10 Wrestlers That Became Complete Party Animals

7. The Sandman

Rob Van Dam
WWE.com

The Sandman's entrance for ECW One Night Stand 2005 may be one of the greatest ever witnessed on a WWE production. Typically, the original vintage that inspired it wasn't even of their own making.

Before embracing what made him tick in real life, The Sandman was clad in surfer gear trying to get over and stay there as a wrestler with a fondness for the seaside. The character he became was one of the most iconic in the history of an organisation that briefly moved from the cult to the mainstream with his ilk at the front of it. The party, more than the professional wrestling, generated the pop.

Less about the moves and more the madness that came with his arrival and big spots, Sandman's appeal mirrored how Vince McMahon saw the most important elements of Sports Entertainment, even if the ECW legend himself couldn't have been much further away from McMahon's idealised vision of the industry. He poached elements for Stone Cold Steve Austin's presentation, then presented a (just about) WWE-proof one for a failed attempt at recapturing the magic in the mid-2000s.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett