One Of WWE's Most Outlandish Gimmicks Ever
Liam Parker 
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Sometimes the most outlandish gimmicks in professional wrestling are fondly remembered by fans and critics. There are ridiculous gimmicks, angles, and storylines that fans wish never took place and don't want to look back. Outlandish gimmicks, for instance, can be found even during some of WWE's hottest periods. Going back to 1992, as many WWE superstars from the Rock n' Wrestling Era were still on the roster, one outlandish yet memorable character that debuted that year was Papa Shango.
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WWE Had A Lot Of Outlandish Cartoony Gimmicks
Larger-than-life characters had always played an essential role in WWE's rise to mainstream success. Wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and The Undertaker have gotten perceived as larger-than-life cartoon characters yet became household names in the wrestling industry. Cartoony gimmicks have a place in the wrestling industry, whether some feel the concept of such gimmicks is outdated.
However, some cartoony gimmicks are too outlandish to where it doesn't work. These goofy personas often give the concept of gimmicks a horrible image in the wrestling industry, as it's an effective way to turn people off from it.
Although the Papa Shango gimmick in WWE is short-lived, it's highly remembered regarding how outlandish some wrestling personas can be. Portrayed by Charles Wright, best known as The Godfather, he wouldn't be able to achieve so much with a ridiculous gimmick. Papa Shango was so bad that it could've killed Charles Wright's wrestling career.
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Papa Shango Makes His Debut
After his initial run as Sir Charles didn't take off in 1991, Charles Wright soon took the Papa Shango gimmick as he debuted the persona in February 1992. The basics of the Papa Shango character is that he was an evil voodoo practitioner. Like The Undertaker, Papa Shango's character also relied on supernatural effects. An example is Papa Shango's ability to control the arena lighting, similar to The Undertaker.
Papa Shango is also known for the outlandish visuals of the character. Papa Shango appeared in a skull face painting and the top hat while also carrying a skull that blew smoke as a voodoo ritual. It doesn't get any more cartoony than that. Another notable aspect of Papa Shango is the ability to make his opponents throw up while in intense pain. It's done as a curse that Papa Shango launched upon them.
Even at a time in wrestling when gimmicks were valued much more, it's still no surprise that this specific gimmick got panned by fans and critics. Regardless of how talented Charles Wright may be, Papa Shango couldn't work as something to be taken seriously.
Papa Shango's Feud With The Ultimate Warrior
Papa Shango's most known feud during his short-lived run on WWE TV was with The Ultimate Warrior. As much as how goofy the gimmick is, at least pairing Papa Shango with someone with the main-event caliber of The Ultimate Warrior could help fans invest in his persona. Not long after his televised debut, Papa Shango's rivalry with The Ultimate Warrior kicked off after Wrestlemania 8, taking the spot that Sid Justice was supposed to have.
Unfortunately, Papa Shango's feud with The Ultimate Warrior was where that gimmick came to die, as being the main-event spotlight did him no favors. For instance, Papa Shango casting voodoo spells on The Ultimate Warrior made for embarrassing TV fans remember to this day.
People still remember the infamous backstage segment when The Ultimate Warrior was taken care of by medics, only to throw up all over them in comedic fashion. Another moment on WWE TV that fans looked back to ridicule is when black ooze was seeping down The Ultimate Warrior's face due to Papa Shango's voodoo spell. It's also worth mentioning The Ultimate Warrior's comedic performance of selling the effects of Papa Shango's voodoo. It's one of the reasons why Papa Shango is a remembered character. At least fans can get a good laugh for all the goofy antics that occurred.
As the feud between the two never culminated, Papa Shango's gimmick came off even more outlandish, if one could believe it, as it appeared the bad blood between him and The Ultimate Warrior was a waste of time. And as The Ultimate Warrior got released by WWE in November 1992, the rivalry between the two never concluded. However, it's safe to assume that many fans probably don't care about it would've panned out anyway.
With that said, Papa Shango got slammed hard by wrestling critics. An example would be receiving the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards for Worst Gimmick and Most Embarrassing Wrestler in 1992. Even behind the scenes in WWE, The Papa Shango character was not well-received.
Papa Shango Is No More
Although Papa Shango faced Bret Hart for the WWE Championship unsuccessfully on the 1992 edition of Saturday Night's Main Event, he was barely on WWE TV in 1993. Charles Wright later departed from WWE until he eventually returned in 1995. Years later, Charles Wright succeeded as The Godfather character during the launch of the Attitude Era, leaving The Papa Shango stigma to rest.
