It was heavily teased in season 2 that he was actually still alive, and Matthew Modine himself has said in the past that hed love to come back to the show. [10] Eventually Wright parlayed his training into a job with Jerry Lawler in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) with the gimmick the wrestlers from the bar had given him and took the name "The Soultaker", taken from one of the tattoos on his arm. Papa Shango: One Of WWE's Most Outlandish Gimmicks Ever By Hamza Ali Published Aug 7, 2022 WWE's Papa Shango is one of the most remembered outlandish gimmicks during the early 1990s. Reflecting on these characters, Wright said that he hated being The Goodfather, describing it as the only time I didnt like what I was doing.. [11] Winning the title actually upset him, as he felt it was only done to sell to the predominantly black crowd, and after complaining to management he dropped the belt to Owen Hart. On November 21, Wright, using the new ring name "The Pimp Fatha", teamed with Nick Dinsmore to defeat Rock of Love (Billy Blade and Kadin Anthony) in a tag team match. Papa Shango Is Still Using His Voodoo On Opponents [Video], WHAT THESE WRESTLERS LOOK LIKE WITHOUT PAINT AND MASKS. "That was the character closest to really being me. The Godfather's final two appearances reverted him back to his old persona, with the Ho Train in tow. Can You Name Every Wrestler That Competed On The First SmackDown? [25] Mustafa became increasingly known as "The Godfather" of the Nation, a moniker which was the brainchild of Wright's wife[26] and would become his official ring name in mid-1998. The cartoon antics were going to be 86ed as the Attitude Era would have brought a new version of the voodoo . This was going to be less comical, a lot more serious Jerry Lawler painted that face, Godfather said while looking at photos of the newer Papa Shango presentation. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. In January 2013, Wright made a short appearance with WWE as The Godfather at the 2013 Royal Rumble as entrant #17. The Godfather joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1992 as the character Papa Shango and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.Watch the full interview with The Godfather on my main @ChrisVanVliet channel here:https://youtu.be/UCxwDCCXanQWelcome to my brand new YouTube Channel, CVV CLIPS! Old School WWF Legend The Godfather (Real name: Charles Wright), who also wrestled on WWF TV as Papa Shango & "The Supreme Fighting Machine" Kama before, recently appeared on the Scheduled for 2 falls podcast, in which he discussed his 1992-1993 Papa Shango character in detail, including the topic of being late for his scheduled run-in at . Dr. Owens seems to be more caring of Elevens wellbeing, but Dr. Brenner does really want to get her powers back. Wright's Papa Shango character was pilloried by fans, being voted the Worst Gimmick and the Most Embarrassing Wrestler in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards for 1992. HASBRO MATCH-UP: The Undertaker & The Ultimate Warrior vs.The Berzerker & PaPa Shango. Wright then learned that WCW signed Virgil to be the nWo's enforcer by watching WCW Monday Nitro at home with his wife, and that they had signed him for less than what they offered Wright.[23]. WWF House Show - The Ultimate Warrior & The Undertaker vs Papa Shango & The Berzerker - 07.12.1992. On a July 27 episode of Raw is War, Wright debuted his "Hos", during a tag-match, with Nation member Mark Henry against the Legion of Doom. All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. 7:09. Can You Name All The WWE Survivor Series Sole Survivors? Eventually Wright parlayed his training into a job with Jerry Lawler in the United States Wrestling Association (USWA) with the gimmick the wrestlers from the bar had given him and took the name The Soultaker, taken from one of the tattoos on his arm. Luv how the ref magically comes alive as the warrior goes for a pin. Those of you who have been watching professional wrestling for a long time will know all too well how insane and wacky that the business can be. The Godfather says his Papa Shango gimmick failed in WWE because he did not know the character well enough. Papa in the opening scene of season 4, which isnt shocking because this is a flashback. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Shango bombed, and deservedly so. