The 20 Scariest Wrestlers of All Time

I’m not talking about the "Surfer Sting" era - I'm talking about everything concerning “The Crow” Sting (inspired by the character played by Brandon Lee in the 1994 film named The Crow), which was spooky, especially in 1996-1997. When Sting felt betrayed by WCW and his fans, he went mute for a full year while lurking from the rafters and appearing when necessary. Now listen - I can understand if you don’t find Sting that scary after he began talking and recreated himself a bunch of times. But I definitely wouldn’t want to be followed by someone looking like the "Stinger" down a dark alleyway. Now apply that logic to everyone on this list and you'll see why I placed Crow Sting on this list.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts was cold and callous even though he looked like your regular guy. The way he would look in your eyes when he’d ask you to trust him in a soft tone was disturbing enough to make you feel uneasy. On top of that, he was friends with snakes and would carry them around with him, ready to confront you with them at any given chance. If you’re afraid of snakes, you’d definitely be spooked by Jake Roberts. 

Dustin Rhodes' portrayal of Se7en didn’t last very long. Depending on who you ask, the gimmick was either killed off by Vince Russo or the network “Turner Broadcasting” actually put the kibosh on it. It was a creepy character that resembled Uncle Fester, plus he could levitate as we witnessed in his only appearance on WCW Nitro live. In his vignettes, Seven would be creeping on children through their windows and possessing them or something like that. It might have been a failed gimmick but listen - if you saw Seven in your dreams or outside your child’s window, you’d have an easy time classifying him as one of the scariest wrestlers you've ever seen.

Abdullah the Butcher is a legend who's best remembered for his bloody battles with the likes of Bruiser Brody and also for being electrocuted in the "Chamber of Horrors" match at Halloween Havoc 1991. The evil "Arabian Sadist" enjoyed violence and he carried a fork around to bust open his opponents just for the taste of their blood. "The Madman from Sudan" looked even more fearsome due to the scars on his head from the excessive use of blading. Those scars were so deep that Mick Foley said he could fit poker chips in them. I definitely wouldn’t want to be locked in a room with Abdullah for too long.

If your only memory of Kevin Sullivan is his time spent within the "Dungeon of Doom" or the "Varsity Club" stables, you’ll be confused as to why he’s on this list. Now don’t get me wrong - the Dungeon of Doom was intended to be frightening, but it ended up being more comical if anything. The real reason Sullivan makes this list is because of his early career run as a devil-worshiping cult leader who could invoke the powers of dark spirits in his promos and matches. He even created his own faction called the Army of Darkness. In a time when kayfabe was still a thing, it really scared curious onlookers. Now maybe the Dungeon of Doom did, too - I mean the group gave us the Yeti, who made its debut by humping Hulk Hogan awkwardly in the ring. Simply unforgettable. With all that being said, Kevin Sullivan is undoubtedly one of the scariest wrestlers of all time.

In the world of wrestling where the majority of the women were portrayed as eye candy or legitimate athletes, there was Luna Vachon. Now don’t get it twisted - Luna was both very athletic and very skilled in the ring, plus she was beautiful in her own way. The way she was portrayed on television could be intimidating. While the rest of the women around her had sex appeal, were fashionable, or carried themselves as wrestlers, everything about Vachon was super unique. Vachon’s character was also known to snap at any moment, creating an aura of chaos whenever she was around that played into her being ranked here as one of the scariest wrestlers. The veins on the side of her face and her raspy voice were enough for a young Justin to think of stranger danger if she approached me unexpectedly.

Although Kevin Thorn won’t be the only vampire appearing on this list, it doesn't make him any less scary. The pairing of himself and the tarot card reading Ariel brought a dark element to the revamped WWE version of ECW. They would drink blood and do whatever it took to gain victories in their matches. There was a ton of potential here that was never reached due to Ariel being released and Thorn getting repackaged soon after. They definitely had the look and played the role to perfection. It also lasted longer than Mordecai, but that’s a different topic.

Papa Shango was a supernatural voodoo practitioner who came to the ring carrying a skull to the ring that would blow out smoke. He was also able to control the arena lights somehow and cast spells that caused his opponents to vomit. Shango instantly targeted top stars such as Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. He didn’t achieve much success, but I’m sure he struck fear in children and even some adults. Although it might be an unpopular opinion, I’d say there is an argument that Shango’s character was ahead of his time and could have worked with a few changes and adaptations made to his gimmick. It was creative and spooky.

