WWE History: R-Truth and the 10 Nuttiest Wrestlers Ever

R-Truth's recent heel turn not only transformed him from a fan favorite to a full-fledged heel, but he turned into one of the craziest superstars in WWE history.

From coming out to the ring with no music, to dressing in a Confederate army uniform and frequently referencing "Little Jimmy,"—the imaginary WWE fan who stands in place for every child at home and in the arena—it is safe to say the R-Truth is out of his mind.

But he's not the only one. 

Throughout the history of pro wrestling, we have seen characters who can only be considered absolutely insane. Whether it is due to their actions inside the ring or out, there are superstars who could make even R-Truth seem normal.

This list takes a look at the 10 nuttiest wrestlers in history. Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments below, and let me know what you would have changed or if you would have included anyone else. 

I would like to point out that I did not include wrestlers such as Necro Butcher or other wrestlers who rely or relied simply on outrageous matches involving blood and weapons, but rather the actual characters and the people behind them.

Thanks for reading!

10: The Sandman

An ECW original, The Sandman was involved in many of the moments that defined the original ECW.

His ring entrance was like no other. The Sandman would enter the arena from the stands and climb on a chair or the ring barricade so he would stand above all the spectators. While waving his signature Singapore cane over his head, he would crack open a beer, take a drink and repeatedly smash the can over his head, frequently causing a cut on his forehead.

He is also one of the major innovators of the modern hardcore style of wrestling, something that will keep The Sandman in the history books for many years.

9: Bruiser Brody

Bruiser Brody was one of those people who was just as crazy in real life as he was inside the ring.

Brody was said to have frequently refused to work or lose to certain superstars. He would abruptly stop working, or go against the written match storyline if he was not happy.

One of his most famous stoppages came in January 1987. 

While in a steel cage match against Lex Luger, Brody stopped wrestling and just stood around, refusing to work. Both Luger and the referee were puzzled and tried to speak to Brody, with no response. Luger eventually had to come up with a new plan for the match, so he had the referee disqualify him for refusing to stop punching Brody in the corner.

After the match, Luger asked Brody if he had done something wrong, to which received a response of "No." Nobody ever understood why Brody decided to stop working.

8: Mr. McMahon

How many other bosses on earth have ever made an employee kiss their rear in order to keep their job?

Mr. McMahon has a huge "boss" complex, where any time he is one-upped or talked down to, he will retaliate against the person or people who have offended him. He has feuded with just about every major face in WWE since the creation of the Mr. McMahon character, including Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Stone Cold, The Rock and The Undertaker.

He has inducted many members into the "Kiss My Ass Club," including Jim Ross, Shawn Michaels, Hornswoggle and his son, Shane McMahon.

Something tells me that it is more than just power that has gone to Mr. McMahon's head.

7: Heidenreich

John Heidenreich had the look of a future WWE main event superstar, but he quickly became one of the craziest superstars to ever set foot in the ring.

Heidenreich debuted as a wrestler who was being controlled by an outside force known only as "Little Johnny."  Though the storyline never fully grew, it was later revealed that "Little Johnny" was supposed to be a doll that would have represented Heidenreich's inner child.

After being sent to developmental for more training, Heidenreich returned as a psychopath who read hateful poetry after running in and interrupting matches. He eventually became a face and started reciting more pleasant poetry; he even started a segment on SmackDown where he would read his poetry to the fans ringside and choose one as his "friend" to be in his corner during his match.

After a brief stint as a member of the new Road Warriors (alongside former member Animal) Heidenreich disappeared from television. His last appearance was in an insane asylum where Paul Heyman was trying to convince him to come back to WWE. 

Heidenreich said that he didn't want to come back, "Not now, not ever."

6: Mick Foley

Though he has been involved in many hardcore matches that would make many fans squeamish, the craziness goes much deeper for Mick Foley.

Foley, who rose to prominence as Cactus Jack in WCW/ECW and later in WWE as Mankind, is one of the forefathers of hardcore wrestling, but that doesn't mean he just wrestled in bloody matches, as he actually was one of the nuttiest characters both in and out of the ring.

During a match against Vader in 1993, a large chunk of Foley's ear was ripped off. He continued the match and used it as part of his deranged character throughout his career. 

One of Foley's most memorable antics was that of Mr. Socko, a sock he kept in his pants and placed over his hand before using his finisher, the Mandable Claw. He also frequently used Mr. Socko in comedic skits, talking to and as him.

