10 Wrestling Gimmicks More Disturbing Than You Think
History has forgotten the, erm... alarming origins of these WWE characters.
Pro wrestling characters are typically one-note and easy to figure out. For example, The Miz is a self-obsessed coward who paints in broad strokes verbally then sh*ts his pants when confronted. Meanwhile, Drew McIntyre is a valiant hero with a never-say-die attitude, and fans can always count on him to face adversity head on.
Then, there's this lot.
Some gimmicks are way more disturbing once fans scratch beneath the surface of rudimentary heel/babyface presentation and look into their origins properly. This list has troubled drug addicts, men who murder animals for fun, kidnap victims, children who only want to be loved by those around them and more.
If that's not enough, then how about characters originally based on serial killers and guys scarred for life by real-life nuclear disasters? Yeah, wrestling can be a pretty f*cked up place when one looks beyond the obvious and ignores the fact that WWE changed some of these backstories over the years.
It's hardly surprising they did so when the initial inspirations/stories laid out for these workers were so bloody disturbing. Prepare to be shocked, and perhaps see your favourites in a whole new light...
10. Billy Kidman Was A Drug Addict
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Watch Billy Kidman's earliest moments in WCW and you'll see the Raven's Flock member claw away at his own body and stare blankly down the camera lens. Announcers like Tony Schiavone explained away this behaviour as Kidman being unclean or just needing a shower, but there was something more sinister at the heart of it.
He was a troubled drug addict that Raven hoped to shelter away from a judgemental world and keep alive. Who knew WCW could be so deep, eh? Think about it though: Billy's unkempt look, his dead eyes and the constant itch - he was always on the hunt for his next fix, and sought sanctuary amidst Raven's band of misfits.
The company eventually phased this part of Kidman's character out completely. In fact, there was no real context given for why he cleaned up his appearance and stopped scratching. It just sort of... happened, and nobody really talked about 'Kidman: The Heroin Diaries' again.