Part man, part bull, Mantaur made his WWE debut in January 1995. Despite all of the other asinine gimmicks that Vince McMahon had been responsible for to that point, Mantaur was the first time that fans recognized that the billionaire owner of wrestling's greatest promotion was behind the times. He no longer was in tune with what his audience wanted and the Superstar with the hideous ring attire and giant bull head which, according to Jim Cornette, had no eye holes for the performer to see out of, was proof of it. He was a joke, a character so bad that Vince Russo admits to being ashamed to be associated with the company at that point in time. What made Mantaur so bizarre was the fact that we, the fans, were expected to believe that this mythological creature had somehow invaded WWE and was more concerned with winning wrestling matches than, well, anything else. Enjoy a McDonald's cheeseburger? Nope. Check out the blossoming new creation known as the internet? Nah. But beating Bob "Spark Plug" Holly in a meaningless squash match? Sign him up. It was ridiculous. That no real back story was ever developed outside of the fact that he was part-man, part-bull really impeded what little progress was possible for the character and resulted in him being D.O.A. from the moment he stepped through the curtain for the first time.
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.
