The 411 Wrestling Top 5 10.28.09: Week 46 – Wrestling Attire

Posted by Michael Bauer on 10.28.2009

From Ric Flair’s robes and the Undertaker’s trenchcoats to Sting as The Crow and Bret Hart’s Pink and Black, 411's Wrestling Staffers rank their Top Five Wrestling Attire in the latest edition of the 411 Wrestling Top Five!

Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling's Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. At the end, based on where all these matches rank on people's list, we will create the 411 Wrestling Top 5 list. (This is provided enough votes are cast and are not differented enough to cause no clear Top 5.) The scoring is very similiar to the Wrestler of the Week as it looks like this:

#1 Choice – 5 points
#2 Choice – 4 points
#3 choice – 3 points
#4 Choice – 2 points
#5 Choice – 1 point
Honorable Mentions will break ties, but get no points.

Also, in the case of a tie, the most votes win, regardless of where it is listed in the individual Top 5. I will also use this rule in the event that one item is mentioned more often, but is one point behind. For example, one second place vote and two Honorable Mentions will defeat simply one first place vote.


So, on to this week's topic…

THE TOP 5 WRESTLING ATTIRE

Being that this week is Halloween, I decided to have a little fun and remember my younger days when I would dress up as my favorite wrestlers. And what better way then to have our staffers give us their favorite Wrestling Attire, much like the costumes we would wear.

So what did our group of writers select? Let's find out…



Scott Rutherford

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Mankind - Never has someone dressed in so much brown lycra actually make it work so well. Foley himself has talked about just how effective the mask was to helping him build the character and would often where it for hours before a match to help him get into the right head space.

5.Ric Flair - So simple yet effective. Rick looked like a million dollars everywhere he went in the 80's. Whether it was the tailored suits and expensive accessories he rocked outside the ring or the multi-thousand dollar robes he walked to the ring in, he was always a spectacle and it only enhanced a character, which is the whole point. Just like Magnum TA in his jeans represented his common man appeal, the million dollar threads matched the million-dollar attitude. As David Bowie once said "you dress like a rock star and everyone will star believing you are one". Flair dressed liked a world champion and soon everyone acted like he was one regardless of whether he held the belt or not.

4.Bret Hart - The Pink & Black Attack. Bret Hart took a ridiculously coloured ring attire and turned it into something that helped to define the man as much as the character. As we all know, Bret comes from Calgary and "real" men from up there don't wear pink but Bret turned what could have been the biggest rib of his career and made it about his characters attitude. As time went on he added the sunglasses and leather jackets and you would have recognized him walking through the curtain from 200 yards away. Simplicity at its best.

3.NWA-era Road Warriors - While their in-ring gear wasn't anything special, you can't deny that the huge metal spikes coming out of their shoulder pads didn't look cool. I was raised on WWF programming that was cleaned up for kids in the mid-80's, so when I got my first Apter mag and saw a picture of the Roadies I nearly fell over. It may be the finest early example of what a wrestler wore to the ring conveying the attitude to come. It was a gimmick without feeling forced and it was a huge part of the aura that followed them for decades.

2.The Undertaker - The Undertaker has managed to update his image every few years, keep his identity and still remain true to the character itself. I even believe that the biker-phase was still true to UT as it was more real-to-life to the man himself and it was able to get different elements out of him. It also served to break the character up and create a different persona that didn't rely on dark side theatrics. He was just a bad, bad man who could kick your ass in a heartbeat. When he went back to the origins of his evil self it was cool-as-fuck. The outfit maketh the man because if he was dressed like Simon Dean, he would have died eons ago in the wrestling word. Instead he's often citied at the greatest wrestling character ever.

1.Crow-era Sting - Never before has a look so defined a change to a wrestling character. After the nWo invaded WCW, the Sting character started down a more brooding path and lets face it, if a blonde haired, day-glo coloured face painted Sting was hanging around the rafters it would have no where near the effect as Sting taking on the Brandon Lee-inspired Crow look. The reason that it worked was that it conveyed a whole new attitude and couple that with the meaning to the make-up as told by the movie The Crow and what happened to Lee in real life, it adds layers and depth. While it quickly lost its unique qualities when Sting made his in-ring return, for nearly 18-months it was the coolest thing in wrestling and had fans riveted to Nitro and to PPV's to finally get the pay-off. I gotta admit, I still mark out a little for the crow look even today.



