10 Wrestlers Who Got Much Worse (But WAY More Over)
1. The Bushwhackers
The Bushwhackers are the most extreme example of this strange phenomenon.
When they worked the territories, they did so as the Sheepherders: violent bastard savage types who’d rip your eye out and spill your blood, the very reason you don’t venture too far from civilisation. They enjoyed success everywhere they went, and they literally trotted the globe between their native New Zealand, Japan, and across the United States.
Now, that was never going to work in the context of the family-friendly and cartoonish World Wrestling Federation. The WWF was much too glossy for that sort of act.
But the sheer extent of the transformation was remarkable. The Sheepherders weren’t a sanitised version of nasty, violent people: they were the Bushwhackers.
The Bushwhackers were absolutely shocking, but it was money for next to nothing and they seemed to enjoy making it. They’d swing their arms in a stupid way, lick your head, and exclusively work dismal comedy matches. The act was nonetheless a minor hit and, for reasons related entirely to their stupidity, will never be forgotten.
There is no bigger “No, f*ck off, that’s not true” piece of trivia than “Dave Meltzer once awarded a Bushwhackers match five stars”. Except it is true.
You’d only be more surprised were you to learn that Road Dogg once worked a Super J Cup classic against Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger.