10 Shocking Winners Of Wrestling Observer Awards
4. Tony Hernandez’s Monster Character - Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic 1981
The winners of the WON's Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic award include the following; the Piggy James angle; Katie Vick; exploiting the death of Eddie Guerrero; WWE's relationship with Saudi Arabia; Muhammad Hassan and his gimmick; and the decision to carry on with a pay-per-view shortly after the death of Owen Hart.
All of these things are despicable and worthy recipients of this award, which makes the decision to hand it out to a man dressed in a monster costume even more baffling.
Information is hard to come by regarding Tony Hernandez, but his career "highlight" was portraying a literal monster character in forgotten 80s company, LaBelle Promotions. The character was allegedly a last-ditch effort to save the failing business from going under by dressing Hernandez up in a furry monster suit and claiming he was "made in a lab".
Granted, this tactic was silly and pretty dubious considering most fans still believed in kayfabe at the time, but to call it disgusting might be a stretch too far. On a list that features some of the worst things ever done in the world of wrestling, Hernandez sticks out like a sore thumb... a sore, hairy thumb.