People hate dentists for good reason. There is something so frightening about sitting in a chair, being diagnosed with a cavity and then watching as the man in the mask brings a drill closer and closer to your mouth, the result sure to be excruciating. Adults are as bad, if not worse, than their children. Of course, that may have more to do with the fact that they don't get a free toothbrush or Toy Story sticker out of the deal. In 1995, Vince McMahon and WWE preyed on that fear of dentists by introducing Isaac Yankem, a deranged and sadistic doctor who helped heal Jerry Lawler following his Kiss My Foot match loss to Bret Hart and the King of the Ring. While he may have shown restraint while working on the King, the children that sat in his chair were not so lucky. They found themselves at the mercy (or lack thereof) of the demented dentist. Screams poured out of the victim (patient?) as he dug into their mouths, drilling away with reckless abandon and cheerful glee. The character's introduction was far too serious for the cartoonish gimmick he became. The moment he stepped through the curtain to battle Bret Hart at SummerSlam was the character's finest moment. Everything from that point on was a miserable failure and by the following summer, he would be repackaged as a not-so-Big Daddy Cool, Diesel. The demented dentist had potential but in execution was yet another poor attempt by McMahon to inject his company with gimmicks instead of characters and it failed miserable as a result.
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.
