Top 5 'bizarre' WWE superstars

WWE has always had its fair share of characters over the years. Since sports entertainment became the motto of the WWE, a lot of superstars have tried to establish their foothold by entertaining the crowd through their matches, gimmicks, costumes and, of course, their characters. Some of these characters became legends, while some were forgotten. But some special characters remain in the memory of WWE fans just for their bizarre quotient.

Let’s have a look at those superstars who have taken bizarreness to a whole new level.

5) Vito LoGrasso

At number five, we have Vito LoGrasso. Standing at 6 feet 2 inches,Vito was a hard-hitting wrestler who enjoyed various decent stints with the WWE. He was a part of the FBI (Full Blooded Italians) along with Nunzio, before they had a fallout.

However, his bizarre saga began with his characterization of a cross dressing wrestler (said to be initiated by Stephanie McMahon) apparently inspired by American television drama ‘The Sopranos’. Vito instantly became a crowd favourite with this unorthodox dressing style and enjoyed a four-month undefeated streak.

Vito began to enjoy this character and “have more fun” during his matches, running around waving his dresses, making obscene gestures, and interacting with the fans as well. Vito was subsequently released in 2007, but his stint as a cross-dressing wrestler and his feuds with JBL and MVP will surely be remembered.

4) Rico Constantino

At number four, we have Rico Constantino. It would certainly be hard to believe that Rico was an ex-S.W.A.T team member before he joined wrestling.

Initially introduced to WWE as the homosexual ‘hair stylist’ of Billy-Chuck ( Billy Gunn and Chuck Pulambo), Rico later carved a niche for himself with his over-the-top gimmick. He teamed up with Charlie Haas and won the tag team titles. Rico, with his Wolverine looks and outrageous outfits, became a fan favourite. Superstars were reluctant to battle him due to his bizarre in-ring moves.

Rico often resorted to kissing and grappling his opponents, which obviously freaked most of them out. WWE unexpectedly released him in 2004. But his character is something we will not forget for a long time.

3) Mankind

1996 marked the birth of Mankind, easily one of the most bizarre characters the WWE had ever seen. Mick Foley portrayed a number of characters in the WWE. Among them was Mankind, perhaps the most mentally deranged of them all.

He would pull out his hair, reek of paranoia, and cut compelling promos the likes of which hadn’t been heard of before. With a non-traditional look and character, the odds were against Mankind, but he was just too talented. Mankind used a sock puppet named Mr. Socko.

Intended to be a one-time joke, Socko became an overnight sensation. Mankind began putting the sock on his hand before applying his finisher, The Mandible Claw, which involved stuffing a smelly sock in the mouths of opposing wrestlers. The sweat sock became massively popular with the fans. The reason Mankind was so bizarre was because he was so different from the other characters Foley played. His extreme personality became a hit with the fans, who loved seeing him dismantle opponents.

2) The Boogeyman

There are a lot of things in the WWE which may freak you out, like blood, gore or even a ‘Stinkface’ from Rikishi. But nothing will ever beat the nightmares you get after watching The Boogeyman in action. You can easily judge the depth of his character when ‘disgust’ is the only word you associate with him.

Smashing an oversized alarm clock over his own head before crawling out on all fours, The Boogeyman continued to “terrorize” other superstars . He appeared in unexpected places backstage (closets, vans, etc), reciting different nursery rhymes and holding up clocks before screaming his catchphrase “I’m The Boogeyman and I’m comin’ to get’cha!” and laughing manically. This would leave the performer(s) that had discovered him both confused and creeped out.

If you thought this was disgusting enough, there’s more. Boogeyman did bizarre things like eat worms in front of a live crowd while fans screamed in disgust. The instance where he sniffed and gobbled the ‘extra growth’ on Gillian Hall’s face is something I will never ever forget in my life. He continued to creep out wrestlers before being manhandled by Mark Henry, which turned out to be his last match. But the bizarre legacy he left behind still makes me look under my bed.

1) Goldust

When the giant screen says ‘Shattered Dreams Production’, it’s time to put on some dark glasses because you know who’s coming. Yes, the top spot goes to the ‘Bizarre One’ himself – Goldust.

Dustin Runnels, son of the legendary ‘American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes, failed to establish himself in the wrestling industry despite the various gimmicks he portrayed. But the Goldust character catapulted Dustin to fame in spectacular fashion.

A character obsessed with films and the colour gold, Goldust wore a black and gold coloured jumpsuit while wearing black and gold face paint and a platinum blonde wig over his short platinum blonde hair, with his appearance modelled after an Academy Award statue.

Bizarre as his tactics were, he deliberately attempted to creep out his opponents through lewd and flirtatious mind games. While competing in matches, Goldust utilized tactics such as groping his opponents and expressing affection towards them in the midst of his onslaught. Goldust also developed a gimmick whereupon he contracted a ‘stutter’.

He was loved for his stints with Booker T and the humour they brought to the table. A character that has spanned for over 15 years now, this bright-coloured ‘thing’ takes the top spot in our list of bizarre superstars.