There is something intimidating about Malakai Black from the very moment you see him. Whether it’s his interesting tattoos, his size, or the darkness around his right eye, it was easy to be on edge around the leader of the "House of Black." Malakai possessed supernatural abilities and the leadership qualities to get lost souls to follow him. From his promos to his entrance, everything about Black was dark and ominous. Eventually, he had the ability to spit black mist in people's eyes to either cause them temporary blindness or infect them with some sort of disease that slowly converted them to the dark side slowly. I definitely wouldn’t want to be the focus of his attention, which is why I have to recognize Mr. Black as one of the scariest wrestlers I've ever laid eyes on.

“The Monster” Abyss was a staple character in TNA or Impact Wrestling (whatever you want to call it now) for years. He was introduced without a really defined backstory but still felt like the love child of the Mankind and Kane characters. Abyss was like an overgrown child filled with insecurities, but could and would unleash violence at any second. He thrived on unleashing violence. You might even say he was addicted to violence. Abyss is truly a madman and someone you would want to avoid if you were stranded with him on a desert island. 

"The Brood" was the WWE’s resident vampire stable in the late 90s when bloodsuckers were really hot in pop culture. The group consisted of Edge, Christian, and Gangrel. They would rise through the stage surrounded by flames and Gangrel would drink blood out of his cauldron cup, only to spit it out during their entrance which was accompanied by one of the greatest wrestling theme songs of all time. They became popular for surprising their enemies with blood baths, which is where the red liquid would drop from the ceiling to cover their victims. They were freaky, but also hella entertaining. However, I would like to live a life where I never had to endure a bloodbath. The Brood is well deserving of their placing here on this list of the scariest wrestlers.

Waylon Mercy was this captivating, calm, and smooth-talking madman with a southern drawl based off of Robert DiNero’s character Max Cady in the film Cape Fear. Regardless of his tattoos and the dagger on his forehead, he seemed approachable and trustworthy even though he was sinister and manipulative. He would appear as a peaceful gentleman with southern charm, coming to the ring showing his adulation for the fans but turning into this vicious competitor once the bell rang. Dan Spivey, who portrayed the character, was ahead of his time and inspired the likes of Bray Wyatt (who we’ll talk about later on this list...), but it never got to take off due to prior injuries forcing him to retire. Regardless, go watch one of those Waylon Mercy promos in the dark and tell me it wouldn’t make you double-check if all your doors are locked. 

From the moment I saw Vampiro on WCW shows as a child, I thought he was super creepy. He had face paint that resembled a skull and walked to the ring like he was creeping up on someone or something. He led factions such as “The Dead Pool” and “The Dark Carnival.” He also loved to give his opponents surprise bloodbaths and even tried setting Sting on fire on multiple occasions until he finally did in their Human Torch Match. Vampiro had a nonchalant attitude, but he loved to dish out pain and violence. He is someone I wouldn’t want to stare at for too long to the point where he thought he had to do something about it because god knows what he would want to do. Vampiro has to make it onto everyone's list of the scariest wrestlers.

Clowns are meant to be funny, silly, and entertaining. However, there are many people on this earth who will gladly admit that they have a fear of clowns - make sure you don’t ever surprise them with one. The official term for this is called “Coulrophobia,” which tells you it’s a lot more common than you think. Therefore, when the WWE introduced their own resident evil clown with Doink, it actually struck anxiety, faster heartbeats, nausea, and profuse sweating for all those clown-fearing folk. I wonder if it made a lot of sense to have a villainous clown in a company geared toward families. I mean most of Doink’s pranks were harmless compared to say Pennywise from the 1990 horror classic It. That being said, if Doink the Clown offered me a balloon, I’d still run. 

When Mankind first made his WWE debut in 1996 by attacking the Undertaker, he was clearly mentally deranged. I want you to think about that early incarnation of Mankind and not the fun-loving one who wore dirty dress clothes, teamed with The Rock, and won the WWF Championship. I’m talking about the Mankind who wore a leather mask, would pull out his own hair, hang out in boiler rooms, stab himself in the leg, and had a pet rat named George. The early portrayal of Mankind was eerie and, considering The Undertaker was a babyface at the time, I found him less scary compared to Mankind at a young age. He loved feeling pain as much as giving it out. I would hate to randomly stumble into a boiler room and hear a creepy voice yell out “Mommy!” Mankind's early days classify him as someone who belongs among the walking terrors in this collection of the scariest wrestlers.

