Wrestling Deja Vu 05.04.09: Wrestling’s Bloodsuckers

Posted by Joseph F. Martinez on 05.04.2009

Gangrel and Kevin Thorn are two guys that you either love or just don’t get. I fall in the latter category, but still compare the two in this week’s edition of Wrestling Deja Vu.

Hey yo. Welcome to the column, readers. I didn't expect this past week to accelerate as fast as it did, but it seemed like my week went directly from Monday to Saturday. Saturday was a marvelous day for fans of televised sports. The Kentucky Derby, the Bulls-Celtics game 7 and the Pacquiao-Hatton fight took up most of my Saturday, but most of my week was taken up by finals preparations. Just one week to go though. I still intend on delivering a solid product, so let's get down to business.

Vampires are en vogue with the kids these days with that Twilight movie and such. Some of these characters may think vampires are something new, but in reality, they've been around forever. In the nineties, the WWE had the bright idea that a vampire character would be a nifty part of their stable, hence the creation of Gangrel. A decade later, Kevin Thorn had a stay in the land of extreme as a vampire.



These two guys didn't really rank favorable with me. I still believe that Thorn is one of the most overrated guys I've seen. Regardless, they have their cult followings and both made an impact on the wrestling community. They may be forgotten in a few years, but they were decent while they lasted.

Looking back

Kato: Nice article! It's great that you see Alicia Fox, John Morrison, Dolph and Hurricane Helms as the breakout potentials this year! With WWE taking more risks (Matt Hardy heel and possibly a main eventer by the end of the year), I think we're gonna see these stars break out as well!

Thanks for the good word. I think Helms' injury may disqualify him from doing much this year, but Fox, Morrison and Ziggler all obviously have the backing of someone in WWE Creative. Fox's heel turn (despite how shoddy it was done) gives her a lot of potential since there aren't as many heel divas on Smackdown.

Nate: "Tag teams come and go in the WWE because they don't really place a focus on the division (no big loss in my opinion)."

This comment killed my interest in finishing the column, plus any chance of me clicking on your columns in the future. You are no wrestling pundit, much less a fan. Good day.

I don't think I said anything too controversial or wrong there. Tag teams can serve a good purpose, but they don't really get that much of a reaction from the fans. If it was proven that tag teams are important or move tickets (and I know there have been a few), then I would be all for a tag team division. Things are working out fine for wrestling right now despite the lack of great tag teams.

Other things happened in the comment section, but I'm confused as to what most of them where. Anyways, if you want to see anyone compared, just write it down below in the comment section and I'll make some room. This month's readers request will be done next week and it'll be JLARC's request of Goldust and Adrian Street.

AND INTRODUCTING THE PARTICIPANTS

Kevin Thorn had a pretty odd stint as an employee with the WWE. He joined the company in 2002 and was in development for two years until he developed as Mordecai, the sin-hating religious guy. He wore white and many saw him as the anti-Undertaker. Mordecai showed some promise but was released soon after. Soon after that, he was brought back into the WWE and debuted as Kevin Thorn, ECW's resident vampire. He had a decent run, but was eventually discarded again by the WWE. He never really filled his potential, but he had a nice run while it lasted.



WHERE IS HE NOW?: He was released from the WWE in 2009, but is only 32 so he's probably wrestling somewhere in the world.



The idea of a vampire wrestler was intriguing to the powers that be in the WWE and Gangrel fit the bill of what they were looking for. Gangrel was snatched up by the WWE in 1998 and was given an aesthetically pleasing entrance and an early undefeated streak. As time passed by, Gangrel was paired up with non-vampires, Edge and Christian, to form the Brood. The group had some success but eventually Gangrel was fazed out of the group and wrestled as a singles competitor. He had a decent career as a midcarder until being released in 2001. He had some appearances after that, but nothing really substantial.

WHERE IS HE NOW?: I can't find anything that says he is retired from the wrestling business, but apparently he works as a porn star now.

WRESTLING'S BLOODSUCKERS


This is what wrestling vampires look like…

Vampires are just like dragons and other mythical items. Some people are going to despise the idea, but others'll fall in love with it. This is where cult followings are developed. There isn't much to write about when describing vampires. They're creatures of the dark that love to suck blood and all that. Gangrel incorporated this more into his character as he entered the ring drinking a red substance that we were to believe was blood. He and the Brood also had blood baths; I marked hard for that when I was younger. Thorn had fangs and such but never drank blood or went to any vampire-esque extremes. This gimmick is good to hook some fans in, but it's nearly impossible for a guy to get far as a bloodsucker.

IT'S NOT CONFIDENTIAL, I GOT POTENTIAL.

