WWE's David Otunga and the 7 Best Henchmen of All Time

WWE and pro wrestling have always been filled with a variety of characters that extend beyond the wrestlers.

Managers, valets and kayfabe spouses have always been a big part of WWE. Similarly, some people get used as henchmen for a bigger star.

Many a superstar has started off as someone else's bodyguard or manager before moving on to be something special. In some cases, as with Rick Rude, this order is reversed.

In this slideshow, I will take a look at seven of the best henchmen.

7. Kevin Nash

When Diesel first arrived on the scene in WWE, it was as a bodyguard character for Shawn Michaels.

He was seven feet tall and weighed around 300 pounds. Basically, he was exactly what someone like Michaels would want in a bodyguard.

Once it was clear that Diesel could be a performer all on his own, he was split up from Michaels. However, his first taste of stardom was as the protector and partner of HBK.

You might even be able to say he was a henchman for the NWO, since he was clearly the Omega to Hulk Hogan's Alpha, as was evidenced by the "Finger Poke of Doom" incident.

6. Matt Morgan

When Morgan was first signed to WWE, he was a bodyguard, but when he moved to TNA, he had a long run as Jim Cornette's right-hand man.

While in TNA, he seemed at first like he was going to be wasted as a henchman for Cornette, but eventually he broke away from the tennis racket-carrying menace.

Morgan is not thought of by most as a henchman, because he has come such a long way in TNA. As someone who started watching TNA right when he joined the company, it is hard for me to forget his role as Cornette's lackey.

5. Rick Rude

Towards the end of his career (and, unfortunately, his life), Rick Rude was primarily used as a henchman by DX and the NWO.

He made history and pissed a lot of people off by appearing on both a pre-taped Monday Night Raw as well as a live Monday Nitro on the same evening.

This was so much bigger than Luger appearing within 24 hours for the two companies, because Rude effectively told WWE to go stick it where the sun don't shine by showing up on both shows.

Even though this was a very short segment of his career and by no means defines his amazing legacy, some of today's younger fans may only know him from the DX DVDs unless they take the time to look for his matches on YouTube.

4. David Otunga

As the legal counsel for John Laurinaitis, we saw David Otunga really come into his own.

He took a coffee mug and made it into a gimmick, and something like that is not easily done in today's world of wrestling.

Otunga is someone who has the potential to be a major star, but his mic skills still need polishing, and he needs to find his niche as an in-ring performer.

The thing he does deserve recognition for is how well he performed as JL's henchman. He would do anything to win a match to look like a fool at the hands of a bigger star.

He always did it with full effort, something a lot of people might not do if they felt they were being wasted.

3. and 2. JBL and Ron Simmons

As the APA, we saw Bradshaw and Faarooq offer their services to anyone with cash, cigars or booze.

They were originally a team under the Undertaker's regime back when Taker had a stable of his own minions. Once they broke away, they became one of the most interesting tag teams of all time.

With their door, which was not attached to any wall, they would set up shop in the back with a deck of cards, beers and cigars until somebody came calling for their services.

The APA were so entertaining that WWE will occasionally make reference to them despite neither man being a regular performer any more.

1. Virgil

While part of the Million Dollar Man's group, Virgil was almost entirely used as a henchman and would rarely wrestle in an actual match in comparison to his employer, Ted DiBiase.

Virgil is perhaps the best known henchman in all of wrestling due to his careers in both WWE and WCW as a part of the earliest NWO group.

Virgil is not bigger than most wrestlers, but it was his attitude and demeanor that made people believe he was a suitable bodyguard for the bigger DiBiase.

The younger Ted DiBiase even brought in Virgil once for a tryout as a possible henchman for himself.