10 Most Chilling Wrestling Gimmicks Ever

8. Mankind

Mankind WWE
WWE.com

So dedicated to the idea of paying Mankind effectively was Mick Foley that the madman ripped chunks of his own hair out during performances. Somehow, Mankind later became a lovable idiot character fans admired, even though Foley had played the Leatherface-style masked persona perfectly for years.

Screaming like a stuck pig and tormented (at least according to the WWF's announcers) by his own thoughts, Mankind was an amazing character from 1996-97. That first year of Foley's run in particular threw up countless memorable moments that turned Mankind from potential cartoon disaster into one of the promotion's most horrific assets.

A slick backstory involving childhood genius also came into play at points. Walking to the ring as moody music blared over the PA system, Mankind was then soothed post-match by gentle piano lullabies that caused him to rock back and forth. Long before 'Mr. Socko' and babyface brilliance, Mankind was eerie as hell.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.