It was Vampiros anarcho-punk rock aesthetic, all blue dreadlocks and crabbed blackwork, that helped him get over in CMLL in the early nineties. The Mexican crowd really got into his casually unhinged streak and ghoulish face paint, which distracted them from his then comparatively basic moveset (he'd not had that much training to begin with, so it was mostly punch, kick, headbutt, rinse and repeat). But it would be his full time arrival in WCW in 1999 that would see him begin to earn his punk rock credibility in the US. Ian Vampiro Hodgkinson refers to himself as a juggalo: one of the hardcore faithful surrounding redneck horrorcore hip hop dickheads Insane Clown Posse. Well, ICP fancied themselves wrestlers, and worked for WCW for a short time: when they did, Hodgkinson was allied to them. Later, Vampro would work with seminal horror punk band The Misfits when they came calling at WCW. Its been said that Vampiros edgy, moody, disconnected image was ahead of its time: that he could have done what CM Punk did in the business had the business been ready for it. Thats debatable - back in the day Hodgkinson definitely had something, but he wasnt on Punks level. Regardless, for individuals with a certain anti-authority, anti-corporate, rebellious vibe, Vampiro was it back in the 1990s. He may not have had the ability of a CM Punk or a Seth Rollins, but he paved the way for the punk-as-f*ck look and attitude on mainstream wrestling television, and introduced a legion of fans to punk culture.
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
