20 Worst Fashion Statements in Pro Wrestling History

One of the more underrated aspects of wrestling has always been fashion. Tights, masks, street clothes or even full-fledged costumes have always had their part to play in the squared circle.

That said, there is a difference between flamboyancy and outright fashion nightmare. Some things, such as the Ultimate Warrior's arm ties, Benoit's gap-toothed smile, Mysterio's mask and Edge's long blond hair became signature aspects of their personae.

Others were the stuff of nightmares. 

Over the years, there have always been some rather ridiculous fashion statements that some wrestler or booker thought, "Hey, this will work!" only to turn out to be so awful they'd make Perez Hilton blush and Lady Gaga applaud.

Instead of focusing on ring gear as a whole, we'll focus on certain aspects of the get up, dealing with everything from tights to hair to tans to masks.

Shall we?

Oz's Grey Hair

Kevin Nash is always a good place to start.

During a stint in WCW in 1991, somebody got the bright idea to package the big man as a rip off of the ubiquitous wizard from "The Wizard of Oz."

Clad with a silver beard and wig, bright robes and bright green tights, over time, the beard and hair would drop, but whomever thought this was a good idea needed to have their head checked.

Then again, this was Kevin Sullivan's time in WCW. Nash was very much in his prime during this period, so the thought of him having a silver beard was quite ridiculous.

Fast forward to now with the copious amount of grey Nash sports, and maybe they should give him a black wig and beard.

Naked Mideon's Thong

Ok, so Mideon worked in the ring with a thong? 

You know what? I'm sorry for this slide. I'm so very sorry.

Yeah, let's just move on and pretend it never happened.

Dusty Rhodes' Polka Dots

Rhodes was one of the best wrestlers in the world. A veteran of nearly every big promotion in the United States and a multiple time world champion, he had every ability you could ever want.

That said, look at that outfit.

It's distinctive, but needs to come with a warning label about eye strain. It looks like he rolled around in a room full of Peeps.

BattleKat's Mask

There are some masks that work, such as those of Jushin Liger, Rey Mysterio, the former Mistico and the Tiger Mask character

Then there was BattleKat's mask. The thing looks like something you'd buy at Toys 'R' Us. 

Meow.

Faarooq Asad's Helmet

Ron Simmons was one of the most underrated wrestlers of all time. 

When he debuted in 1996 for the WWF, Vince thought to package him as a gladiator. Why? Who knows. 

The ring attire wasn't actually too bad for the time. However, the helmet looks like it was stolen from a Halloween store and subsequently disguised in shiny turquoise gift wrap.

Thankfully, this was dropped and Simmons eventually moved towards the Nation of Domination and A.P.A. gimmicks, which were more appropriate for someone as cool as Simmons.

Beers, cigars, and poker? Awesome.

Laser Tag helmets? Damn!

The Goon's Boots

The entire gimmick was bad. Then again, this was the awkward early 90s. 

That said, the Goon's boots were supposed to elicit the effect of ice skates. They never achieved that effect in any capacity, so they must be considered a failure. The over-sized laces are bad enough, but the the fact that it could even be considered passable by somebody merits a place on this list.

What you don't see at the bottom of the picture is Frosty being curb-stomped. They needed to maintain the white paint on it somehow.

Glacier's Armor

Around the time of Glacier's debut, the video game series "Mortal Kombat" was a hot item. It really was no secret that WCW was looking to capitalize on it. Hence the Sub Zero ripoff, Glacier. 

The armor, aside from looking like a cheap piece of plastic, is said to have been made for $35,000 dollars. Outside of championship belts, this might be the most expensive "garb" ever given to a wrestler. It's also one of the ugliest. 

If you ask me, WCW got hosed on that deal.

Red Rooster's Hair

Terry Taylor debuted in the WWF with all the promise in the world, but despite his talent, he could not make it long term.

I tend to think it was due to his flaming red spiked mohawk striding on top of his typical late 80's mullet. Aside from always crowing like a rooster on his way to the ring, the hair was always a point of contention among fans.

Mulhawk?

Big Bully Busick's Mustache

Big Bully Bussick was a jobber for the WWF during the early 1990s.

The mustache itself changed a bit over the course of Busick's career with the WWF, however, the "Soup Strainer" remained a remarkable feat of failed facial growth. 

Steve "Mongo" McMichael's Coat

An NFL Hall of Famer? Yes.

A member of the Four Horsemen? Yes.

Vague reminders of the the Al Bundy Syndrome? Yes.