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies, Not every Superstar sets their sights on being WWE's version of a gladiator from the get-go, and Charles Wright (a.k.a. I show up to TV, took these pictures, and they say, Vince wants to talk with you., I was like, Cool! Watch WrestleMania and other WWE Premium Live Events on Flow. The Godfather's portrayal of Papa Shango had its biggest push coming with a reported feud with Hogan. [21] He became an immediate part of the stable's feud with The Undertaker, stealing the Undertaker's signature urn at April's WrestleMania XI then having it melted down and formed into bling,[22] but remained in possession of the bling urn remnants until November 1995 when King Mabel seized it amid a feud with The Undertaker. He would appear in another pay-per-view dark match against Tito Santana at WrestleMania IX, with Santana getting the victory. ", "Chillin' in The Godfather's office Going one-on-one with Charles Wright", "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 1999", "Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Godfather_(wrestler)&oldid=1140859630, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, African-American male professional wrestlers, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2020, Pages using Sister project links with default search, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Ranked No. 12:25. Finn Wolfhard height: How tall is the Stranger Things star. The outlandish character was a voodoo practitioner who cast spells on WWE Superstars. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! The Godfather, under his old gimmick and with his hos, returned at the 2002 Royal Rumble competing in the Rumble match. "Rob Van Dam" was seen on a New York City subway recently and made the commute much more exciting than it would've been without him there. Aug 2, 2020 . Rumours are spreading that he may have died after an apparent suicide forest hanging. As Wright was working the Godfather gimmick the WWF began airing SmackDown! Fans exhaled loudly each time he appeared on screen. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Shahid. (ITA) Buried Alive Match tra The Undertaker e Mankind - WWF In Your House 11: Buried Alive 1997 . Shango received a WWF World Heavyweight Championship shot against Bret Hart on Saturday Night's Main Event XXXI, but was unsuccessful. [56] Two days later, Pimp Fatha defeated Heidenreich. Wright made a rare in ring segment along with his long time friend Val Venis and Dexter Verity in Elite Xtreme Wrestling, where he promised to bring his hoes if Venis and Versity have had successfully defended their tag team titles. Sid had previously failed a drug test and was let go by the WWF. Also at the event, Ivory lost the WWF Women's Championship to Chyna. The god that Papa Shango's character was created in the image of is named Baron Samedi. Visit Sony LIV to sign in or sign up and enjoy WWE's premium content. Dear reader, could you take a quick 30-second survey to help us provide you with better content on SK Wrestling. I show up to TV, ready to go. Charles Wright (May 16, 1961) is an American businessman and retired professional wrestler. Most of you reading this will likely remember Wright best for his time as The Godfather, a wrestling pimp who would come to the ring for his matches accompanied by a string of women known as his Ho Train. three-hour show - Who did McMahon declare the greatest star?, Austin beer bash, Jannetty in TV main event, Bischoff, Evolution", "Vader & former WWE Developmental son taking bookings, Godfather full-time again, more", "WWE RAW Results - 1/6/14 (Old School RAW, WWE Legends)", "The Godfather to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame's Class of 2016", "Raw preview, July 22, 2019: Several WWE Hall of Famers and Legends to appear on the biggest reunion in Raw history", "The Rock, The McMahons, HBK, Ric Flair & More Pay Tribute to The Undertaker", "Rental Car Woes.. Football.. Bar-B-Q (of course) and Your Comments. At the same time that he was wrestling as Papa Shango in the WWF, the WWF had a working agreement with the USWA. The new incarnation of Papa Shango was set to be a much meaner and serious character. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. Wrestling . [16] Shango actually missed his cue to run in, hitting the ring late. Speaking of Papa Shango, how great was it that his being late on the run in at Wrestlemania VIII forced Sid to kick out of Hogans leg drop? He explained that the person in charge forgot to tell him to go, which meant the finish to the match had to be changed. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. As part of the agreement Papa Shango was sent to wrestle in the USWA, where he won the Unified World Heavyweight Championship for a second time. FTR have been voted as the best tag team in the world in the 43rd edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards. For the 1985 drama film, see, World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (19951996, 19972002), Return of The Godfather; departure (2002), USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship, "Godfather " Wrestlers Database " CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database", "Exclusive: The Godfather Struts All the Way into the WWE Hall of Fame", "THE GODFATHER WWE HALL OF FAMER - CHARLES WRIGHT", "The Godfather Says Vince McMahon Told Him He Couldn't Have His Motorcycle Club Tattoo On TV", "Wrestling's Strangest Hometowns: Parts Unknown", "The Monster Factory has its fingerprints all over the wrestling industry", "The Godfather revela que el personaje de Papa Shango se inspir en una pelcula de James Bond", "Saturday Night Main Event Nov. 8, 1992", "The 15 Most Underrated Stables of All Time", "The SmarK 24/7 Rant for Monday Night RAW June 16 1997", "The Godfather on Papa Shango, Right to Censor, Nation of Domination, RVD, Hall of Fame", "WWF/WWE Intercontinental Heavyweight Title", "WWE Raw Roulette 2002: TLC Match Once Again Saves the Night", "Jeremy & Bubba Blanchard Vs. D'Lo Brown & The Godfather", "WWE RAW FLASHBACK (12-10-07): Raw's 15-year Anniv. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. But she knows he can help her get her powers back, so she agrees to work with him. The character was hardly used and wasn't able to be developed, and even when talking about it later Wright only remembers wearing robes he purchased from another wrestler to the ring. Is she now the villain? Acted nice to Alex thinking he'd get to have sex with her, then finds out she has a boyfriend and creates loads of reasons for why he feels 'betrayed' when really he's just upset because he doesn't have a shot with her anymore. [45] Goodfather would continue to team with Buchanan, until the June 17 episode of Sunday Night Heat, where they lost to the Dudley Boyz. According to him, it was done because times had changed and the character was phased out. He appeared on January 22, 2018, at Raw's 25th anniversary show, in a backstage segment with his former teammate Mark Henry, and his real-life wife. on UPN, drawing the attention of the Parents Television Council (PTC), which claimed the WWF and their programming was inappropriate for prime time television. "My favorite character was by far The Godfather," he explained. Meanwhile, Shango defeated Tito Santana in a dark match at the event. At that moment, what would turn out to be quite a colorful in-ring career began to blossom. Papa Shango was more or less an over-the-top shaman character who was meant to get involved with Hulk Hogan for his debut. The feud was then re-written with Shango instead of Sid, where he would cast voodoo spells on his opponent. Someone who knows a thing or too about a crazy gimmick is WWE Hall Of Famer, Charles Wright. Sign up for BINGE to watch. He began wearing a shirt and tie to the ring (as was part of Right to Censor's gimmick), became known as The Goodfather, and began teaming with Buchanan. Boogeyman debuted (obviously) much later, so I have a different appreciation for him. 19:02. Is she evil? [62], Wright attended the University of Nevada, Reno where he was an offensive tackle on the football team. [62] During his last WWE appearances, Wright appeared sans girls. After the match, he hosted a bikini contest between three of his hos. "They were doing tryouts and I was told to get down there and I did.". The gimmick was so bad in fact that it has reached a point where it is looked back upon fondly by fans and at the age of 56 Wright still utilizes the gimmick on the independent circuit. That's right, Papa is alive and well in the new episodes. Once the bell rang, Shango was even more fearsome, using his 330-pound frame to completely destroy everything in his path. Papa Shango just put a curse on Ultimate Warrior!!!! This is by far the darkest, scariest, most ambitious season of the Netflix Original so far, and the action does not slow down once it starts. Shango would keep a high profile due to his rivalry with The Ultimate Warrior in the spring of 1992. He was eliminated immediately by Dolph Ziggler. [48][49] Godfather wrestled his final match on the June 8 episode of Velocity, defeating Hugh Morrus. He interrupted the "wedding" of Billy and Chuck in September 12, 2002, which helped lead the tag team into admitting that the entire gay marriage was a shame and just an attempt to get media attention. Here's the link for it. Despite numerous segments being shown on TV every week (Warrior vomiting, inexplicably bleeding,), the angle went nowhere, as Warrior challenged Macho Man Randy Savage for the WWF Championship, apparently forgetting about Shango. Big Papa, I still think the gimmick got too much hate. On February 22, 2016, it was announced that Wright would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2016, under his Godfather persona.[59]. During his time in the USWA, he would also tour in New Japan Pro Wrestling in 1990. These first seven episodes of Stranger Things season 4 are bonkers and we cant wait to watch more! (Spoilers). Winning the title actually upset him, as he felt it was only done to sell to the predominately black crowd, and after complaining to management he dropped the belt to Owen Hart. ", ____________________________________________, Raw results, Feb. 27, 2023:Becky Lynch and Lita capture WWE Womens Tag Team Titles from Damage CTRL with help from Trish Stratus, SmackDown results, Feb. 24, 2023: Jey Uso looks on as Sami Zayn takes out Jimmy Uso, WWE NXT results, Feb. 28, 2023: Carmelo Hayes beats Tyler Bate in showstopping main event, Roman Reigns conquers The Beast to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion on WrestleMania Sunday, Photos: See the latest WWE action figures from Mattel, Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair rivalry history. On the June 16 episode of Raw, Mustafa and Faarooq defeated Ahmed Johnson and The Undertaker. Still, while all these personas were memorable, one stands out most in Wright's mind. The gimmick was highly popular with audiences, and he defeated Goldust for the WWF Intercontinental Championship on the April 12, 1999 episode of Raw Is War. In 1998, The Godfather (known to wrestlers as a genuine tough guy) competed in the WWF Brawl for All; which was a strictly voluntary boxing/shoot fighting competition, eventually won by Bart Gunn. Even with his admitted limited skill set, he was given the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship on October 23, 1989, and held it for about two weeks.[11]. [47] During the next six months, Wright competed in several television matches, usually on Raw, Heat and SmackDown! [12] Wright competed there and briefly at house shows as "Sir Charles", a play on both his real name and the nickname of National Basketball Association player Charles Barkley. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. Replying to . He was taken off of TV in the fall of 1995, and after an appearance in the 1996 Royal Rumble match, Wright left the company again. Shango made an appearance at AIW and was tasked with taking out five men at once. 28K views 11 months ago WWE Hall of Famer, The Godfather joins Chris Van Vliet to discuss playing the Papa Shango character and does an impression that may frighten you to your core. How was The Miz's second WWE Championship reign received backstage? [53], In 2007, Wright appeared for WWE at the Theodore Long and Kristal Marshall wedding ceremony on the edition of September 21, 2007 of SmackDown!, where he tried to convince Long and Ron Simmons to go back to the old partying days they had. PS. We finally learn from the opening scene of Stranger Things season 4 volume 1 what happened in the Rainbow Room at Hawkins Lab. WWF House Show - Randy Savage & The Undertaker vs Ric Flair & The Berzerker - 07.21.1992. Wrestler Charles Wright (also known for playing the roles of The Godfather and Kama in WWE) opens up about why he hated playing the role of Papa Shango. Stalking down the aisle with a smoking skull in his hands, the bizarre Superstar's horrifying appearance complete with morbid skeletal face paint and a necklace made from bones struck fear in his opponents before he even stepped into the ring. The Godfather says his Papa Shango gimmick failed in WWE because he did not know the character well enough. Papa Shango got beat by his own bad juju. A year later on December 16, 1995, he returned as Kama and defeated Viktor Kruuger. via youtube.com Just because Papa Shango is 56 years old and not in WWE any more doesn't mean that he isn't still using his voodoo elsewhere in wrestling. He left the company soon after and returned to bar tending. The streamer released the opening scene of the premiere last week so fans could freak out over the first eight minutes, and let me tell you, they are intense. Despite his retirement, the Godfather has returned to wrestling a few times for one-night appearances with his Ho Train. The Undertaker vs Berzerker SuperStars April 29th, 1992. Ex-WWE Star Defends The Mizs 6 Month Locker Room Ban, Says It Was Up To The Undertaker, The Undertaker Gave Brutal Advice To Ex-WWE Star Take Two Weeks Off And Quit, Top AEW Star Claims They Could Miss Dynamite, Hints At Issues Backstage, The Bloodline Gains A New Member As WWE Star Gets Married [Photos]. Matthew Modine himself has said in the past that hed love, Does Eddie die in Stranger Things season 4? [61], According to Wright, the Papa Shango character uses paint because Vince McMahon said his face did not match his body. [13] Full of cryptic rituals and an occult, culturally exotic presence, the supernatural character carried a skull to the ring billowing smoke and could control arena lights (supernatural arena lighting control heavily associated with The Undertaker gimmick, according to Wright had its origins with the Papa Shango gimmick), allowing for strange goings-on in the ring, and later could "cast spells" to cause opponents pain and to make them vomit from afar.