8 Comedy Wrestlers Who Were Legitimate Tough Guys
You've gotta be tough to play funny.
Professional wrestling is a world full of contradictions. Most fictional universes are, as the characters we come to know and love are either a million miles from the humans behind them or all too close. It is said that the best characters were the real human ramped up to the maximum, but the true test of acting ability is taking something unusual and running with it.
Comedy has always had a place in wrestling. Whether we like it or not it is somewhat vital to the show, providing some relief when things get a little too serious. We need to laugh as well as gasp, and throughout history many individuals have proved more adept than this than others.
Wrestling is also a place for legitimately tough guys. The simple fact is that you can't do it for a living without being a little bit hard, as a major part of your job is to fall on your back and generally be hurt. Performers like The Miz might not come across such, but the chances are they will be able to destroy the vast majority of us when it came to a real fight.
So what of those real anomalies? What of those individuals who straddled both worlds, making us laugh on-screen but being able to hold their own in the real world too? Here are 8 comedy wrestlers who were legitimate tough guys to boot.
8. The Bushwackers
Man, I really hated the Bushwackers as a child. The duo from New Zealand were the resident comedic tag team of the late 80s and early 90s in the World Wrestling Federation, known more for licking heads than actual fighting. They walked a ridiculous walk, and generally annoyed me even as a five year old.
Imagine my surprise then at finding out about Luke and Butch's previous wrestling career. Before coming to the WWF and licking everything in sight the two were known as the Sheepherders. Butch would return home to be closer to his family, but Luke would stay in the States and form a team with Jonathan Boyd, known as the New Sheepherders.
The New Sheepherders were straight up one of the most violent teams in professional wrestling. Keep in mind this was the 1980s, when everyone was pretty violent, so it took quite a lot to be considered a step above when it came to violence. The New Sheepherders were as violent as it got, and you can't be violent in professional wrestling without taking violence back. It doesn't take a scientist to do the toughness match there.
Whilst the change to a comedic style in the WWF undoubtedly lengthened their careers, seeing the ultra-violent Sheepherders in the WWF would have been entertaining to say the least. Anything would have been better than that stupid walk.