10 Wrestlers Lumbered With Dead On Arrival Gimmicks

6. Renegade

Maria Mike Kanellis
PWI/WWE

In 1995 era WCW, a familiar-looking face-painted hero with long hair marched to the ring.

He pumped his fists in the air and banged his head as he ran the aisle to the sound shredding, lightning quick power chords. He shook the ropes and flattened his opponents with the splash. He made short work of them in dominant squashes.

None of this got over in the slightest because this wasn't the Ultimate Warrior but a comparative geek by the name of Rick Wilson in the role of "Renegade" - the Aldi to Warrior's Asda. It didn't help the tragic Wilson that he was built like a cruiserweight. The poor b*stard looked like a cosplaying teenager. His grasp of Warrior's mannerisms was stilted. This, combined with the amateurish production values of his promotion, echoed Tim and Eric public access nightmare fuel more so than a wrestling act.

This, unbelievably, was the most money rich wrestling organisation on the face of the planet. When Renegade ran to the ring, it resembled a grim leisure centre WWF knockoff. To be fair, you could say that about most of what WCW produced that year.

This is a sadder tale than most. Wilson was so despondent over his failure to make it in wrestling that he committed suicide via gunshot to the head in 1999.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!