“I’m the Boogeyman..and I’m coming to getcha!” The Boogeyman was introduced to the WWE Universe in 2005, bringing fear to the audience as he would appear randomly and terrorize other wrestlers. He would shake, crawl and walk through the smoke during his entrance while smashing a clock over his head. The Boogeyman also ate worms and left those same insects in the mouth of his opponents after defeating them. There was even a point where we were introduced to a little Boogeyman (I guess I should mention that Doink had a whole team of little clowns at one point, too) while he was feuding with Finlay and Hornswoggle. Everything about the Boogeyman was spooky - the visual of him eating worms definitely did it for me. I swear they looked like real worms!

Kane wasn't the "Devil’s Favourite Demon" for no reason. The backstory of Kane’s character is a detailed yet complicated one with many twists and turns. Introduced to us in 1997 as the Undertaker’s long-lost younger brother who presumably died in a fire during their childhood, he embraced the supernatural side of wrestling instantly. He first wore a mask due to his physical scars from the fire and could only talk using a voice box. During his early years, he was the Michael Myers of the WWE.

He evolved over the years by being able to talk more freely and even had his mask removed, only for us to learn that most of Kane's issues were mentally driven due to trauma rather than actually existing. It just made the "Big Red Monster" more dangerous since it was his psyche playing tricks on him. Whether he was setting people on fire, burying his own brother, electrocuting Shane McMahon's testicles, or dominating his opponent in the ring, there weren’t many other characters as scary as Kane. The mad behind the flames will forever be one of the scariest wrestlers to have ever competed in the squared circle.

“He’s got the whole world in his hands…he’s got the whole wide world in his hands.” - Bray Wyatt

There may not be anyone in modern-day wrestling who personifies being the face of fear more than Bray Wyatt. Wyatt was first introduced to us as the sadistic, manipulative, charming, and smooth-talking cult leader from the swamp who followed the teachings of "Sister Abigail." As the years went by, we saw different incarnations of Wyatt, including his split personality persona where he dealt with being both the "Firefly Funhouse" Bray and the sinister "Fiend."

Wyatt rarely spread terror over the WWE alone as his ability to recruit was impeccable. Initially, he was the leader of the Wyatt Family, which consisted of monstrous men like Luke Harper, Erick Rowen, and Braun Strowman. During his Firefly Funhouse days, he was able to get Alexa Bliss to join him on the dark side to play with him and his puppet friends of Abby the Witch, Mercy the Buzzard, The Ramblin’ Rabbit, and Huskus the Pig.

Although there is never a dull moment with Wyatt, he’s the real-life version of a lot of people’s worst nightmares because he will mess with you psychologically and haunt you physically. Mr. Wyatt will always be regarded as one of the scariest wrestlers ever.

"The Spirit of The Undertaker lives within the soul of all mankind. The eternal flame of life, that cannot be extinguished. The origin of which cannot be explained. The answer lies in the everlasting spirit. Soon all mankind will witness the Rebirth of The Undertaker. I will not Rest... In... Peace." - The Undertaker

The Undertaker had a reign of terror and destruction over the WWE for over 30 years. The Undertaker was first introduced to the WWE in 1990 as an old western mortician who moved slowly and didn’t sell any of his opponent's offense. As time went on we found out that he was already dead and reincarnated as The Undertaker, which gave him supernatural abilities. To add to his aura, they eventually paired him up with an equally creepy funeral home director known as Paul Bearer (he could honestly be on this list aside from the fact that he wasn’t a wrestler), who would manage him and control The Undertaker’s powers through the urn which held the ashes of his deceased parents.

Throughout the years, The Undertaker evolved and learned how to control his own abilities while having an off-and-on relationship with Paul Bearer his entire career. "The Phenom" would eventually truly embrace the dark side when he started sacrificing people and created his own stable known as "The Ministry of Darkness."

For a few years, we got a more humanized Undertaker that rode a motorcycle and seemingly left the dark side behind him...that was until Kane buried him alive, which led to him returning to the creatures of the night as "The Deadman." The Undertaker was truly the personification of evil, but more importantly, the legend that brought the dark side to the WWE Universe and stood tall as one of the scariest (in not THE scariest!) wrestlers of all time.