https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EloX-k6ikFY Kevin Sullivan has always been a little "off." Long suspected of being a Satanist, Sullivan always struck the audience as being psychotic, as taking his cultist gimmick a bit too far. He always seemed far more convincing than he probably should have been, given the content of his on-screen persona. Ironically enough, it was that he was so convincing that the character worked as well as it did and led to Sullivan's success. The Boston native achieved notoriety in Florida, where he led a cult of stars known as the Army of Darkness. In order to maintain the edge in his rivalries with stars the likes of Billy Graham and Austin Idol, he needed to continuously add to his collection of freaks and oddities. He did that in 1983 with the introduction of the Purple Haze, Mark Lewin. Sullivan engaged in some sort of ritual that summoned the Purple Haze from the ocean. Emerging from 20,000 leagues under the sea, the Purple Haze made an immediate impact. For children watching the Championship Wrestling from Florida television at the time, the site of such a man walking out the of the water as if he was born of the Satanic ritual, the dark arts that Sullivan had just partaken, was creepy and terrifying all at the same time. Even if Lewin, who portrayed the scary newcomer, did not look much different from any other wrestler running around at that point.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.