Foley also wrestled as three separate characters—Mankind, Dude Love and Cactus Jack—all in one Royal Rumble match.

5: Boogeyman

Sure, it was an over-the-top gimmick that took an over-the-top actor to play, but Marty Wright took it to a whole new level with his edible friends.

The Boogeyman was meant to be a somewhat supernatural character with amazing strength and the ability to strike fear in the hearts of all of his opponents. It succeeded in many aspects, as he had solid feuds with JBL and Booker T.

What made Marty Wright so nutty is that he agreed to eat worms as a part of the Boogeyman character.  After a victory, Wright would stand over the body of his fallen opponent, pull out a handful of live worms from his pocket and stuff them in his mouth.

He also took part in a storyline with JBL and his manager Jillian Hall where he bit and ripped a disgusting-looking growth off the side of Jillian's face. In some ways, this was actually more disgusting than eating worms.

4: George "The Animal" Steele

Though he was a former teacher and had the ability to cut eloquent promos early in his career, George Steele became one of the craziest superstars of the early WrestleMania era.

Steele would frequently rip open the turnbuckle covers with his teeth, giving the impression that he was eating the stuffing. His looks, which included his hairy body and a green tongue, combined with his rambling promos in which he only uttered the words, "Duh-dah," made him seem like the missing link between man and ape.

Toward the end of his career, he also started carrying around a hand puppet he called "Mine."

3: Brian Pillman

In 1995, Brian Pillman developed the "Loose Cannon" gimmick, which would make him one of the most memorable "crazy" characters in pro wrestling history.

Pillman would almost always wear leather vests, sunglasses and ridiculous t-shirts. His persona was that of an unstable superstar with unpredictable behavior. 

Pillman frequently blurred the line between his works and real life, causing many people to think he was really as crazy as his character portrayed.

While he was being interviewed by Joey Styles during his brief stint in ECW, Pillman called Eric Bischoff a "gofer" and a "piece of s***," and he called the fans "marks."  When Styles attempted to end the interview, Pillman threatened to urinate in the ring. He was removed by security and attacked a fan (who was planted by ECW) with a fork he had hidden in his boot.

Pillman continued his gimmick into WWE, including a feud with Steve Austin, where Pillman had even threatened Austin with a gun.

Sadly, Pillman passed away early in his life at the age of 35 due to complications from a heart condition.

2: Al Snow

It doesn't get much crazier than talking to a mannequin head.

Al Snow found success in the late 1990's after being a jobber for most of his prior career. His success came when he decided to take on the character of a schizophrenic who would talk to the mannequin head he carried to the ring.  Snow became a fan favorite, and his success led him to finally jump back from ECW to WWE.

While in WWE, he continued his persona, taking it to another level. He once even fought himself in a hardcore match and won by putting himself through a table. Snow also cut some of the more memorable promos of the Attitude era.

Eventually, Snow replaced Head with a Chihuahua named Pepper, whom he also claimed talked to him.  Pepper was eventually kidnapped by Big Boss Man and fed to Snow. 

Snow began to slowly lose his craziness from then on, but he will forever be remembered as one of the nuttiest superstars ever.

1: Ultimate Warrior

Formerly known as James Hellwig, The Ultimate Warrior was so crazy that he actually legally changed his name to Warrior.

The Ultimate Warrior would sprint to the ring for his matches, slide in and violently shake the ring ropes to pump himself up. His ring attire and hair were wild, and he painted his face a variety of colors that typically matched his ring gear.

Warrior had a reputation of being very hard to work with, both backstage and in the ring. He left WWE on three occasions over monetary disputes and the rights to the Ultimate Warrior name.

Warrior also worked in WCW for a period of time and was given creative control. He developed the One Warrior Nation or OWN (nWo backwards), a group that feuded against Hulk Hogan and the nWo. Part of the storyline was that the OWN would appear in a cloud of smoke that knocked out everyone in nWo except Hogan. Warrior also appeared backstage in segments where Hogan would be the only one who could see him.

He is currently feuding with Hulk Hogan online, claiming he will release information that will destroy Hulkamania, a personal feud that has grown since their early days in WWE together. If you have any doubts about how absolutely nutty Warrior is, just watch some of his YouTube videos or read some of his old blog posts.