Aaron Hubbard

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Raven - Also in contention for sleaziest costume of all time, Raven's bad t-shirts, plaid skirts, ripped jean shorts and bizarre makeup contributed so much to his character and his mystique.

Stone Cold Steve Austin - Black trunks, black boots, leather vest. Not flashy, but straight to the point and perfect for Austin's badass rebel character.

Goldust - Gold, black and silver body suits that were rather slimming on the chubby Dustin Rhodes, plus glittery face make-up, long blond wigs and ornate robes, Goldust was a character that couldn't help but be noticed for his unique appearance. That said, the lingerie was a bit much.

5.Rey Mysterio - There are many colorful luchadors with great masks and awesome characters. CHIKARA has a roster full of terrific guys in masks. But Rey Mysterio has taken it upon himself to represent the lucha libre culture to mainstream American wrestling fans. His simple mask design has come in virtually every color combination imaginable, and has seen stripes, question marks and camouflage. Not to mention the numerous comic book characters that he has dressed up as, from the sublime (Flash, Daredevil) to the ridiculous (Silver Surfer, The Hulk). Plus, he as always updated his look for the times, going from tights to pants to full body suits. Rey's costume is more than an addition to his character, it really IS his character.

4.The Undertaker - From his original costume that looked like a mortician from the old west to his cartoony purple and black costume to his flowing robe in the Ministry to his denim and leather in the American Badass Days to the duster that he wears today, Undertaker has been constantly updating his appearance while keeping the same basic look; dramatic, dark and scary. My personal favorite would be his "Lord of Darkness" days from late 1996 to the end of 1998. The Gothic ring attire almost looked like armor and remains unique to this day, while his impressive leather jacket combined aspects of Dracula and the Shredder to make the already intimidating Undertaker truly awe-inspiring.

3.The Road Warriors - Picture for one minute that you are living in the middle of the 1980's. Hulk Hogan is ripping off T-Shirts and posing like he's a real life action figure. Ric Flair is wearing ornate robes. Both men wrestle in colorful short tights. Then come these two monsters among men, wearing long black and red pants, leather jackets and gloves with SPIKES, and intimidating facepaint. Plus, they have mohawks and speak in growly voices. These guys were legitimately scary! Even when they came to WWE and switched to shoulder pads with cartoony looking spikes, they were still intimidating. These guys perfected the art of using a costume to fit their character. Often imitated, never duplicated, the Road Warriors were amongst the best-costumed wrestlers of all time.

2.The nWo - Black jeans, black t-shirts, and white or red letters with nWo in scratchy paint, in a box that was tilted ever so slightly, with catch phrases thrown on for good measure. Add in sunglasses and you just had a really cool outfit. But what made it even cooler was that everyone in the nWo had this same basic costume, with little changes for each guy. As much as their attitude, as much as their promos, as much as their backstage politics and as much as their devil-may-care approach to getting their way, the outfit made the nWo feel like a gang. And not just any gang, but the coolest, most badass gang that everyone wanted to be a part of. Ultimately, the gang mentality kind of killed the group, as it got so big that it was redundant, but still, it was REALLY cool while it lasted.

1.Ric Flair - Ric Flair is the best dressed man in wrestling. When he was walking to the ring, it was long, gorgeous feathered robes, and it always seemed like he had a new one. When he was out of the ring, it was Kashmir shirts, diamond-studded gold watches, alligator boots and three piece suits. And every single article of clothing cost more than your house! Jim Ross has once said that Ric Flair was at his best when he was talking about his worldly possessions, because EVERYTHING he had was nice. Now you almost have to be tongue-in-cheek about how much money he spent on clothes, but clothes make the man, and Ric Flair was The Man.



Jeremy Thomas

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Ric Flair - Flair's robes are the stuff of wrestling legend, and one of the iconic outfits. You can't deny that one. It doesn't hit the top five simply because it was so basic, but it was undoubtedly effective.

Vader - Vader's in-ring outfit isn't what I'm trumpeting here, 'cause that was pretty unmemorable. But his big, elephantine mask he wore down to the ring was epic and I remember being very impressed by it.

Demolition - I know the Road Warriors are more loved by most, but I loved Demolition and I thought their Mad Max-like outfits trumped what Hawk and Animal wore. The masks, the leather, the face-paint...it all added up to a great look that helped get these guys over huge.

5.Kane - I've loathed Kane's look ever since he took off his mask. Not for any other reason, though, than the fact that it just makes him look like a generic big man. When he first debuted, Kane's outfit, complete with mask and full-body covering, was epic. It slowly refined over the years to allow Kane to breathe a little better, and I have to say my favorite was the one where his mouth was free to talk while still covering the rest of his face. It fit his character perfectly and made him stand out among the crowd.

4.Papa Shango - The Papa Shango character may not fit many Top Fives, but it's absolutely perfect for this one. Sure, the gimmick was silly and the angles he was put in were over-the-top and ridiculous. But the look was gold. They had him wearing the top hat that the mythological voudoun loa Baron Samedi is known for, the cool staff, and the skull face paint. This was excellently put-together and was the best thing about an otherwise silly character.

3.The Ultimate Warrior - The Ultimate Warrior's costume wasn't really a "costume," so to speak. Streamers on the biceps, trunks and face paint do not an elaborate costume make. But it caught fire and it became an iconic look that was forever associated with the man. You can say what you want about the Warrior, but his outfit--by which I mean, his face-paint--was the shit.

2.Crow Sting - From surfer dude to avenger who rises from the grave? Who the hell saw that one coming? Whoever did deserves a boatload of cash, because it worked in spades. Sting was in vast need of a gimmick refreshment, and when he showed up in the Crow get-up seeking vengeance on the nWo, you knew that the change had come. It stuck so well that the look has lasted far beyond the reason for the gimmick, and Sting never looked back. This may be the one wrestling costume based on a movie that has had some real longevity to it, and it gets a lot of credit from me for that.

1.The Undertaker - Taker gets the top spot because despite the several changes and tweaks to his outfit, he's always had one of the most distinctive and cool-looking outfits throughout the years. From the original look which was more cartoonish but still wicked cool, through the various alterations into the Satanic look, and then into American Bad-Ass and Big Evil before finally the current "Old West" Undertaker look as I call it. The Dead Man's entrances may be the thing people always talk about, but his outfits and costumes throughout the years have helped define his character in innumerable ways.



Ryan Byers

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Daizee Haze - Daizee gets a lot of props from me for consistently having some of the most "professional" looking gear on the indies, and she gets extra credit because she reportedly makes it all herself.



Los Cadets del Espacio - Pro wrestlers are basically superheroes, and I've never seen a group that made that more evident than AAA's Los Cadets del Espacio. Fun fact: Venum (the guy with the big star on his head) is one of only four or five wrestlers who has convinced me to buy a replica of his mask.



Jim Cornette (Wrestlemania X) - This outfit only made one or two appearances, but it was GREAT. A big part of Cornette's gimmick was his complete and utter lack of fashion sense, and he never looked so awesomely bad as he did when celebrating the tenth anniversary of Wrestlemania.



5.Shawn Michaels (Early 90's) - During his run as a heel Intercontinental Champion, Shawn Michaels' gear was the best that it's ever been. Why? Because it was designed very well to play in to his gimmick and get him heat. Wrestling crowds have always had a little bit of a redneck slant to them, and they've always been a bit homophobic, reacting negatively to characters who are portrayed as "gay." Michaels never played an outright gay character, but his attire was obviously put together to make him look as much like a two-bit male gigolo as possible. It resulted in people reacting to him more negatively than they would have if he just walked out in black trunks with a generic tribal design on the back, and that's what any good wrestling costume does.



4.The Great Muta - Throughout his career, the Great Muta has looked like something special. Though his look began as nothing more than a knockoff of the Great Kabuki, he eventually made the facepaint his own and added to it with elaborate pants and robes. Over time, the Muta character evolved from being Generic Foreign Heel #352 to being the "dark side" of the personality of wrestler Keiji Mutoh, and, when that occurred, there was an appropriate shift in the character's attire that made him into more of an imposing, almost supernatural presence. In even more recent years, he's shifted again and become outright demonic. I would wager that Mutoh has spent more money on wrestling gear than just about any other competitor in the game . . . but I have a feeling that he's fine with it, since it's a large part of what has helped him MAKE more money than the vast majority of the competitors in the game.



