http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0hrPgKz7XQ Between a good run as Stunning Steve Austin and a phenomenal run as Stone Cold Steve Austin, this cultural icon was known simply as The Ringmaster. The fact that Steve Austin survived that horrible name long enough to come out of the other side and become Stone Cold is a near miracle. Anybody else saddled with that horrendous moniker would have been looking at the release within six months. What makes The Ringmaster so odd is that Austin was coming into that role after a very short spell in ECW where he was given free reign to run his mouth about whatever he wanted to. He showed so much fire and charisma during that short run that to see him shackled and given a manager in The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase was completely nonsensical. Thankfully Austin broke free of those shackles eventually and became one of the all time greats. A rare example of surviving a terrible name to make it to the main event.
14. The Boogeyman
"I'm the Boogeyman! And I'm coming to getcha!" Scary facepaint, psychotic convulsions during his entrance, missing front teeth, smashing an oversized alarm clock over his head, eating worms and forcing his opponents to eat them, supernatural powers and a name taken straight from fairy tales told to children to make them behave: no part of The Boogeyman should work as a wrestling gimmick. Marty Wright came to the WWE's attention when he appeared as a contestant on Tough Enough. He lied about his age though, claiming to be 30 when he was in fact 40, five years over the cut-off. He was immediately cut from the process but somehow still got a developmental deal. He would go on to terrorise midcarders on SmackDown! and WWE's ECW before a succession of injuries got the better of him and he was released having established his legacy as one of wrestling strangest performers with one of the worst names.
RIchard is a freelance writer who fell in love with wrestling when he first saw Bret Hart make someone tap out to the Sharpshooter. He writes here for WhatCulture but you can also find him on his personal website at http://eatworkgame.co.uk/
