10 Strangest Times Wrestlers Turned Up In Character Outside Of Wrestling

Not all wrestler appearances took place during daytime shows and live-action television programming. Some performers also wound up in the world of animation, such as when The Rock emulated coitus during an episode of Family Guy or this appearance from Bret Hart.

Capitalizing on his success, Hart landed a role in The Simpsons. In the episode entitled "The Old Man and the Lisa" (Season 8), 'The Excellence of Execution' was brought in to play a Russian wrestler. However, after producers realized what kind of talent they had on their hands, it was decided he would appear under his own gimmick.

The episode in which Hart called Mr Burns a "pencil-neck geek" became a favorite amongst fans of both WWE and the cartoon so much that Hart received his own Simpsons merchandise throughout the years, including a collector's figure as part of the show's 25th-Anniversary line.

While the appearance was well-received, it did come with one major question. Why did Hart sound so... not like him at all during the episode? 'The Hitman' shared the answer for AV Club's Dave Hofer. When The Simpsons originally proposed the Russian character, Hart played ball while maintaining that he should play himself instead. The character was changed, but the early recordings weren't. Hart explained to Hofer he sounds weird "because [he] thought [he] was playing a crazy Russian."