Well before WWE got the "F" out, and officially added "Entertainment" to their brand, the company was firmly planted with one foot in wrestling and the other in show business. With roots tracing back to carnivals, a schedule akin to a travelling circus, and the over-riding feel of a Hollywood variety show at times, it is no small wonder that WWE often winds up integrating animals into their act. Despite the old adage that one should never work with animals, WWE Superstars have had their share of the furred and feathered by their side over the past few decades, with varying degrees of success, dignity and fanfare. Some animals have simply been visual props; some were just a fun way to enhance a Superstar's image or character, and still others became entwined and entrenched in a wrestler's legacy, forever linking the two together in fan's mind and memories. The think that links them all however, is that they have gone down in the history of the WWE as memorable members of the cast of colourful characters who compel fans to tune in, buy PPVs and travel from the world over to attend live events. Not all of the animals celebrated here remain part of the company, but all left an undeniable, indelible mark on the history of wrestling - in some cases more than certain flash in the pan gimmicks who enjoyed even less ring time - and each deserves their place in the sun. So with that in mind, here are the most enduring of the four-legged, the winged and the slithering who ever called themselves WWE sidekicks, ranked from worst to best...
Honourable Mention
Mideon's Turkey Being kidnapped by the Acolytes and brainwashed by the Undertaker into becoming a grimy lackey of the Ministry of Darkness was one of the less weird things to happen to Dennis Knight during his WWE stay; for example, during the course of a few segments on the 1999 Thanksgiving Edition of Smackdown, Mideon briefly developed a relationship with an animal and the two got a little too close. Although the end of the show ended with a Thanksgiving food fight between the Superstars, earlier in the night Mideon discovered a prime cooked turkey ready to be carved that he clearly decided could do with some more stuffing. After looking over the dinner bird, Mideon got a certain look of lust in his eyes and when we next visited the pair backstage the turkey looked "American Pied" and Mideon was enjoying an implied post-coitus cigarette. Needless to say, the relationship was strictly a one shot.
