10 Wrestlers Who Saved Their Careers TWICE With Gimmicks

10. The Godfather (Papa Shango and The Godfather)

Papa Shango The Godfather
WWE

Or when they're markedly different, and you can't get much more diverse than skull-shrinking witch doctor and doob-toking pimp.

Hilariously, Charles Wright's first gimmick in the WWF was as a basketball player. He worked that gimmick on several house shows before reverting to a play on his 'Soultaker' gimmick from the USWA. Recast as the voodoo shaman Papa Shango, Wright had instant credibility and was taken seriously as a heel menace.

Then, it all went wrong and his career sagged in the middle when he awkwardly transitioned into playing 'Supreme Fighting Machine' Kama Mustafa. That, and his run in the Nation Of Domination as a heavy, meant he was just there to make up the numbers. Then, Wright embraced his real job running strip clubs, exaggerated it and got aboard the 'Ho Train'.

As The Godfather, he was gold. A chain-smoking "businessman" backed by an army of prostitutes isn't the kind of gimmick WWE would like to own up to now, but it was over like rover during the Attitude era and helped save Wright from ignominy again.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.