The Bizarre Tale Of The Misfits In WCW

10. They Were There To Replace Insane Clown Posse

Vampiro had been a big star for several promotions in Mexico and Japan through the 1990s, but when he arrived in WCW in 1998, the company’s creative team had little idea what to do with him. After being left on the sidelines for most of a year, he began getting a push as part of a stable with Raven and Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J of rap duo Insane Clown Posse, called “The Dead Pool.” The group got over and had a short-lived feud with Rey Mysterio Jr., Eddie Guerrero, and Billy Kidman, culminating with a six-man tag match in 1999’s Fall Brawl.

In mid-September, ICP left the promotion, citing other touring obligations. They would return to WCW in mid-2000, but in the meantime, Vampiro was left without a stable, and WCW’s creative department was again left without any idea what to do with the performer. Since it no longer seemed appropriate for Vampiro to use ICP’s music for his entrance theme, creative asked the real-life Ian Hodgkinson for suggestions. As he was a punk rock kid at heart, he suggested they let him play with a band. The creative team had no idea what he was talking about, but he told them to trust him, and he started looking for a band that could fill the role.

That led him to horror punk icons The Misfits.