10 Worst T-Shirts In WWE History

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james ellsworth shirt
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Merchandising is a huge form of revenue in wrestling companies, and no form of merchandise is as valuable as the t-shirt. Consider this - in 2016, New Japan Pro Wrestling's total ticket sales were actually down from those of the previous year, but the company took in more money than in 2015. How? Because fans couldn't stop buying jackets, hats, and of course, t-shirts featuring the ultra-popular Los Ingobernables stable.

Of course, longtime fans of U.S.-based pro wrestling know just how big a hit a t-shirt can be. Though seeing one in public may be rare today, during the '90s, it was hard to go out in public and not notice one of the period's popular wrestling t-shirts. There's a gold mine to be made if the right wrestler has the right shirt design.

Why, then, are so many of them terrible? Most wrestling shirts look unfit to ever wear out in public, despite the fact that that's pretty much the idea for most pieces of clothing. Though it's not just WWE (TNA, WCW, and a ton of other companies have had terrible offerings), the world's largest wrestling promotion definitely leads the charge.

Still, it's not up to us to answer the hard questions - we just point out examples. With that in mind, here are the ten worst t-shirts in WWE history:

10. The Red Rooster - Poultry In Motion

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WWE/Wrestlecrap

Terry Taylor's most memorable run in pro wrestling came when he portrayed The Red Rooster in WWE, and even then, he's remembered more as a ridiculous jobber. His peak came in a feud with Bobby Heenan, but odds are that his red fauxhawk, designed to resemble a rooster's comb, was the first thing that popped into your mind.

Still, a modest win-loss record didn't stop The Red Rooster from getting his own WWE merchandise, including a t-shirt with his own picture on it. Yes, the red trim around the neck and sleeves and the obnoxious font are all worth mentioning, but what really makes the shirt unique is the slogan next to Rooster's head: "Poultry in Motion."

The font is almost illegible, so the only way to enjoy the pun is to get really, really close - which nobody will likely be doing if you're wearing a Red Rooster shirt. In the end, that joke will be for the wearer's own edification only.

 
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Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013