10 WWE Wrestlers Who Lived Their Gimmicks

10. X-Pac

His name has name might be planted in one of the business’ biggest pejoratives (“X-Pac heat”), but X-Pac had a strong run with WWE at the turn of the century. The crowd got sick of him towards the end, sure, but he was the first guy Triple H called when looking to rebuild DX in Shawn Michael’s absence, and he amassed nine midcard title reigns throughout his WWE career.

X-Pac was DX’s enfant terrible: an obnoxious, detestable mischief maker who caused chaos around the midcard. Even when Triple H kicked him out of DX, X-Pac remained a degenerate by turning on Kane and stealing his girlfriend Tori, and even a run with the offensively bland X Factor (the wrestling stable equivalent of a Nickelback album) couldn’t sort him out. X-Pac was a rabble-rousing troublemaker from start to finish, and it extended to the real world.

His demons are well-publicised at this point, but Sean Waltman’s life sounds every bit as wild and chaotic as X-Pac’s was. From his battles with addiction to his tumultuous relationship with Chyna, Waltman has seen his loud DX days reflected in real-life, even if it likely wasn’t his choice. The former X-Pac has seemingly turned things around to enjoy a sober and healthy semi-retirement, but for a while, there was little difference between him and his on-air persona.