Wrestlemania week: Wrestlers who would be at home in horror films

For some reason horror and professional wrestling go hand in hand. I’m a huge fan of both. Tomorrow is WWE’s biggest show of the year, Wrestlemania. So I know I had to celebrate both of my fandoms.

Who says wrestling and horror don’t mix?

WWE is arguably one of the largest wrestling companies in the world. With a history spanning more than 50 years with a plethora of colorful characters. Of course where there is color and light there must also be dark. While there are a few horror films with wrestling plots this is just a handful of WWE wrestlers that would be right at home in horror films.

via WWE

6. Doink

If you’re coulrophobic, then Doink would be frightening to you regardless. However when he stopped wanting to make children laugh and started wanting to make them cry he became frightening to everyone including opponents. Who can ever forget when Doink beat Crush with his (Doink’s) own arm. Sure it was a false arm, after Crush ripped off said arm? For a child at the time, that had to be absolutely terrifying. Sure he’s no Pennywise but Evil Doink showed what happens when a clown stops laughing.

5. Kevin Thorn 

I first knew Kevin Thorn under the name of Seven as a member of the Disciples of Synn in Ohio Valley Wrestling. That stable in itself a horror related stable, but then he debuted in WWE’s version of ECW as a vampire. Sure Kevin Thorn wasn’t WWE’s first vampire; Edge, Christian and Gangrel were in The Brood before him, in itself a stable based on The Lost Boys. However Kevin Thorn would have been a likely member if he was around just a few years earlier.

via WWE

4. Papa Shango

Charles Wright became more popular among WWE fans as The Godfather, however his first character Papa Shango, a Voodoo Priest, is something straight out of Wes Craven’s Serpent And The Rainbow. At the time of his debut WWE was heading more toward “realistic” characters. While Papa Shango went up against future legends like Ultimate Warrior and even “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan, he was more often than not on the losing end regardless of his spells.

via WWE

3. Kane

Years later an unmasked Kane would be in two horror films, See No Evil. Originally the character was a silent menacing character like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers. Kane would make his debut at Bad Blood 1997 in the first ever Hell In A Cell match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker who would soon be revealed as his older brother. The devil’s favorite demon still terrorizes opponents today, however he may be near the end of his run.

via WWE

2. Mankind

Mrs Foley’s baby boy has 3 faces. However, Mankind is arguably his most successful. Originally a very deranged individual participating in the most hardcore matches in the WWE. Fans remember him most  him for his match with The Undertaker at the 1998 King Of The Ring where he was thrown from the top of the Hell In A Cell structure. With a pain threshold to rival Jason Voorhees himself, Mankind is a three time WWE champion.

1. The Undertaker

No list of WWE wrestlers and horror will ever be complete without “The Dead Man” The Undertaker. Probably the most successful supernatural character ever to hit a WWE ring. An imposing figure in any of the variations of the character, The Undertaker has the best record in Wrestlemania history at an astounding 21 wins and 1 loss. Whether he’s a Western style undertaker or leader of The Ministry of Darkness no character captivates a crowd and embodies horror like The Undertaker.

Next: 12 of the worst characters on The Walking Dead

Which other wrestlers past or present would be at home in horror films? Chime in with more ideas in the comments below.