10 Wrestlers Who Piggybacked Their Way To Success

5. The Nasty Boys

Nikki Cross Becky Lynch
WWE

The Nasty Boys were a great, stiff-as-sh*t tag act in their pomp; visibly disgusting, loathsome creatures wearing iconic, eye-catching gear, Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags lived the gimmick and were a not inconsiderable influence over the demented brawling style that became de rigueur throughout the late 1990s mega-boom.

Their killer Chicago Street Fight match with Cactus Jack and Maxx Payne at WCW Spring Stampede 1994 repulsed and captivated a fanbase unfamiliar with such wild brutality. The Nasty Boys were amazing, but then they weren't; their WCW run, in which they rocked the last good WarGames attraction, ended following an infamous shoot incident in a litigious match with the Outsiders. After years in the wrestling wilderness, during which time any level of skill or conditioning naturally succumbed to age, old buddy Hulk Hogan drafted them back into the quasi-mainstream in his rotten, ego-fuelled quest to remake TNA in his own prehistoric image.

The run was as baffling as it was dire, yielding lumbering action and blanket disbelief. From the revolutionary Motor City Machine Guns to this glorified flea market nostalgia, this level of influence was significantly less effective. The run in part informed TNA's unshakeable joke stigma, and it ended how it often did: they were released following an ugly incident with a Spike TV executive.

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!