|
Not-So-Scary Superstars: photos
! _0 t& }5 g, ?4 i5 C% p0 e1 O) r- f. m0 e9 L
7 v- ^! T: L& ^( {. q
0 O& D/ c2 ~! { qThe Yeti broke free from a block of ice on Nitro and debuted on pay-per-view at Halloween Havoc 1995.
& f+ D; n7 i0 X" p1 p' }7 B2 T% F M) `
8 y- O5 J5 z0 S& n7 f) L- h
4 S; _/ A. L' oReferring to this beast as "The Yet-ay," WCW broadcaster Tony Schiavone surveyed the scene in shock as The Yeti climbed over the top rope and into the ring with ease.
6 n% U' D0 y( s1 m4 D0 Z5 [- Z j6 z* Q# b! P2 l2 d
+ o- q0 L: `$ S* |. q+ ]7 n, D
* _. l7 {$ r5 K7 U3 F
1 l# ]9 [" r% y. D9 u/ b4 u
3 o4 W6 M+ {9 r0 O G% POn ECW's world premiere on Syfy, the Extreme brand attempted to appeal to their new science fiction–based home by unveiling a grappler known only as "The Zombie."$ p* @. ~- {5 P" C, ?, Z; `
3 ^6 j4 W$ ?% Z4 [8 u0 A/ s4 F
2 L: Z8 x; {1 ~$ y
9 Q& o1 x5 r/ Q9 D3 ~# T/ R3 k. J* [! \% g; Y+ d- Y! T3 G" }2 t
# @# q( K0 y1 |" j& U5 I
3 `7 f, f- c. Y: C2 f
9 m- I, u4 s: c, \& o* y& [
The Sandman clocked The Zombie across the skull with a kendo stick and proceeded to deliver one of the most vicious beatdowns in ECW history./ n/ {) G8 K9 j5 }/ o' N
- e% u% ^# B* B" W; H C. U
& @6 ~; b& w6 z. r- X, H
( v8 \4 O/ q6 D B, }
& g6 m/ V e: l9 }* I3 p
! L4 D3 f- O; {. [- }: d) t$ S# wFor several weeks in spring 2004, brief videos on SmackDown built anticipation for a bleached-hair fiend called Mordecai.+ {: ^7 I' e) u0 j( W6 x
' i( Y* m2 _1 g; @/ b3 j" W4 P# h
/ w+ J4 [- ^0 A% }$ u n+ i: ?( F7 R" G8 g2 k; y2 q
2 \/ G! g+ O0 O2 Z+ N
1 h5 _6 \& ]/ Y: [) C: U
+ J/ k5 l/ ?# z& \
$ q1 J1 H- A4 b+ l7 H
Mordecai's finishing maneuver was reminiscent of Razor Ramon's Razor's Edge.
: o+ e$ B8 E! Y7 d( N" B; a. p* I' B
! C2 Z1 z I$ K6 ^# G8 y D/ U& d' y. P2 Y, d
& f# [* g1 [$ |$ f: c8 w
; A; i" [( I B6 f6 m/ o! D! m6 I c+ V
- I, Z8 R( j% k8 ^4 g6 I2 {8 N, k/ u; T3 m5 U2 G
2 J% ~! Z3 ? R5 a: ^+ {6 c, y) s j. m+ l; i( S5 n2 W" N
5 ]1 v. U' x8 t
3 b1 ~3 A; t7 G' o H" F6 z2 j
In summer 1995, The Master introduced Zodiac into The Dungeon of Doom as "a warrior who knows neither pain or pleasure" and "the brother of lightness himself."$ n9 S0 L. {# a# ]) ]5 \' h
8 `+ s" ?/ k% Q& I; P; T
6 e) e# j; W0 d s4 c" b* O4 x) E& V Y2 s8 ?2 D7 P s
9 q8 @2 [/ H4 b5 Y3 W/ ~# A
4 I: K9 q. v1 B$ `+ v$ Y8 a8 l1 h( j! M1 {1 Q7 A7 Y8 R h6 f, J
3 K/ n6 Y7 ^+ C4 X7 B& h
Hailing from The Land of Yin and Yang, Zodiac took on Randy Savage at Halloween Havoc and also battled Hulk Hogan and Lex Luger in The Dungeon of Doom's quest to put an end to Hulkamania.
# F, X* p2 M% e2 _ v U# Q
' [6 }: x' t3 \
- B1 R( S( {% }+ u( [ J+ w; b& p+ b: Y8 m( M3 x' ?
. L6 I% B3 k. V2 S! R# [
" G' M3 y7 x4 n R! p9 gMantaur approached the ring wearing a ridiculous stuffed animal head with large horns that resembled some kind of mythic beast." H0 T! H* p% b P1 J
' ^1 P9 V3 s7 J3 }+ }
. X* h! K$ Q, ^; E( c# M
$ G: D3 q/ T' l9 j' R4 b4 X) \. t6 d
. i( J: S7 |' p" v1 ]6 v. O G( f2 n$ U4 h" ]4 w& m
Mantaur battled Razor Ramon, Bob Holly and Bam Bam Bigelow before leaving WWE, but WWE Classics is still searching for that animal head.
: P7 R# ^) V1 i7 G! c) j0 p) l2 m- r# B: W: S0 L- L+ D' Z
/ l$ h& v6 i: M5 X' [, J
* {: y! C3 m) [; d' k6 z, KOn a November edition of Nitro, Seven floated through the air to the ring in a long black trenchcoat and black hat while smoke and fire filled the entranceway.
