10 Wrestlers Who SECRETLY Elevated The Stars

To a greater or lesser extent, The Undertaker has always been a spooky character, but he reached his paranormal peak as the leader of the Ministry Of Darkness. The motorbike enthusiast turned full-on occultist, big into kidnapping, hypnosis, and trying to embalm his colleagues.

Keeping all of this at least somewhat grounded were Farooq and Bradshaw, then rebranded The Acolytes. Real-life pals and bonafide tough guys, the pair weren’t up to a whole lot when they were hired as ‘Taker’s attack dogs, given some halfhearted runic symbols for the brand, and given free reign to absolutely wallop people.

Amid the photogenic vampires of The Brood, the caterwauling Paul Bearer, and whatever Viscera was, The Acolytes ensured the Ministry kept a sense of genuine menace. Even if you don’t believe Mark Calaway can summon lightning from the sky, it’s not much of a stretch to imagine Ron and John kicking the stuffing out of you.

Their stiff, rawboned viciousness ensured that, at the height of ‘Taker’s most soap operatic phase, the Phenom still felt a legitimate contender for any championship at any given time. Indeed watching these two brutes basically be themselves likely whet his appetite for the next run of his career.