If there's one thing wrestling is known for, it's larger than life characters. Sometimes, these characters can push things a little far and actually become goofy.
In other cases, though, these crazy gimmicks cross the line and end up being genuinely scary.
If you're into horror and you've often considered watching pro wrestling, you'll love these dark and brooding characters!
1. The Undertaker
When it comes to creepy wrestling characters, none come to mind faster than The Undertaker.
Since 1990, Undertaker has been consistently the king of dark and supernatural performances in wrestling (ignoring the American Bad Ass period where he was a biker for some reason).
Even in 2019, when viewers have a hard time suspending their disbelief, Taker still manages to be creepy, and while his matches aren't great anymore, the character work is still fantastic.
2. The Boogeyman
The Boogeyman is a dark character that might actually make you look away from the TV with his act.
Not only is the character dark and creepy in the way he looks and acts, but he also eats worms, which is gross.
Just last year I saw the Boogeyman at a local independent show, and his act legitimately had people on the crowd screaming in horror, which is something few professional wrestlers can claim.
3. Bray Wyatt
In some ways, it seems like the WWE is trying to make Bray Wyatt a modern-day Undertaker. The character cuts long, creepy promos, promising some dark things.
Recently, he's evolved into an even better version of himself with his "children's show" The Firefly Funhouse. The sinister undertones have captivated wrestling fans and added an interesting new layer to the character.
4. Papa Shango
Papa Shango was just one gimmick played by Charles Wright. He's probably best known for his run as The Godfather, but before that, he was the voodoo practitioner who creeped out audiences with his dark chants, face paint, and overall look.
He was about to cast spells on his opponents, which would cause them physical pain and even make them vomit. It was an intense gimmick that didn't last long but was enjoyable while it was there.
5. Kane
Kane was The Undertaker's brother in the storyline, and you could argue that he was even scarier than his pretend brother.
As the years went on, the character evolved to be far less scary, but when he first came in, he wore a mask because he was so disfigured that fans wouldn't be able to look at him.
He'd come out and attack random people each week on RAW in an attempt to get to his brother. It was one of the most exciting parts of the show each week and was definitely quite scary.
6. Mankind
Mick Foley is one of the most beloved wrestlers of all time, and he played quite a few characters over his career.
In fact, he played so many that the WWE actually did a split personality gimmick that would see him switching between them. Of the characters, Mankind was by far the creepiest.
In a famous interview with Jim Ross, fans got a glimpse of what Mankind was capable of, and it was truly something to behold.
7. Vampiro
Vampiro is one of the few on the list who didn't spend a great deal of time in the WWE, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't creepy. Just his name alone strikes up dark imagery, and his character work matches up to the name.
Not only was Vampiro dark and brooding, but he was also a hardcore wrestler who participated in some incredibly brutal bloodbaths.
8. Abyss
Abyss was always a staple of TNA (now Impact) wrestling, and in some ways, he was like a mix of The Undertaker and Mankind. He wasn't quite as good as either of them but he was a solid wrestler who brought a lot of interest to TNA's show.
Starting in 2003, he was actually called "The Monster" Abyss, which should tell you all you need to know about how scary he was during his prime.
9. Gangrel
The Gangrel gimmick was shortlived, but for the short time he was around, his vampire story was dark and quite spooky. Add in the dark, catchy theme song, and you have a wrestler who's right up every horror fans alley.
During his time with Edge and Christian, in which they were known as The Brood, the trio dominated opponents while making a huge mess with their chalices of blood.