The use of horror as a storytelling device is harder to use in wrestling, but it has been done many times throughout the years. Various elements from horror-based stories were used in wrestling for certain characters or storylines. WWE and other promotions have tried their best to make fans invest into the unique angles in mind.
Horror movies have been a great inspiration for wrestling gimmicks, since wrestlers can tap into their dark side, creating something scary and unique.
However, there is usually a mix between the better results proving it could work and the lackluster ones taking away from the product. Wrestlers involved had a tough task of doing things outside of the box and taking risks in wrestling. Each of the following instances showed the best and worst times wrestling crossed over into horror.
Best: The Fiend’s Chilling Debut As A Terrifying Character
Bray Wyatt’s Character Work Paid Off With Incredible Presentation
The love of horror films by Bray Wyatt played a major role in his greatest success stories in the wrestling industry. Wyatt introduced some unique misdirection moments with his kids show vignettes setting up his new character.
Notable WWE stars like The Rock and Batista turned into successful actors. Here are the five best and five worst horror movies starring wrestlers.
However, SummerSlam 2019 introduced The Fiend as his new real darker side with the terrifying mask. WWE put a lot of time and effort into making the entrance work perfectly to feel like a horror movie watching each step to the ring making him feel like Michael Myers chasing a victim.
Worst: Chucky Character Making Appearances For WCW & WWE
Legendary Horror Character Felt Strange In Random Wrestling Segments
WCW was the first promotion to try the brand marketing of working with the Chucky doll from the Child’s Play and Chucky franchise. The Chucky doll appearing on screen to call out Rick Steiner remains among the oddest moments in wrestling history with zero payoff.
WWE formed another working relationship decades later thanks to the Chucky TV series on USA Network at the same time of Raw and NXT. The Chucky doll was back to help promote NXT’s Halloween Havoc with spooky vibes, but Liv Morgan’s appearances on the Chucky show provided more entertainment.
Best: Sting’s Influence Of Becoming The Crow Character
WCW’s Best Gimmick Change Was Inspired By A Movie With Horror Traits
Sting took one of the biggest character risks in WCW history when he ditched his popular colorful face character to become the Crow version. Many fans forget that the original Crow movie had horror elements about a character coming back to life for revenge.
WCW used similar aspects of Sting slowly haunting his enemies and watching from the rafters. Even smaller things like Sting using a crow bird to send a message felt more like a movie than wrestling, but it made Sting a bigger star to challenge Hulk Hogan and the New World Order.
Worst: WWE Creating The Boogeyman Character
Babyface Version Of Infamous Boogeyman Made No Logical Sense
WWE hired veteran Marty Wright to play The Boogeyman in the Ruthless Aggression Era. Fans were conditioned to cheer The Boogeyman as a beloved wrestler who used his over-the-top theatrics and horror elements to torment faces.
Boogeyman walking to the ring felt like a horror character stalking their enemies before doing wild acts like biting off skin defects or covering them in worms. The character had some relevance, but he was never able to fit into stories or have noteworthy matches.
Best: The Brood’s Bloodbath Attacks On Opponents
Dumping A Lot Of Blood On Others Actually Worked In Pro Wrestling
Multiple horror movies have used the scenes of characters having blood poured all over them. The Brood already had a similar vibe to those movies with the vampire characters given to Edge, Christian, and Gangrel in the Attitude Era.
WWE booked a few segments of wrestlers in the ring getting dosed in blood thanks to The Brood making their presence known. The Brood became a popular act, but they unfortunately had a short run due to Vince McMahon losing faith in Gangrel.
Worst: AEW’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre Deathmatch Championship
Jeff Jarrett & Jeff Hardy Had Embarrassing Match Tying In Legendary Horror Brand
WBD’s working relationship with AEW has seen crossover for brands like Kong vs Godzilla, Mortal Kombat, and other popular movies. The movie and video game franchise of Texas Chainsaw Massacre may have had the worst version when AEW got involved.
Many female wrestlers tried their hand at acting in horror movies!
Jeff Jarrett defeated Jeff Hardy in a ridiculous match that featured someone pretending to be Leatherface and lots of bloody comedy spots. Fans laughed at Jarrett winning a title for this match, but one positive was the match raised a lot of money for charity for the Maui fires.
Best: Firefly Funhouse Match Felt Close To Mental Horror
Psychological Storytelling Saw Bray Wyatt Tormenting John Cena
WWE had their most ambitious cinematic match ever at WrestleMania 36 in the Firefly Funhouse match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt. The bold storytelling featured a psychological horror of Cena’s biggest fears coming true.
Wyatt being in control as they jumped from scene to scene showed the fear of Cena having no power. The Fiend emerging at the end to defeat Cena was the perfect ending to ensure the story got across well after forcing the fans to pay full attention.
Worst: Chamber Of Horrors Match Was Abysmal WCW Failure
Using The Word Horrors Didn’t Stop Fans From Laughing At Bad Match
WCW created the Chambers of Horror match to have two teams of wrestlers locked inside of a cage. However, the end game of the match was to have the losers in electric chairs while pretending to get shocked in the act that usually ends lives.
Abdullah the Butcher had a legendary moment overselling the electric chair and failing to make fans care. The scary moment turned into bad comedy, as WCW realized the match concept was a huge misfire never to be used again.
Best: Kane Having Supernatural Powers In Early Years
WWE Used Horror Perfectly To Make Kane Feel Like The Undertaker’s Equal
One of the greatest character introductions in wrestling history featured debuting as the long lost brother of The Undertaker. Kane became a hit character to last for over two decades after getting over with a hot start trying to destroy his brother.
WWE had Kane using fire during his entrance, but he also would set others on fire from afar. The supernatural powers of Kane felt stronger than Undertaker’s to add to his horror character vibe. Kane felt like the most credible heel on the roster after a month or two of television time.
Army Of The Dead Film Sparked One Of WWE’s Worst Creative Ideas Ever
The Miz and Damian Priest were placed in a terrible situation when they had a match tied into the Army of the Dead film. WWE had to tie in the zombie movie with the branding, so they decided to make it a lumberjack match with zombies all at ringside.
The match turned into the worst form of comedy with everything looking cheesy and both wrestlers having to sell it. Miz taking the loss was among the most embarrassing moments of his career with WWE tapping into the wrong side of horror.
