Forgotten WWE gimmicks: 1990s WWF edition

WWE

With plenty of remarkable WWE/WWF characters over the years, there are plenty of gimmicks that the fandom may remember fondly – or not.

Among some of the stranger decades in WWE history, the 1990’s saw attempts by a variety of wrestlers to think outside of the box and create unique and unusual characters.

While some were a hit, others were a resounding miss but I bet you don’t remember all of these wild and wacky gimmicks from 1990s WWF, now WWE.

The Berzerker

Introduced to WWF fans in 1991, The Berserker was a fascinating Viking warrior gimmick. 

Not only did he appear wearing a horned helmet and prepared with a sword and shield, he had a signature war cry as well. 

Screaming “Huss!!” before going on the attack, he would often elect to chuck his opponents over the top rope for the count out victory in lieu of going for the pinball victory. 

Skinner

Apparently WWF in 1991 was a wild one with the year also seeing the debut of Skinner, an alligator-hunter themed character that wore camouflage. 

Literally portraying a chronically tobacco chewing alligator hunter hailing from the Florida Everglades, he featured in vignettes in the wild and wore real alligator teeth and claws as a part of his attire. 

His finishing move was even called the Gatorbreaker. 

Max Moon

Making his debut in late 1992, another odd character from WWF’s history was Max Moon. 

Wearing a colorful and elaborate costume, his presentation included streamers and a suit that even fired confetti. 

As legend has it, it was actually Konnan who developed the character pitching it to Vince McMahon after wrestling in Japan and seeing a robot that shot fire and confetti.

While McMahon reportedly loved the character idea, it would be Paul Diamond that went on to portray the futuristic, outer-space superhero on TV. 

Mantaur

A strange gimmick launched in 1995, the WWF character Mantaur was meant as a play on the Greek mythological creature Minotaur. 

Meant to be half man, half bull the character had difficulty at times with the oversized costume head that went along with the character, sometimes even getting tangled up in the ropes. 

While he did not wrestle in the giant head (thankfully), it was still an amusing sight to see.

The Goon

Not every professional wrestling character needs a giant costume head to make an impact, instead the 1996 gimmick of The Goon is still recalled today. 

Effectively the entire character was that as a former hockey enforcer, The Goon treated WWF like his own personal line brawl ahead of a stay in the penalty box. 

While the character may have been odd, it was certainly memorable as it was one featured in the WrestleMania X-Seven Gimmick Battle Royal. 

Fun fact – the winner of the 2001 Gimmick Battle Royal was the Iron Sheik. 

TL Hopper

Last but not least in this not at all exhaustive list of oddities from the 1990s, a plumber named TL Hopper. 

But not just any plumber, TL Hopper was a particularly grotesque character, carrying his trusty plunger named “Betsy,” he would not shy away from plunging the faces of his opponents after winning a match. 

What were some of your wackiest favorites from vintage WWF? Let me know in the comments!

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