+ g# y, h2 i! Z3 I0 l& @) l* F `( Q8 k s
. M! U8 H4 W/ y' [
5 O- k) D$ J# @; w; G, q) m3 f$ I
; e4 ~4 ]( h- ?- Q. d: }4 b* m- p9 G0 R! S7 t3 o4 |. T
After landing in the ring, Seven's words were so controversial that Turner Broadcasting's standards and practices department insisted Seven never make another appearance.
3 P1 j6 h/ @" A2 X0 \. k- Z9 Z; u8 B+ R, C) n9 o4 |
; [; }" {5 A4 Z# G3 J0 L6 p* ?2 P% a+ x- b( \+ C* Z, _" p* a
In 1996, The Executioner was The Fabulous Freebirds' Terry Gordy under a hood.
5 E% w& V; r4 J8 @" N8 w1 _* O/ d# f1 _/ `. u
% Z N$ K2 I1 Q
1 T1 E; g( |5 B' V9 g
' j6 r0 M4 t/ O2 x) D/ j: O: a
$ L, q4 ]9 c: f* E% {0 O8 Y n' ]% I5 |Approaching the ring while carrying a plastic ax, few fans believed The Executioner would chop off the heads of his opponents. J2 y1 i- A& F. }( o- Z7 J1 _4 D, t' E8 E
+ F5 ?9 h7 r& w! B" `3 n% w$ J" d7 C3 k
. k: K% i# H1 F) T8 n* V) e
Along with others, The Executioner assisted Mankind in burying The Undertaker alive on pay-per-view.3 e1 A, T/ A A S* g4 o( \) w! [
0 S* z% }- M5 L2 g9 K
3 W7 n8 W& U9 w
- W5 }2 T; o/ S
, K1 V# J) U, u, H4 w/ _
/ p0 W S6 u9 J+ r; WSergeant Buddy Lee Parker is well-known by wrestling fans as the head trainer at WCW's Power Plant training school. But years earlier, Parker was just one bizarre member of Kevin Sullivan's Dungeon of Doom as Braun the Leprechaun.# _! V) U5 m5 H7 L
8 J6 R$ ]+ l+ `& `# `9 M* y& }1 @. Q! [
6 F7 y* x7 e5 }6 b
' S. M1 N, g% l, Z
. Y1 C7 M& K* E2 H! f/ a4 t. x
$ U! j4 P% [! rFor such a little guy, Braun sure was intense and physical, and once even bit Todd Morton in the armpit after a victory. l) n/ K/ v* }* ]1 M; |! ^! h9 D
; y4 v% A) R4 @
6 D5 x" O2 e7 X
( Y& W& B% f; I% s/ v
Jorge Gonzalez, known as El Gigante in WCW and Giant Gonzales in WWE, was drafted by the NBA's Atlanta Hawks.6 e; b4 O6 @4 f( E9 n# e7 s
8 Q% J+ B. r' V, A/ m* L8 }
$ j$ ^$ n7 M) ^, P; J3 B! P3 e# ]
: P1 T% y( M" J, m# F
The enormous Argentine arrived in WWE and quickly targeted the legendary Phenom, The Undertaker, during that year's Royal Rumble Match.
. g5 a1 y6 {' E2 H3 u: Y3 C3 k" @, `( W% D
& c& _( K4 Q& D0 ~" g6 `! b1 W. u7 o8 r5 ]; }1 Q. N
Gonzalez was always accompanied by his manager, the obnoxious Harvey Wippleman.
) c ~4 i7 p/ k& s7 |) z4 J% p- D6 k2 L: Q$ k7 p# p/ W
" E; s/ ^2 i& ~6 _& ~2 b7 { [9 m. U% R: n& @/ S5 X
8 J ~2 C, E" _) D+ @0 I: s; P1 q$ B' F
Declaring himself to be the true star of WWE's film "No Holds Barred," Zeus entered WWE to confront Hulk Hogan in 1989.7 |, r8 L$ ?( A2 `* _$ l* w" n
+ P8 N' B3 }# H
- n. l( [* p* K) T& i7 p+ c4 G
9 ?: i& d& t* S" p8 L
7 C$ F5 ^3 ~" f3 x/ C
# A* b) I& ~3 G# d' M8 D' j( q# e' _& e, t
+ k. g2 C; V- p) l. q- w. @3 _5 R y2 _( l0 I+ t, J' U# U; `& @" i
! |- `9 K# V5 l$ d5 U
" Z, S( g# \; H3 N" ~8 A4 i- d7 K$ u/ `) Q
At SummerSlam, Hogan united with close friend Brutus Beefcake to dispatch Zeus and his new ally "Macho King" Randy Savage., y0 P, ]( }- k. X- T5 d
) H9 |& v6 J; ?1 f0 m5 `
& }' Z2 @' Z5 S9 N9 D
" d: d& e6 v# v) @5 n! D1 QLater that year, Zeus and Savage were again defeated by Beefcake and The Hulkster in a Steel Cage Match during a special pay-per-view broadcast.: K) w- ]4 A. ^# W- R( T @3 P
: N' w b% y7 A4 b9 v
4 W' g; x3 x* h9 h# H- l$ Z8 j
/ G! J% r! D3 n2 I. C- T
8 a! v2 @! U3 f; q* |
9 U( l4 J! h6 F5 q* gAt WCW Uncensored 1996, Zeus was known as Z-Gangsta and was part of The Alliance to End Hulkamania.
, j( n$ g# @5 G' E# B
/ G+ f G: z. ]. H( Y |
|