Over the years wrestling companies like WWE and AEW have had their fingers on the pulse of pop culture and the love of horror is no different. Many gimmicks have come and gone, and while the early days of WWE was all abut the muscular, colorful babyfaces, stars like The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt broke down doors into a much more cinematic approach to wrestling with their spooky characters. With Halloween quickly approaching we’ve compiled a list of the top supernatural/horror inspired wrestling gimmicks from both WWE and AEW and ranked them for your viewing pleasure.
10. Abadon
AEW star Abadon is one of the most unique wrestling characters going today. Much of the AEW roster is fairly cookie cutter, but they command the attention of everyone in the room with their brightly colored hair, facial piercings and cool face paint. Their zombie-like gimmick allows them to move methodically in the ring, screeching when chopped across the chest. But once Abadon really gets going, they resemble Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead.
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9. Danhausen
Live, laugh, love that Danhausen.
While many write Danhausen off as just a cheesy, gimmicky character, he’s pretty undeniable. If you have gone to any show in the last five or six years that he’s at, his meet and greet lines are extensive. He sells out of merchandise faster than it can be printed. There’s an appeal to him that people obviously gravitate toward, including lapsed fans and non-wrestling fans.
8. Kane
The early years of Kane’s character were quite literally his best. In the late 1990s when he would attack “fans” in the crowd, it really gave off a vibe like a slasher film at the time. Something in the vain of horror icons Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, or even Leatherface. His backstory with The Undertaker was cinematic, and The Brothers of Destruction were an extremely dominant and unforgettable tag team (mostly due to their presence).
7. Papa Shango
While WWE missed the mark with Boogeyman in the early 2000s, everything about the Papa Shango gimmick was infinitely better. His feud with The Ultimate Warrior where he’d go on to put a curse on him and he’d start bleeding out of his skull is enough to give any young child the heebie jeebies. Because, naturally, if he can curse a guy like that, what’s stopping him from doing it to the rest of us? And the voice? Absolutely terrifying!
6. Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn
Who doesn’t love a good witchy story? Long before Agatha All Along there was Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn — a Scottish tag team that has made waves in WWE since their arrival. The Unholy Union have a ton of chemistry together and fans have been captivated by them since their time in NXT. While their main roster run has been quite lackluster thus far, they have brought in a new member to their coven in recent months. With some power behind them it’s certainly a possibility that a witchy stable could work.
5. The Brood
The 90s had a real fascination with vampires in pop culture. From The Lost Boys to Interview with a Vampire, WWE capitalized on this phenomena by introducing a blood-sucking stable comprised of Gangrel and two fresh faces that would go on to become WWE Hall of Famers, Edge and Christian. Was it anything groundbreaking? No, but many fans loved it and it was the launching point of their careers. Plus, Gangrel is a super underrated in-ring performer.
4. Mankind
Mick Foley has had many persona shifts during his legendary career. His Mankind character arguably set him on the trajectory to becoming the legend that he’s seen as today, as it was a lot different from what he’d done previously and what fans had seen. Instead of the hardcore brawler that fans had come to love with Cactus Jack, Mankind was much more sinister — camping out in boiler rooms, his pig squeals during matches … terrifying stuff.
3. The Wyatt Sicks
As you’ll see mentioned throughout, Wyatt is an absolute mastermind when it comes to wrestling. Not everything he did was a hit, but he brought something interesting and unique to WWE in a time that they were struggling to connect with fans at all. While his passing was absolutely devastating, his legacy lives on in the Wyatt Sicks stable led by his brother and fellow professional wrestler, Bo Dallas.
2. Undertaker
Although The Undertaker is well known and a fan-favorite character today, it wasn’t always that way. His character came about during a time where wrestling fans were still high on the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. “Spooky” gimmicks were still relatively new, but he helped institute change in that way as the years went on due to his natural captivating presence in the ring.
1. Bray Wyatt
It’s impossible to have a list of horror-inspired wrestlers and not discuss the incredible mind of the late Bray Wyatt who led the successful Wyatt Family stable. In the later years of his career, he really dove deep into the spooky waters. He showed WWE personnel that fans were clamoring for something interesting and different when he introduced The Fiend, the Firefly Fun House, and Alexa Bliss taking on the role of Sister Abigail.