WCW had its share of both good and bad moments. While many fans remember Ted Turner’s promotion for the nWO angle or Sting’s “Crow” gimmick, others may have terrible recollection of the awful gimmick names and storylines.
There’s no arguing that WWE had some terrible gimmick names during the nineties. However, WCW would sometimes go one step ahead to make a mockery out of a superstar’s ring name. Let’s take a look at some of the worst WCW gimmick names of all time.
Asya was WCW’s bootleg version of Chyna
Asya was WCW’s failed attempt at replicating Chyna’s WWE success. She debuted as the female enforcer of the Revolution faction, which consisted of Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn, and Shane Douglas. Some might consider it a clever nod, but most saw it as a ripoff. No wonder the gimmick failed terribly.
Arachna-Man
Brad Armstrong was an underrated talent with the ability to give a sound performance inside the squared circle. The son of Bob Armstrong was given many questionable gimmicks during his WCW days, but none seemed more bizarre than Arachna-Man.
This Spider-Man rip-off was tweaked enough to avoid a potential lawsuit with the comic book giant. Marvel would eventually get wind of WCW’s attempt at sneaky copyright infringement and responded with a lawsuit threat.
Arachna-Man was never seen again on television.
The WCW Yeti
The Yeti is considered one of the worst WCW gimmicks of all time. This failed Egyptian mummy-ripoff had its origins at a WCW Nitro in 1995. Yeti was brought by The Dungeon of Doom at show in block of ice, but would escape by the night.
The Yeti would show up after the controversial Hulk Hogan versus The Giant (Paul Wight) at WCW Halloween Havoc 1995. He’d help The Giant take out Hogan with an embarrassing bear hug. This was the infamous highlight of Ronald Allen Reis’ pro wrestling career.
Nowadays, the Yeti has found new life as “The YET-TAY” thanks to Conrad Thompson and Tony Schiavone poking fun at the latter’s pronunciation of it.
Air Styles
Allen Jones joined Ted Turner’s wrestling promotion during the last years of its existence. The creative had no clue what to do with the high-flyer like every other talent they had at their disposal at the time.
Jones was given the ring name “Air Styles” and would work several matches for WCW during its dying days. Thankfully, he’d sign with a then nascent NWA-TNA as AJ Styles. The rest is phenomenal history.
Disco Inferno
The pro wrestling landscape in the nineties paved way for wrestlers to experiment with bolder gimmicks. Some came out great and catapulted both the company and the superstar to success. Other, not so much.
Disco Inferno belongs to the latter category. The real-life Glenn Gilbertti blended the 70’s disco lifestyle with pro wrestling heeldom. While Gilbertti could work between the ropes, his gimmick name and in-ring persona didn’t lead to success outside the mid-card scene.
Horace Hogan
Did you know Hulk Hogan’s nephew was in WCW? Michael Allan Bollea had a short stint with Ted Turner’s promotion during the nineties. Michael worked as a “Stone Cold” Steve Austin ripoff Horace Hogan; complete with the bald head, goatee, knee braces and mannerisms that made him look like a bootleg Rattlesnake.
“That 70’s Guy” Mike Awesome
Mike Awesome was a force to be reckoned with in Paul Heyman’s ECW. Awesome jumped ship to WCW in an angle that saw him attack Kevin Nash. Fans began to expect big things for the big man, but didn’t get what they had hoped for.
Awesome was given some truly awful gimmick names like “That 70’s Guy” and “Fat Chick Thrilla”. WCW never truly appreciated his talents and potential. He would arrive in WWE during the infamous invasion angle only to get fed to the roster.
Bruiser Mastino
Even during its early years of existence, WCW had a maligned reputation for not utilizing future stars to their full potential. The future Steve Austin, Triple H, Kane and The Undertaker all left the company due to creative and/or money frustrations.
Speaking of Kane, the Devil’s Favorite Demon had a forgettable stint as Bruiser Mastino in 1993. The real-life Glenn Jacobs would be used as an enhancement talent, a fate he’d encounter in WWE, before striking gold during the Attitude Era as Kane.
“Mean” Mark Callus
Mark Calaway was distinguishable from his peers due to his tall stature. He’d venture into pro wrestling after playing college basketball. However, Calaway would be given the ill-fated “Mean” Mark Callus gimmick in WCW.
After being told he wasn’t worth it, a distraught Calaway would meet Vince McMahon who proposed “Kane The Undertaker” gimmick. Calaway would adopt The Undertaker ring name, complete with the persona.
A legend was born.
Terra Ryzing was Triple H in WCW
Paul Levesque first adopted the Terra Ryzing name at Killer Kowalski’s International Wrestling Federation promotion. He’d modify it to Terror Risin’ upon arriving in WCW in 1994, but would later revert to Terror Ryzing.
Levesque would once again ditch the gimmick name for a blueblood character called Jean-Paul Levesque. He’d continue to experiment with gimmicks in WWE as well before settling on the future 14-time World Champion Triple H.
Also read: 5 Best Heel Turns In WCW History
