10 Wrestlers That Only Seemed Cool When You Were A Kid
5. Papa Shango
Papa Shango, in many ways, was like an earlier version of The Boogeyman, except way more racist. Whereas The Boogeyman was based on a mythical figure, Papa Shango was based on so-called witchdoctors of Haiti and other countries from which came the voodoo culture. So while Hollywood had certainly plundered this actual culture for decades prior to the introduction of the character, this was nevertheless still a pretty insensitive depiction. But then, again, this wouldnt be the first or last time that pro-wrestling would go to the horrendous cultural stereotype well.
Papa Shango would come out to the ring decked out in skull makeup and doing his voodoo thing, shaking his staff and skull, which would emit plumes of smoke. He used curses and other supernatural tactics on his opponents, including the Ultimate Warrior, who became involved in a ridiculous angle that saw him convulsing and projectile vomiting on screen.
While Papa Shango may have had a legitimately creepy look, the theatrics and special effects felt like they were right out of an Ed Wood movie. For any fans at the time who werent in the habit of wearing Transformers pajamas, the gimmick must have seemed lame and tired from the start.
Of course, the man behind Papa Shango, Charles Wright, would eventually transform into Kama Mustafa before once again shifting gears to become everyones favourite pimp The Godfather. Now there was a gimmick that withstood the test of time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZSAzWvFpoE