wrestling / Columns

The Contentious Ten 8.06.12: Top 10 Wrestling Madmen

August 6, 2012 | Posted by Gavin Napier

Another week, another list. This go round, something a little more outside the lines. This week, I’ll be focusing on some of the top maniacs in wrestling history. No promotion is complete without a monster for babyfaces to wage war against, and there’s been plenty of them throughout history. This will be my attempt at listing the best of the best, with honorable mentions to a handful of others. Here is my criteria for The Top 10 Madmen In Wrestling History so that we’re all on the same page:

-Wrestlers must have been known primarily for being out of control, savages, or ignoring rules entirely.
-The level of success achieved with the gimmick
-Believability of the gimmick.

This list isn’t just about being hardcore, though there are hardcore wrestlers on this list. The criteria above means that guys that were cerebral but had moments of insanity, like Randy Savage, don’t qualify for the list. It also means that primarily technical wrestlers that would stray into hardcore territory from time to time, like Edge, won’t be appearing on the list. In terms of success with the gimmick, you won’t see The Bezerker on the list because he never really ascended beyond lower midcard status for any sustained length of time. Finally, I don’t care if Jimmy Jacobs walked around saying “huss” a lot once upon a time. Nobody was buying it.

Wrestlers that just missed the cut: George “The Animal” Steele, Umaga, The Missing Link, The Wild Samoans

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Kamalasize=6>


James Harris parlayed the gimmick into a brief main event run.

-Billed from Uganda
-Had multiple “handlers”

James Harris has fallen onto some hard times over the last few years, as diabetes has claimed both of his legs and his general health has declined. Once upon a time, though, James Harris was on top of the world. He built a successful 20 plus year career on being Kamala, The Ugandan Giant. Kamala was a savage beast, who was handled and abused by Kimchee. Kimchee usually directed Kamala to savagely attack jobbers and occasional midcarders. James Harris parlayed the gimmick into a brief main event run during the “Hogan fights fat guys” era, though. He would later turn face and be paired with the Rev. Slick, but retain his savage ways. Slick would make efforts to teach Kamala how to bowl, be kid friendly, and pin people.

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Necro Butchersize=6>


Necro Butcher isn’t going to be in the “big two”, for obvious reasons.

-Made a name for himself in American death matches
-Trademark “Choose Death” t-shirt
-Wrestles barefoot

I’ll preface this section by saying that Necro Butcher is a weird, but nice, guy. I’ve had the chance to talk to him once or twice, and while never totally comfortable around him, he’s a soft spoken, polite enough fellow that happens to have a reputation for being one of the most violent wrestlers in modern American wrestling. Painfully self aware, Necro Butcher knows that nobody actually wants to see him wrestle. It’s not just the “hardcore” aspect of Necro that gets him on the list, though. I could have chosen any number of guys – Ian or Axl Rotten, Zandig, Wifebeater, Nick Mondo – for that purpose. It’s the fact that when you see Necro Butcher, you immediately assume the guy isn’t all there, then he proves you right with the things he does to himself and others. He’s managed to take this persona and appear in an Oscar nominated film, The Wrestler, and be featured in more than one documentary about professional wrestling.

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Sabusize=6>


Sabu has more scars than most men his age have active hair follicles.

-Nephew of The Sheik
-Originally billed as Terry S.R., for “Sheik’s Revenge”
-Iconic force of mayhem in ECW

Terry Brunk was trained to be a technical wrestler, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Hardcore was in his blood. As the nephew of the original Sheik, Sabu gained notoriety in America after a groundbreaking series of matches on the indy circuit against Al Snow. From there, Sabu gradually became more and more hardcore in his approach until he had fully evolved into the Suicidal, Homicidal, Genocidal Maniac that roamed Viking Hall in Philadelpha for all those years. He was reckless to the point of self harm, and as a result, Sabu has more scars than most men his age have active hair follicles. Whether randomly brawling with tag team partner Rob Van Dam, being engulfed in barbed wire, flames, or both with Terry Funk, competing in death matches in Japan, or completely defying orders from corporate in WCW and/or WWE, Sabu has proudly carried on the legacy of his uncle as one of the wildest men in professional wrestling history.