[14]. . In November 1990, Wright wrestled for the Catch Wrestling Association in Germany as "Rocky Las Vegas". Nowadays you can find him standing between WWE and AEW fans wondering why everyone just can't get along. Even with his admitted limited skill set, he was given the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship on October 23, 1989 and held it for about two weeks. Wright was asked to return in 1997, with the original plans being for him to revive the Papa Shango character, but that plan was never completed with the inception of Kane, another supernatural character. The shockingincident would become Papa Shango's most memorable moment in WWE and earned the magic man his place amongst the scariest Superstars of all time. At first, Eleven does not trust Brenner, understandably, and she tries to escape. As you can imagine the gimmick has gone down in history as one of the worst in wrestling history, especially since Shango would use his voodoo in the ring to debilitate his opponents. [52], On July 13, 2007, Wright returned to the ring for the first time in five years after his retirement, where he reunited with D'Lo Brown to defeat Jeremy and Bubba Blanchard in McMinnville, Oregon. The Godfather next appeared at the Theodore Long and Kristal Marshall wedding ceremony on the September 21, 2007 edition of SmackDown!, where he tried to convince Long and Ron Simmons to go back to the old partying days they had. In spring of 2014 Wright made two appearances for Preston City Wrestling in England, as Papa Shango working against local star Bubblegum on both nights. Wright appeared at the WWE Raw Reunion show on July 22, 2019. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. [54] Wright reappeared on WWE television during the McMahon family portrait during Raw's 15th Anniversary on December 10, 2007, where he let Hornswoggle join his Ho Train. Papa Shango Kama Kama Mustafa The Godfather The Goodfather Height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Weight 320 lbs (150 kg) Born May 16, 1961 (age 61) Birth Place Las Vegas, Nevada Resides Las Vegas, Nevada Billed from Red-light district Trainer Larry Sharpe Debut September 16, 1989 Retired December 2002 The Godfather faced Bull Buchanan, Richards' first group member, in which he agreed to give up pimping if he lost. Answers is the place to go to get the answers you need and to ask the questions you want He appeared at Vengeance, interrupting Viscera's marriage proposal to Lilian Garcia in order to show Viscera what he would be missing out on if he asked Lillian to marry him. [32], On the July 24 episode of Raw, Godfather faced Bull Buchanan, member of Steven Richards' ultra-conservative stable Right To Censor, in which he agreed to give up pimping if he lost. After leaving the wrestling business he moved to Las Vegas, where he currently manages the strip club Cheetah's. Stranger Things season 4 spoilers: What is Agent Orange? The Godfather would instead lose the title to Hart's tag team partner Jeff Jarrett a week later. Wright made a rare in-ring segment along with his longtime friend Val Venis and Dexter Verity in Future Stars of Wrestling, where he promised to bring his hoes if Venis and Verity would have succeeded defending their tag team titles. Thats right, Papa is alive and well in the new episodes. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. He left the company soon after and returned to bartending.[10]. Watch every Premium Live Event and enjoy some of your favorite WWE content on Disney + HotStar. Were going to put you in the Nation of Domination. During the autumn of 1994, there were rumors that the Papa Shango character would be brought back to participate in a storyline involving Bob Backlund, wherein Shango's voodoo spells would explain the traditionally good-natured Backlund's erratic and heel behavior. [60], On November 22, 2020, he made an appearance at Survivor Series during The Undertaker's retirement ceremony. Takermania Podcast. He would offer his opponents the right to use these girls for "any purpose" if they would forfeit the match to him. Ric Flair Something Space Mountain the face of an erectile dysfunction cannabis line. The Godfather was scheduled to lose the title to Hart's character, "The Blue Blazer," that night. It was only then that he was told that the plans had been scrapped, and he would be joining the Nation of Domination instead. . [40] At Survivor Series, Goodfather and Buchanan teamed up with Edge and Christian, to face the Hardys and the Dudleys in a losing effort. [citation needed] In September 2013, Wright resumed wrestling on the independent circuit. He stood with the Nation when Rocky Maivia became the leader shortly after Wrestlemania XIV, standing with Maivia, Mark Henry, D'Lo Brown, and later Owen Hart after he joined the stable in early May 1998. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. It seems like Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) killed everyone there before the events of Stranger Things season 1.