10 Weirdest Wrestling Cults Ever
7. The Brood
The Brood's identity oscillated between a brotherhood of vampires and a trio of goth. They are best remembered for leader Gangrel, a fang-bearing vampire, and the group’s “blood baths”, where, under the cover of darkness and flashing red lights, a victim would be swamped in blood.
Gangrel took feuding siblings Edge and Christian under his wing, sharing his blood chalice with them, even if they did often only spit it into the air. While The Brood’s blood obsession is a tick on any Cults 101 checklist, Gangrel lacked the key attributes to be a successful leader. His charisma didn’t match his fantastical gimmick, and he wasn’t a great talker, worthy of riling up anyone. “Gangrel speaks” is often cited as one of the all-time worst promos.
The Brood were eventually absorbed by The Ministry of Darkness and the superior leadership of The Undertaker. During this angle, The Brood dissolved leading to a lost Gangrel creating the New Brood with Matt and Jeff Hardy as his underlings. They quickly ditched him for Terri Runnels and changed their name to The Hardy Boyz.
Thankfully, unlike many cult leaders, Gangrel didn’t take his followers down with him.