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Kevin Sullivansize=6>


Sullivan was essentially a cult leader.

-Billed as “The Prince of Darkness”
-Terrorized Florida and the NWA for nearly 20 years
-Feuded with Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan, among others

Kevin Sullivan started his career out as a bearded, tanned, chiseled youngster in Florida. He was a prototypical babyface. It was easy for people to like him, and he was getting steady work. The problem was, those guys were a dime a dozen in the 70’s. So what did Sullivan do? A complete 180. He lost the chiseled physique and ended up being built like a fire hydrant. He abandoned scientific wrestling and embraced ultraviolence. Kevin Sullivan became the Prince of Darkness and became a legend in professional wrestling. In a precursor to what Raven would do in ECW and WCW, Sullivan was essentially a cult leader. He relentlessly waged war against men like Dusty Rhodes and Hulk Hogan throughout his career. Along the way, he also took the time to kidnap Jimmy Garvin’s valet and shred a few people’s arms and faces with metal spikes. Sullivan was a legitimately creepy guy on camera and the fact that he would sacrifice wins for the sake of doing damage to an opponent only solidified his aura.

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Freddie Blassiesize=6>


He genuinely struck terror in the hearts of fans.

-40 year career
-Known for filing teeth to points
-Part of some of the earliest “hardcore” feuds in American wrestling

Most fans today, if they know Blassie at all, either know him as the old guy from pre-Wrestlemania videos or as a manager. Once upon a time, though, he genuinely struck terror in the hearts of fans. Freddie Blassie was known as “The Vampire” for a large part of his in ring career, because of his penchant of using his allegedly filed teeth to draw blood from opponents. During the 50’s and 60’s, Blassie was among the most hated men in the industry from coast to coast. His reign of terror included bloody, violent feuds with John Tolos, The Sheik, Bobo Brazil, Bruno Sammartino, and Eduouard Carpentier. There were several newspaper articles written about the man who would later become “The Fashion Plate of Wrestling”, calling for his outright ban from the sport. If all you know of Blassie is from the 80’s and forward, you owe it to yourself to look into the history of his in ring career. You’ll be in for a treat.

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Bruiser Brodysize=6>


Bruiser Brody was the first wrestler to legitimately scare me.

-World famous for brutality in the ring
-Infamous for being impossible to control

Bruiser Brody was the first wrestler to legitimately scare me. It was 1985, and I was watching World Class Championship Wrestling at my aunt and uncle’s house. I was 5 years old, and this monster of a man stormed the ring and was just unstoppable. Wearing fuzzy boots and swinging a chain, with wild hair and wilder eyes, he made an impression quickly. Brody charged the ring and opponents with reckless abandon, and it made him a legend until his untimely death in Puerto Rico. He did what he wanted in terms of dealing with promoters as well, which allowed him to blaze a trail in Japan as well as America. Brody had that undefinable “it” factor that made him so believable when he was beating the life out of overmatched opponents. If you doubt Brody’s believability factor, just ask Lex Luger about him.

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Abdullah the Butchersize=6>


If an object exists, Abdullah has likely made someone bleed with it.

-40+ year career
-Billed as “The Madman from Sudan”
-One of the most violent wrestlers in history
-Lethal with a fork

Despite the fact that he’s been in desperate need of the Blow Away Diet for decades, Abdullah the Butcher has managed to put together a pretty successful four decades and some change in the wrestling business. If an object exists, Abdullah has likely made someone bleed with it, or been busted open himself from it. He’s notorious for jabbing opponents with forks, and the purpose of his matches was rarely to win them. He was a constant figure brought in to attack and injure babyfaces, such as Sting. His career high point was his years long feud in Puerto Rico with Carlos Colon, but has made a star of himself in the United States and Japan as well. Abdullah has a nice life outside of the wrestling industry, but he’ll always be somewhat intimidating. Whether it’s the blank stare, the grotesque scars, or simply the memories of the bloodshed that he’s been responsible for, Abdullah the Butcher is one of wrestling’s most infamous wild men.