3.Randy Savage (IC Title Era) - Randy Savage in the cowboy hat and the fringed jacket never really did it for me. Sorry, 1990's fans. However, if you take a look at Savage during his first big heel run with the WWF as Intercontinental Champion, he was really something special. The flowing robes and the rock n' roll inspired garb outside of the ring just screamed "superstar" in every way imaginable. In fact, I recall reading a Hulk Hogan interview several years ago in which he claimed that the person who designed Savage's WWF gear also did work putting together outfits for major musical acts like Jimi Hendrix. Whether that was the truth or Hogan's usual embellishment I don't know, but the fact that I couldn't tell just from looking at the Macho Man's gear says a lot about how great it truly was.



2.Rey Misterio, Jr. - There have been outfits in lucha libre that have been significantly more unique than Rey's, but his exposure in WCW and WWE have certainly resulted in it being the most iconic Mexican wrestling garb in the United States and elsewhere outside of Mexico. That's not all, though. Perhaps the best part of Misterio's look is the variations of it that he pulls out for big events, usually incorporating whatever superhero is hot in pop culture at the time. It began with the Phantom at Halloween Havoc in 1997, and the trend has gone on to include Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, and, more recently, Heath Ledger's version of the Joker at this year's Wrestlemania. Having an iconic look is one thing, but coming out with special variations on it that are just as impressive really puts Rey over the top.



1.Ric Flair - When he's in the ring, it's a simple pair of trunks, a set of boots, and some kneepads. When he's walking to the ring, it's the most elaborate, bedazzled, and some would even say garish robes that man has ever laid his eyes upon. If you think about it, Ric Flair's ring attire was almost a metaphor for his character: When he was outside of the squared circle, he lived the most lavish of lifestyles, going through money like it was water and having his pick of all the women in the room. When he got in between those ropes, though, he was one of the best in the game and didn't need any fancy gimmicks to tell you that. Flair's robes, which from what I have heard were all designed by the wife of "Mr. Wrestling 2" Tim Woods until her passing, are the first items that anybody intending to open up a professional wrestling musem should head after. They're just that amazing.





Julian Bond

Note: I decided to not include Flair because while his robes were undoubtfully the shit...that was it...just the robe! True Taker has just a hat, a black coat, and black gloves...BUT Flair has JUST THE ROBE. Just a thought and an opinion.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Mick Foley - Not the craziest, but gots to give props to the guy who had some of the most memorable attire with his Dude Love, Cactus Jack, and Mankind characters.

Papa Shango - The man was a freakin' voodoo doctor with smoking skulls and face paint...nuff said.

Goldust - Again...nuff said.

5.Stevie Richards - I had to give a shout out to Stevie for his old ECW stint (along with some of his earlier WWE run as well) for his crazy and always funny parodies of other known wrestlers. Rather it's Stevie as "Big Daddy Cool" or as one of Dudley Boyz, his many garments were always a highlight.

4.LOD/Road Warriors - Crazy spikes, crazy face paint, craziest tag team outfits EVER.

3."Macho Man" Randy Savage - When I saw Hulk Hogan as a kid, he sometimes looked just like a simple stereotypcial big muscle jock. But when the Macho Man came to the ring, he more so to me with his crazy cool glasses, bad ass cowboy hat and multi-colored tassles was truly larger-than-life.

2.Rey Mysterio - When a wrestler successfully turns his regular ring attire into awesome "covers" of bad-ass comic-book heroes/villians and random Halloween costumes like the Joker, Silver Surfer, Daredevil, a "gladiator", and an freakin Aztec warrior, you gots to put him at the top of your top costumes list.

1.Undertaker - Words truly cannot give this man's wear (as the Dead Man) true justice. He's not a guy who dresses as an undertaker, this man is the f*cking UNDERTAKER! I mean...shit...this man's costume to me simply cannot be beat.