“Fear is a much easier emotion than courage” – Dead Celebrity Status – “Them (A Prelude)”

At its finest, professional wrestling can tell a story that evokes emotion from both the live crowd and those watching at home. And if the success of horror over the years says anything, especially at this time of year, it is that people love being scared. So it only makes sense that many wrestlers would attempt to tap into that side of the human psyche. Today we will look at some of the most terrifying professional wrestlers that saw some level of success in the business we all love. Some of these will be obvious, whether their gimmick relies heavily on being scary, while some will just be a natural choice due to the level of fear that they struck in both their opponents and fans worldwide.

Disclaimer: As mentioned, we will be focusing on the talent that saw some level of success. So as much as it hurts me to not include them, you will not be seeing the likes of The Dungeon of Doom (especially THE YETAY!) or the Boogeyman. Nor will we be seeing any of the horror movie rip-off acts in Japanese death matches like Jason or Leatherface and finally, none of some of the ridiculous stuff that Jerry Lawler came up with in Memphis over the years.

The Undertaker

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. Arguably the greatest gimmick in the history of professional wrestling, portrayed by the one man who could make it work. There is a reason that Mark Calaway is one of the most respected figures in the business thanks to his tireless work ethic and commitment to the gimmick. While the character would evolve and change over the years, The Undertaker’s early run was terrifying to children at the time with kids frequently being shown in the audience aghast and sometimes crying at the mere presence of The Dead Man. Of course, this doesn’t even take into effect the fact that Calaway is a freak athlete for a man of his size and his heavily tattooed body strikes a level of fear in those he encounters (admittedly not as much in 2020, but in the 90s someone that heavily inked wasn’t as common.)

Kane

Well, you cannot talk about The Undertaker without mentioning his kayfabe brother Kane. While the character and gimmick would be heavily watered down over time, I challenge anyone to go back to the conclusion of the first Hell In A Cell match at Bad Blood ’97 and tell me that Kane’s first appearance and actions didn’t instill a level of fear in the audience. Again, while they would slowly remove aspects of Kane that made him so terrifying (and admittedly Glen Jacobs always did the best he could with the material he was given) there was a time when Kane was one of the scariest wrestlers on the planet.

Bruiser Brody

Moving away from the strictly scary aesthetic we begin the transition of this list into focusing on performers who were legitimately terrifying for an abundance of reasons. And one of the best examples of this would be the late, great Frank Goodish, better known as Bruiser Brody. Brody was an absolute beast of a man, with a level of intelligence that made him even more dangerous both in the ring and behind the scenes. While sometimes difficult to work with (mainly due to Goodish knowing the value of himself and his brand) nobody would ever mess with Brody. Sadly, the cowardly actions of Invader #1 on a fateful 1987 day in Puerto Rico would take Goodish’s life but he was unable to snuff out the legacy of one of pro wrestling’s scariest monsters.

Harley Race

Some men in the business don’t look that scary, until you realize the insane toughness that lies beneath. One of the best to ever lace up a pair of boots was Harley Race, a man whose style and legacy is still being felt today. Frequently acknowledged as one of the toughest men the business has ever seen, Race didn’t take shit from anybody. A man who once pulled a gun on Hulk Hogan to tell him to stay out of his territory, Race always did things his way. Even until his death in 2019 and in frail health, Race was still considered one of the toughest and most dangerous men in the world of wrestling.

Haku/Meng

I think everyone knew that this one would be here. Stories of the man known as both King Haku and Meng have spread for decades. Stories of him ripping out a man’s eye with his bare fingers, or biting another man’s nose off during a bar fight. There has also long been a rumor that he was intended to be released from his WCW contract years before it came to fruition, but nobody in the office or on the roster had the courage to tell him he was fired. The funny thing about Haku is that many of the same people who talk about his legendary stories will also tell you how he is one of the nicest men you will ever meet, just don’t mock him and keep him away from dark liquor!

The Road Warriors

When the Road Warriors burst on the scene, there was nobody like them. The recently passed Joe Laurinaitis, known as Animal, was actually considered to be the easier one to handle as despite his immense size and intimidating aura, he was able to keep his anger in check. The same couldn’t always be said for Mike Hegstrand aka Hawk. There are numerous stories over the years of enhancement talent coming in for matches and leaving once they found out they would be across the ring from Hawk. It’s said if you pissed him off before or during the match you would get your receipt and Hawk was one of the best at dealing them out.

The Steiners

Undoubtedly one of the greatest tag teams of all-time, Rick and Scott Steiner were of a completely different breed. Both men were accomplished amateur wrestlers who could easily do whatever they wanted with their opponents. They were also well-known backstage ribbers but not in the funny way that guys like Owen Hart and Curt Hennig were known for, more of the Mr. Fuji variety. As noted on the What Happened When podcast with Tony Schiavone, Rick and Scott once took a handful of Sharpie markers and literally shoved them up another man’s anus. Ric Flair is also noted as calling Rick Steiner his “hero” because there isn’t a single soul on Earth that Rick couldn’t have his way with due to his background and insane toughness. All of that isn’t even including Scott Steiner’s notorious temper and tendency to go off on fans and talent altogether while in the Big Poppa Pump gimmick.

Brian Pillman

Brian Pillman was a dangerous and terrifying man have no doubt. But where Pillman was different from essentially every other wrestler on this list (with perhaps the exception of our next entrant) is not in his physical standing, but the chord he could strike both mentally and emotionally. Upon becoming the Loose Cannon he would not only work the millions of wrestling fans, but his fellow wrestlers and even the promoters themselves. His appearance at ECW CyberSlam ’96 is still a legendary moment where you had no idea what he was going to do next. For a more in-depth dive on Pillman I suggest checking out my article about his huge influence on the Attitude Era or Chris’ retrospective look at Pillman in podcast form.

Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts

Following suit, any wrestling fan would be foolish not to include Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts on a list of this variety. Much like Pillman he wasn’t necessarily terrifying in his physical stature (although he was a big enough man in his prime to stand against some of the best the industry offered) but more what was going on behind those eyes. Perhaps more than any other person on this list, it wasn’t what Jake could do to you that was terrifying…. but how he would go about it. He was capable of breaking you down physically and mentally and would laugh as he did it. The mark of a great psychopath.

Andre The Giant

The Eighth Wonder Of The World. Andre was a man of a different class. Yes, there have been wrestlers as big or even bigger than him in the years since his run and passing, but not a single one has ever been on the same level as Andre. Talk with anyone who was around during Andre’s incredible run and they will all tell you the same thing: If Andre doesn’t want to do something, you sure as hell aren’t going to make him. A man whose intelligence for the business is often overlooked, Andre could do and get away with whatever he wanted to in the ring or backstage and nobody would even bat an eye.

Brock Lesnar

Our final entry here today is likely to be a controversial one until you think about it. Yes, many have their gripes about Brock Lesnar and the part-time schedule he has worked over the past decade (hell, I looked at his run recently to decide if he should be considered amongst the greats) but there can simply be no denying that Brock Lesnar is a beast. From his success in NCAA through WWE and UFC, Brock Lesnar is quite simply one of the scariest human beings on the planet, let alone wrestling. Lest we forget the time that he had no issue having an amateur wrestling match with the late, great Curt Hennig….right next to an emergency exit door on an airplane flying at 35,000 feet. You don’t do that if you aren’t sure of your own abilities. Brock isn’t afraid to shoot and give receipts if needed (ask Braun Strowman) and even after entering his 40’s he should still be feared for great reason.

Now, this is by no means a comprehensive list of every terrifying talent that has come through the business. I am well aware of many that could be thrown onto this list without a second thought, such as the original Sheik and even his nephew Sabu. Hell, I’m afraid I might become a target for not including New Jack! So feel free to chime in here, on the Signature Spot Facebook page and on Twitter where you can reach The Signature Spot and you can reach out directly to me on my personal Twitter page.

And of course, Happy Halloween!