WrestleMania's host city of New Orleans is known for a lot of things and voodoo is one of them. With Charles Wright appearing all weekend at WWE Axxess, there is no better way to play on the culture of the city than with an appearance by the infamous Papa Shango. A practitioner of voodoo, Shango was one of the over-the-top characters that WWE produced in the early-1990s as it attempted to recapture the magic that led to the wrestling boom of the mid-to-late-1980s. Shango would not only beat his opponents, he would also cast spells that resulted in them catching fire or falling vilently ill. One of the most notorious Superstars to fall under Shango's spell was 2014 Hall of Famer the Ultimate Warrior, who bled green slime and violently vomited in one of the worst storylines ever devised by WWE management. Shango, like so many of those gimmicky characters during that period of time, had a very limited shelf life and by early 1993, disappeared from WWE programming. While the character failed in the long term, Shango had a presence about him that could have certainly succeeded in later years with a few tweaks and the elimination of the over-the-top storylines. For wrestling fans between 25 and 40, all of whom remember the diabolical and unintentionally funny character, a cameo appearance would be one of the highlights of the evening's festivities.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