McMichael was not overly gifted in the ring and was notorious for his (not so subtle) botches in the ring. When McMichael would saunter or run down the ring, it was always easy to picture Ed O'Neill's face. 

McMichael kept the jacket throughout his of run in WCW and reminded us that for every Goldberg, there was a Mongo. 

Hulk Hogan's Skullet

Hogan was the victim of the world's most obvious receding hairline since his early 30s. 

As the world's most recognizable professional wrestler, Hogan commands a rumored seven-figure salary from TNA. You'd think he would seek treatment for it. 

It never directly affected his status, but it definitely was, and still is, a fashion faux pas.

Steve Austin's Hair

Before Austin became "Stone Cold," he was the "Ringmaster."

After a failed stint in WCW, he came to the WWF wearing a generic mullet of golden hair.  

Before shaving his pate, he saw moderate success. Afterwards? Well, you know the story.

Mantaur's Facepaint

Mantuar's paint was designed to elicit the effect of horns.  

You know what, there really is nothing else that needs to be said.

Sting's Joker Facepaint

Professional wrestling usually rips off Hollywood in some fashion. It's not often that it rips off dead actors though.

A unique fact is that Sting was on the receiving end of this fact twice. 

The first was during his long run in WCW where he donned a black leather trench and switched from his normally colorful face paint to something resembling the undead hero "The Crow." In case you weren't aware, Brandon Lee died during an accident in making the infamous film.

This was well received and he kept the same gimmick for years. More or less, it suited his role and character perfectly as the foil for Hogan's NWO at the height of the Monday Night Wars.

The second time around? Not so much. Ripping off Heath Ledger's "Joker" character simply came across as a bad attempt to rehash a once good idea.

I have all the respect in the world for the "The Icon." In my opinion, he is the best wrestler to have never wrestled in the WWE, and that gives him an air of distinction. 

With that said, this wasn't done well. In a different time and place, this might have been a good thing, however, he looks like a more psychotic Doink. 

Per the usual course, I'll blame Russo.

Rick Martel's Tan

For the record, I loved Rick Martel growing up.

But, his tan fluctuated more on a show-to-show basis than the Dow Jones worrying about Europe's debt crisis. 

He does a great Stallone impersonation though.

Dustin Rhode's White Facepaint

The propensity for eye strain must run the Rhodes family.

Goldust did a stint in WCW as the character "Se7en." The garb wasn't too bad, actually, but the white makeup is probably one of the leading causes of blindness in the late 90s. 

We'll need to move on. Like the sun, you cannot stare at the picture too long without permanent eye damage.

Buff Bagwell's Hat

To quote the movie Labyrinth, "It's so stimulating being your hat."

Buff's time in WCW was marked by some forgettable face and heel turns, some uninteresting story lines and some rather outlandish hats. Most of his hats featured brightly colored pallets with some various designs and all of them saying "Buff" in some form.

Designed to give him some air of uniqueness, the hats were always large enough to give the Mad Hatter pause. That said, it remains a fashionable failure due to the fact it never really connected the way it was intended.

Much like giving Buff any sort of push, the hats were always a questionable decision.

Zack Ryder's Tights

Yeah, I'm afraid so. 

I love Ryder. I'm ordering a "Broski" shirt from WWEshop, I subscribe to his channel on YouTube and think the world of the Long Island Iced Z.

That said, even his most hardcore fans have to admit that these tights were a monstrosity, more befitting a BDSM club then a wrestling ring. 

To be fair, he didn't wear these very long, but it's enough to be permanently etched (scarred?) into our memory.

WWWYKI!

David Boy Smith's Hair

The British Bulldog was considered one of the most flamboyant wrestlers on the planet.

At times sporting a Union Jack cape, arm ties and dreadlocks, his sense of style was almost beyond reproach in a time that was filled with outlandish gimmicks.

However, when he lost his hair, he was never as over with the fans in the same way. The generic hairstyles he wore subsequently coincided with his fall from grace.

Rest In Peace, David Boy Smith.

Shockmaster's Helmet

Fred Ottman became a legendary wrestler simply because he was the receiving end of a lot of failed gimmicks and angles.

The Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet was painted and given sparkles. Yeah, that's shocking.

In any case, the helmet never amounted to much and in his debut match for WCW, Ottman traded the helmet for a yellow hardhat. Despite the short time it was in use, the helmet became a symbol for one of the most iconic failures in wrestling history. 

Thanks for reading as always, and I apologize for any mental impairment or loss of visual acuity the pictures may have caused.