8 Wrestling Gimmicks That Were Much Darker Outside WWE
1. Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins' 'Monday Night Messiah' mantle is a million times better than the drivel we suffered through during his abortive 2019 babyface run, but the rancour of his Raw ramblings as a leader are meek compared to his time as a lackey in a similar Ring Of Honor group way back in 2007.
The then Tyler Black joined Necro Butcher and Lacey at ROH 161 as part of a new, cult-like stable known as Age of the Fall, under the stewardship of dip-dyed emogoth Jimmy Jacobs. Their very first act was to truss Jay Briscoe up from the belt hook on the lighting rig. Blood dripped from their victim as he hanged from the ceiling like a butchered animal, saturating Jacobs' shirt and at one point trickling into his mouth. So disgusting was the scene that ROH removed the footage from the event PPV.
Though they'd never quite replicate this revolting act, the Age of the Fall continued to terrorise ROH for the next two years, until the breakout star Black, having earned the respect of the crowd with his ring work, turned on his leader. It was his subsequent reign as Ring Of Honor champion that'd ultimately lead the future Rollins to an FCW contract.