Cody Rhodes (& 9 More Of The Worst Tattoos In Wrestling History)
Emma Terry
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- Almost anyone who has ever even considered getting a tattoo has been warned to be certain that it is something they want because it is practically permanent, and it is quite expensive to get it removed. On top of all of that, it is also very possible that the tattoo could just look terrible for a multitude of different reasons, such as where the art is placed on a person's body. These wrestlers either didn't think or didn't care about any of that and decided to get what is widely considered some of the absolute worst tattoos in the sport of professional wrestling.
Tattoos are common within the wrestling world, and the vast majority of talent end up getting some. It can work to fit in with a gimmick, like Malakai Black, or it can be done just for style. There are many amazing tattoos in wrestling, from huge body pieces to smaller details, they all add up.
10 Best Tattoos In WWE Today, Ranked
There are plenty of incredible examples of ink on the WWE roster right now, with many of the current stars sporting some amazing tattoos!However, for every great tattoo, there is an equally poor one around. Of course, when it comes to body art, things are always subjective, with everyone having their distinct views. But there are some tattoos that all fans typically agree are not great to see.
UPDATE: 2024/01/04 07:30 EST BY ETHAN SCHLABAUGH
Almost anyone who has ever even considered getting a tattoo has been warned to be certain that it is something they want because it is practically permanent, and it is quite expensive to get it removed. On top of all of that, it is also very possible that the tattoo could just look terrible for a multitude of different reasons, such as where the art is placed on a person's body. These wrestlers either didn't think or didn't care about any of that and decided to get what is widely considered some of the absolute worst tattoos in the sport of professional wrestling.
10 Cody Rhodes' Nightmare Skull
Located On His Neck
- Was His Second Major Tattoo Fans Knew About.
- Cody Has Used This As A Logo For Multiple Things.
- Fan Hatred Has Died Down A Bit And Some Fans Think It's So Bad It's Good.
Cody Rhodes has a couple of tattoos, and his tribute to Dusty Rhodes is a cool one. However, the decision to get his American Nightmare logo was a questionable one. The logo has been used for a variety of things with Cody's name attached to it but that doesn't mean he should have gotten it directly on his neck.
The tattoo is a huge one, and it is very visible, which is what a lot of fans do not like about it. This one simply stands out a little too much, with nowhere to hide, no matter what he wears. People questioned it immediately, and that's always going to be the case.
9 The Undertaker And His Ex-Wife Sara
Formerly Located On His Throat
- Got The Name Covered After His Divorce.
- Got Married To Michelle McCool For His Third Marriage.
- Sara Made An On-Screen Appearance During His Feud With DDP.
Getting the name of a loved one tattooed onto your body might seem like a good idea in principle, but the reality isn't always the case. That is what The Undertaker found out with his neck tattoo that had the name Sara written on it. They were married at the time, so it was fine, but that wasn't the case when they got divorced.
Instead, 'Taker had this awkward tattoo that just didn't make sense. A bit after the relationship ended, Undertaker made the rational choice to have it covered up with a unique design not related to a partner.
8 Big Show's Big Tiger
Located On His Shoulder
- Has Both Of His Shoulders Tattooed.
- The Lion Tattoo Doesn't Look Ferocious.
- Pretty Average Tattoo.
Big Show is a huge, intimidating professional wrestler. However, his big tattoo on the side of his arm doesn't quite match up with that. This is of a picture he took, which is a tiger. It's a very random tattoo for him to get, and doesn't have any specific theme like a lot of people go for.
There isn't anything menacing about this one, as the tiger is shown here in a majestic manner, which goes against the character that Big Show has always played. Plus, in comparison to some cool wrestling tattoos, this just isn't one of the best.
7 James Ellsworth And The Offspring Logo
Located On His Shoulder
- Tattoo Is The Logo Of The Band The Offspring.
- Ellsworth Doesn't Seem To Have Other Tattoos.
- Stands Out More Than Most Wrestler's Tattoos.
James Ellsworth opted to make a nod to a band that he loved with his tattoo, which is the logo of The Offspring. The tattoo itself is well done, and it does look exactly as it should. However, just being randomly placed on its own on James' arm makes this one stand out, and not in a great way.
Because Ellsworth is such a skinny wrestler, it only highlights this one random tattoo on its own, and that doesn't look fantastic. The skull is quite a tough logo, but that isn't reflected in Ellsworth's character either, which doesn't help things overall.