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Atsushi Onitasize=6>


Onita is the king of hardcore.

-Death match pioneer in Japan
-Synonymous with hardcore wrestling overseas
-Counter culture icon

I don’t care what you know or think you know about American hardcore wrestling. Onita is the king of hardcore. Period. Nobody else is even close. If you’re a fan of hardcore wrestling and you’ve never seen him, then do yourself a favor and look him up. Onita is revered in Japan, largely due to his efforts as a hardcore wrestler. Onita isn’t just “hardcore”, though, or he wouldn’t be on this list. Onita exists as an entity unto himself. His theme music is “Wild Thing” over there, and nothing could be more appropriate. There’s always an air of uncertainty to Onita’s matches; no one is ever sure what he’s going to do next. It may involve setting his opponent on fire, it may involve him going into a net of barbed wire laced with explosive charges. He’s morphed into The Great Nita to do battle with The Great Muta, and has battled Japanese legends Masahiro Chono and The Great Sasuke in ridiculous death matches. There is no real parallel in American wrestling for what Onita has accomplished in Japan.

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The Sheiksize=6>


The Sheik was one of a kind to say the very least

-Incited several riots
-Induced several heart attacks
-Feuded with Bobo Brazil and Freddie Blassie, among others

The Sheik was America’s original madman. His actions in the ring caused multiple fans in multiple arenas to be carried out after having heart attacks due to the sheer level of violence that he perpetrated. His feuds with men like Freddie Blassie and Bobo Brazil drew him national attention, and his penchant for stabbing opponents with a pencil made him genuinely infamous. He would be the inspiration for generations of hardcore wrestlers, most notably his nephew, Sabu. For decades, The Sheik was notoriously violent, even coming back for matches in his 60’s that saw bloodshed from both men. The Sheik was one of a kind to say the very least. That is likely a good thing.

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Mick Foleysize=6>


Cactus Jack was a psychotic, sadistic, sadomasochistic force.

-Multiple personalities
-Relentlessly hardcore
-Multiple time World Champion

Mick Foley made his mark in professional wrestling as Cactus Jack. Cactus Jack was a psychotic, sadistic, sadomasochistic force who had ears ripped off, teeth knocked out, and regularly threw himself off the ring apron onto the concrete with an elbow drop. Through the USWA, WCW, and ECW, Foley worked his brand of mischief, raising hell with a level of brutality that most American fans hadn’t seen since the days of The Sheik. In ECW, though, he started to morph into something more cerebral, but still remarkably violent and out of control in the ring. Once he made his way to WWE, his persona took on an entirely different, but equally disturbing aspect. He became Mankind, a self loathing, disfigured character that clung to father and mother types such as Paul Bearer and…..Goldust. The level of violence didn’t drop, though. He was still throwing his body around with reckless abandon and brutalizing opponents in the process. Tearing chunks of his hair out didn’t hurt his image as a psycho, either. Eventually, Mankind became more loveable and something of a comedy figure. Even then, though, he debuted multiple personalities in Dude Love and Cactus Jack, as a not so subtle reminder that he was still someone that wasn’t quite all there. The reason he makes it to number one on this list? He’s the only one of the bunch that was able to turn his madman gimmick into a single world title run, much less multiple world championships.

And that’s the list. Agree? Disagree? I’m sure you’ll let me know in the comments section below. Whether you agree or disagree, let me know why. I enjoy hearing the reasoning behind your opinions. And who knows? You may just sway me over to your side. I’ll be back next week for yet another version of The Contentious Ten. See you in 7.


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Gavin Napier

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