bitten by the creature, and at one point shoved an innocent man's face into the cage. When he emerged, his face was covered in a "mysterious red liquid."

On RAW tonight, it was finally revealed what Rowan had been carrying with him all this time. As the conga line of No Way Jose turned the corner backstage, they ran right into the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion. Jose then simply asked if they could see what was in the cage.

Rowan, happy to see someone be respectful and ask instead of attempting to hijack his friend, decided that he would show them all what he'd been hiding as a reward.

It's time!!!@ERICKROWAN *finally* reveals what's in his cage on #RAW! pic.twitter.com/CGFJ2dCXtM

— WWE (@WWE) March 3, 2020

What was waiting inside for all these months? A giant spider. The reaction from the WWE Universe has been mixed, to say the least, but regardless, it was something that the fans won't be forgetting for a long time.

#3 Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

Ricky Steamboat came into a war against Jake Roberts with a reptile of his own

Back in the 80s and 90s, you would be hard-pressed to find a technical performer better than Ricky Steamboat. The legendary WWE Hall of Famer competed in various MOTY bouts with the likes of Ric Flair, Macho Man Randy Savage, and more throughout his illustrious career.

One of his iconic feuds featured Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who was known for terrorizing his opponents with snakes. Following WrestleMania 2, Steamboat was set to face Roberts at Saturday Night's Main Event VI, but he was assaulted by his opponent before it could take place.

Eventually, the two men took each other on in a "Snake Pit" match at The Big Event in Toronto. Steamboat was able to surprise Roberts with a roll-up to steal one from The Snake. A Snake Pit rematch at Saturday Night's Main Event VII saw Steamboat emerge victorious once again.

Roberts would attempt to drape his snake over Steamboat, but the former Intercontinental Champion responded with a reptile of his own, a crocodile he called "The Dragon."

#2 British Bulldog

Davey Boy Smith walking Matilda to the ring

There's definitely no bull in this bulldog. Davey Boy Smith's illustrious career saw him accompanied by Matilda the Bulldog dozens of times throughout his career.

One of Matilda's most dramatic moments involved Bobby Heenan and The Islanders stealing her from Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid. Matilda had just been introduced as the mascot of the British Bulldogs when they were "dognapped" by the Brain.

The Bulldogs were ultimately able to retrieve Matilda on the Road to WrestleMania, foiling the plans of Bobby Heenan. At WrestleMania IV, The Bulldogs teamed up with fellow pet owner Koko B. Ware to take on The Islanders and Heenan, who managed to pick up a win by pinning Koko.

Though they were defeated by the Islanders and the Brain, the Bulldogs would ultimately regain Matilda, and the dog would sporadically appear througout the career of Davey Boy Smith. Though she was a limited player in the carer of Davey Boy Smith, Matilda was quite memorable, helping connect Smith with the fanbase.

#1 Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Jake Roberts was known for his mind games, the DDT, and his pet snake Damien

Yeah, it's not going to surprise many to see Jake Roberts at the top of this list. Roberts was one of the greatest characters in WWE hisory, part in due to Damien, his vicious pet snake.

At WrestleMania 2, Roberts made is in-ring debut, defeating George Wells in under four minutes in Nassau Colliseum. After the match, he wrapped the snake around the neck of is opponent, leaving Wells foaming at the mouth in a disgusting display of savagry from Roberts.

Throughout his career, snakes played a vital role in the career of Jake Roberts. As seen above, in probably one of the most captivating and terrifying moments of the Golden Era, Roberts tied Macho Man Randy Savage up in the ring ropes before forcing a king cobra to bite him in the arm.

Roberts would later reveal during an episode of the Joe Rogan podcast that, prior to that night, Savage demanded Roberts take a bite from Damien to prove that he wasn't poisonous.