6 Tyson Tomko's Tribal Tattoos
Located Primarily On His Neck And Shoulders
- Has Most Of His Neck And Arms Covered In Ink.
- Tribal Tattoos Are Very Generic And Didn't Help Tomko's Career
Tribal tattoos can be hit-or-miss, and when it comes to Tyson Tomko, it was certainly the latter. This wasn't a particularly great look, although it did help him stand out at the time. However, the whole thing looks a little messy, with jagged lines popping up all over the place.
Darby Allin's Face Tattoo & 9 Other Wrestling Tattoos That Fans Didn't Like
Wrestlers getting tattoos is commonplace, but these designs were divisive to say the least and a lot of fans didn't like them.Because it takes over such a large chunk of his body, it is always visible. It isn't something that fans felt looked good and is quite a memorably poor tattoo from wrestling history.
5 Scott Steiner Wears His Heart On His Chest
Located On His Chest
- Started Somewhat Tame Before Adding More Ink To It.
- Came After His Runs With WCW And WWE.
- Covered It With A Shirt During His Most Recent Wrestling Matches.
Whatever Scott Steiner was thinking when he decided to get a massive heart with a cross spearing through it, most people might never know, but it wasn't the worst thing at first. As Steiner proceeded to age, he decided to get more tattoos, including chains and wings hanging from the cross, making it look like a terrible necklace.
It doesn't help either that most of his body has become tattooed, as he also has a massive and awful tattoo of a spine and ribs on his back.
4 Brock Lesnar And The Infamous Sword
Located On His Chest
- Got After Leaving WWE.
- Lesnar Felt Like Life Put A Sword To His Throat In The Mid 2000s Thus Inspiring The Tattoo
One of the most infamous tattoos in all of professional wrestling belongs to "The Beast Incarnate" Brock Lesnar. Oddly enough, he is no stranger to strange tattoos, as whatever he has on his shoulder and back stands out on its own, but neither compares to the sword located on his stomach and chest.
The tattoo came after Lesnar ended his relationship with the WWE in 2004 and was prominent during his stint in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and his time in the UFC. Much like Cody Rhodes' tattoo, fan backlash has died down as people have gotten used to it.
3 Rey Mysterio's Nationality
Located Across His Stomach
- Done With Respect For His Heritage.
- Is Mentioned In One Of His Theme Songs
- The Font Fits With The Majority Of His Other Tattoos.
Everybody knows that Rey Mysterio is Mexican, therefore this tattoo is not really a necessary one. It just makes him look rather silly, which is never a good thing. Rey has got a ton of ink, and all of it looks fantastic, with a lot of brilliant pieces across his body.
However, this one is in such a prominent position, being in the center of his body, and the fact that it is so large does not help matters. The problem with it is that this one just points out the obvious, hitting the nail on the head, rather than being a little more subtle.
2 Hulk Hogan Is Immortal
Located On His Upper Back
- Looks Like An Odd Tribal Tattoo.
- Immortal Is A Nickname Of Hogan's.
- *Is Not Actually Immortal.
Hulk Hogan spent large chunks of his career not having tattoos at all. Therefore, when he added some ink, it was instantly a shock to a lot of people. However, the fact it was not a good tattoo did not help matters. Slamming on his Immortal nickname might have been a good idea in his head, but it didn't come out well.
8 Wrestling Tag Teams That Were Covered In Tattoos
Several wrestlers have tattoos, and some have become iconic. In the case of these tag teams, both wrestlers were covered in tattoos.Hogan has a notoriously large back, and that leads to this tattoo being a huge one, and it is very spread out. However, the big issue with this one is the font. It looks terrible, and because it stands out so much, there's no hiding place with this one.
1 Saraya's Controversial Phrase
Formerly Located On Her Hands
- Caused Quite A Bit Of Controversy Within WWE.
- Had To Use Makeup On Television To Cover Them.
- Ended Up Getting Them Removed.
When Saraya first appeared on WWE, she didn't have any tattoos, but later on in her career, she added some ink to her hands. However, the 'talk shit, get bit' phrase isn't a good one, and the tattoo doesn't look good at all. The fact WWE had to try and cover it up on television says a lot.
The main problem with this one is the font that she chose. It just looks like a huge scribble, and the entire thing is just far too large for a tattoo on such a small part of the body. The phrase itself, and the design combined make this a poor one. Saraya ended up getting the tattoos removed after some time.