Despite my stance on either of these guys, I have to admit that they had potential. While the vampire gimmick was an odd one, both Gangrel and Thorn had the physical and mental tools to get over in the WWE. Depending on your definition of success, Gangrel had more success in the company than Thorn did. Gangrel was allowed to have more TV time because of his association with Edge and Christian. His gimmick also got him some extra TV appearances in 2004 because of the association with The Undertaker. Thorn's time in the WWE saw some pushes. He got involved in a very good New Breed v. ECW Originals feud and got a Wrestlemania appearance out of that. He had some success as a singles competitor but it seemed like the powers that be were fickle with their trust in him. Some would say his potential was wasted.

BROODING COMPANIONSHIP

Sometimes wrestlers are paired up with a valet or manager and magic is made. In an ideal situation, both parties (wrestler and valet) benefit and are elevated. Of course, not every situation can be an ideal one. Sometimes only one party benefits. For Kevin Thorn, the former is truer than the latter. His partnership with Ariel completed his vampire character. Him and her were the dark couple of ECW and helped brand ECW as a "sci-fi friendly" program. After his partnership with Ariel was over, he teamed up with the New Breed. As a team, the New Breed was a perfectly able stable. Thorn, Marcus Cor Von, Elijah Burke and Matt Striker weren't dominant, but the team helped each wrestler. When it was over, all of the wrestlers struggled to stay afloat. Gangrel's relationship with Edge and Christian was kayfabe designed to elevate all men, but in actuality it really only served a purpose to the E&C connection. Gangrel stayed around, but never rose above the upper-midcard. Age definitely played a role in that (Gangrel is 40), but Edge and Christian were all around better performers. Both relationships (Thorn/Ariel and The Brood) helped complete the vampire image and can be considered a success in the overall scheme of things.

WDV FACE-OFF

One time these two guys were rumored to tag up with one another, but in this column, they're matched up against each other. After the entrances and fanfare, the two lock up and Gangrel gets the advantage after an elbow to the head. The Vampire Warrior (Gangrel) tries to suplex Thorn, but Thorn stops him. Thorn tries to give a suplex of his own, but Gangrel shoves him to the ground. The two men are evenly matched and stare each other down. Thorn asks for a test of strength but Gangrel denies and instead kicks Thorn in the stomach. After a neck breaker, Gangrel goes for a pin. It's a two count. Gangrel goes for an elbow drop, but Thorn rolls out of the ring. Thorn rests outside for a bit but returns to the ring after Gangrel chases after him. Gangrel is in now and is met with a clothesline from Thorn. Thorn tries to whip Gangrel into the corner, but Gangrel reverses that. An Impaler DDT from Gangrel gets the three count and the victory for the Vampire Warrior.

THE RUNDOWN

Using a vampire gimmick is very difficult considering the landscape of wrestling (in the attitude era and today). Of course, an odd gimmick like the Undertaker can succeed, but that is because he started wrestling when occult gimmicks like that were able to get over. The WWE has tried to take a more realistic point and the gimmick has hurt people like Gangrel and Thorn. The two had potential, but as their careers progressed, it became more of who they were associated than who they were. Edge and Christian appeared to be blue-chip prospects at the time and WWE Creative became bored of pushing Thorn after Ariel left the company. Both played their parts as vampires great, but it was not enough to get them to the next level.

In Case You Missed It

Had a busy weekend? No worries, the following are all of the columns posted over the weekend.

411Mania's Squared Circle News Report

Contemplating CHIKARA

The Wrestling Bard

The Bell To Bell News Report

The Triple Threat

For The Record

Goodnight, Travel Well

• As I briefly covered in the intro, the Pacquiao-Hatton fight was a complete blowout. I couldn't believe how well prepared Pacman was and it was a great showing from him. Hatton…not so much. I look forward to a possible matchup between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. I'm not really a boxing guy, but I make an effort to watch the major fights.

• Last Friday's Smackdown was some high quality television. I enjoyed the show and all of the new angles and such. With all the big muscle guys on Raw, Smackdown'll give a bunch of the young talent to improve. Things are looking up for the blue brand.

• Tonight on Raw we get the continuation of the Orton-McMahon feud. It was cool at first, but the feud has run its course and I'd like Orton to move on to wrestling wrestlers. John Cena and the Big Show also look to continue their feud. I think they made a mistake brining Cena back so soon but I guess the WWE thinks Triple H's absence is already too much star power gone from the show.

• That's going to do it for this week's WDV. Next week is the reader request so tune in next Monday for that. The Twitter thing is still going on although I don't really know what to put there. Twitter.com/jfmtz is the place to check out by the way. See y'all in seven.