The 8 Wildest Hairstyles in Pro Wrestling, Ranked

It’s pretty common knowledge, even among the most hardcore of fans, that pro-wrestling fashion tends to be between five and 10 years behind the times. But if one can look past the often out-of-date styles and visual imagery of sports entertainment, there are sometimes moments of shockingly on-point style and incredibly intricate fashion. Pro wrestling, like drag and haute couture, has its own idiosyncratic version of glamour that doesn’t make sense out of context. 

Outrageous hairstyles are one of many components in the visual language of pro wrestling and have helped to define the art form’s unique aesthetic. From the flowing manes of ‘80s wrestlers like the Macho Man to the bleach burnt locks of Ric Flair to Stone Cold’s shiny dome, wrestlers’ hair (or lack thereof) often functions as the punctuation to the sentence of their look. Hair, especially for women, helps accentuate the movement of the bodies in the ring and signals toward the athletes’ grace.

But the hairstyles of this newest generation of pro wrestlers have become severely underappreciated and under-examined. While many of the performers of this generation remain stuck in bizarre style time capsules, others excel as examples of how a simple haircut can establish an entire character. 

So, who’s got the best do?

Jungle Boy’s leonine curls are undoubtedly gorgeous, although they’d look foolish if he were employed as anything else. The Perry scion clearly takes care of his bountiful bundles, and no one could deny the on-brand animal magnetism he exudes as a result.

Naomi’s been known to rock Afros, dreads, braids, twists, bouffants and dyed neon, and she’s never once shown up looking a mess. She must be keeping a tight lock on her stylist because some of her peers in the same company simply can’t keep up: visible clip-ins and blunt cut extensions are the unfortunate norms over there. The buns she sported as part of her Bumblebee cosplay will be eternally iconic.

There’s nothing flashy or particularly special about Kip Sabian’s haircut, but still his fade is both on trend and impeccably kempt, which is a miracle because so many other men consistently fail at it. It doesn’t hurt that the hair sits atop an undeniably pretty face. Guys: Show this picture to your barbers when they ask what you want. It’s more specific than “short on the sides and longer on top.”

Anyone who has ever gone through a punk phase in their teen years knows how hard it is to maintain two-tone hair coloring, but Asuka has mastered her dying technique as expertly as she mastered her spinning back fist. Although it’s been suggested that with her newer, longer locks are a result of a decree from WWE CEO Vince McMahon (none of the women on Raw or SmackDown seem allowed to keep their hair short), she still pulls off a perfect hypercolor style that looks as beautiful slightly faded as it does freshly done.

The latest signee to NXT has rocked her signature green hair for years on the indies, and it’s never once looked anything but perfectly silken and vibrantly neon. The up-keep alone must cost hundreds a month. If she were staying truer to Tank Girl, the 1990s feminist comic book from which she takes obvious aesthetic cues, she’d probably have shaved her skull to the skin long ago—but her twist on the vintage character makes her look more unique.

The cultural logic of Japanese haircuts are deeply inaccessible to us Westerners, but the Ace of New Japan’s hair is indubitably majestic. While the luxurious coifing of Tana’s look may seem inscrutable—following some kind of non-euclidean geometry—it’s impossible to imagine the former IWGP heavyweight champ without first picturing his splendid tresses. Without them, he’d lose his strength—like Samson.

Bianca began her career in NXT using her braid as a weapon, literally almost scarring her competitors with her follicle whip, a la Sindel. More serious wrestling fans objected to the gimmick from the start—and she hasn’t resorted to that in a while—but that hasn’t stopped her from prospering. The sheer opulence of a four-foot ponytail is unquestionable, and its usefulness as armament is an added perk.

Brian Pillman Jr.’s hair transcends all laws of fashion. It absolutely shouldn’t work, but it does. His ludicrous styling surpasses the contemporary, anti-fashionable sleazecore movement, besting the cynical trend with absolute earnestness. It’s camp in its purest form, not camping. Harking back to the heyday of pro wrestling, the movement of his magnificent mullet transports audiences back to a time when wrestling was America’s greatest cultural product—when wrestlers were schmelby-sporting demi-gods. Every match with Pillman feels like Wrestlemania, all because of his priceless Kentucky waterfall.