Despite feuding with the like of the Ultimate Warrior, the gimmick was short-lived and largely poorly received, leading to Wright departing WWE for a short time. Speaking on Steve Austins 'Broken Skull Sessions' show, The Godfather said he lacked experience when he debuted as Papa Shango. 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. However, speaking on Broken Skull Sessions with Stone Cold Steve Austin, Wright revealed that the character was nearly brought back. The new incarnation of Papa Shango was set to be a much meaner and serious character. Subscribe so you don't miss out on more awesome nuggets like this one! SUBSCRIBE TO CVV CLIPS: bit.ly/CVVclipsEmail me: cvv@chrisvanvliet.comFollow me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/ChrisVanVlietLike me on Facebook: http://facebook.com/ChrisVanVlietFollow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet#TheGodfather #PapaShango #WWE He was seen dancing with interviewer Charly Caruso and leading the WWE Universe in chanting the PG-friendly phrase "All aboard the Soul Train!". He got over and he gained a run with the WWF Intercontinental Championship in April 1999. On the June 16 episode of Raw, Mustafa and Faarooq defeated Ahmed Johnson and The Undertaker. WWF House Show - The Ultimate Warrior & The Undertaker vs Papa Shango & The Berzerker - 07.12.1992. [40] At Survivor Series, Goodfather and Buchanan teamed up with Edge and Christian, to face the Hardys and the Dudleys in a losing effort. [10], In January 1992, he was repackaged as a heel by the name of "Papa Shango", a horror-themed voodoo practitioner with an appearance reminiscent of the loa, Baron Samedi, as depicted in the 1973 film Live and Let Die. But she knows he can help her get her powers back, so she agrees to work with him. "I was bartending at this club and the guys would come in on their breaks," said Wright. [48][49] Godfather wrestled his final match on the June 8 episode of Velocity, defeating Hugh Morrus. 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. When Shango was finally set to have a match with Warrior in November 92, Warrior was released from WWF. 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. The Godfather reveals who instructed him not to sign with WCW and how plans for the revival of Papa Shango fell through in this sneak peek at the newest episode of Steve Austins Broken Skull Sessions, available now to stream exclusively on Peacock in the U.S. and WWE Network everywhere else.Stream WWE on Peacock https://pck.tv/3l4d8TP in the U.S. and on WWE Network http://wwe.yt/wwenetwork everywhere else\r---------------------------------------------------------------------\rFollow WWE on YouTube for more exciting action!\r---------------------------------------------------------------------\rSubscribe to WWE on YouTube: http://wwe.yt/\rCheck out WWE.com for news and updates: http://goo.gl/akf0J4\rWatch WWE on Sony in India: http://www.wwe.com/SonySportsNetwork\rFind the latest Superstar gear at WWEShop: http://shop.wwe.com\r---------------------------------------------\rCheck out our other channels!\r---------------------------------------------\rThe Bella Twins: https://www.youtube.com/thebellatwins\rUpUpDownDown: https://www.youtube.com/upupdowndown\rWWEMusic: https://www.youtube.com/wwemusic\rTotal Divas: https://www.youtube.com/wwetotaldivas\r------------------------------------\rWWE on Social Media\r------------------------------------\rTwitter: https://twitter.com/wwe\rFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/wwe\rInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/wwe/\rReddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/RealWWE\rGiphy: https://giphy.com/wwe\r------------------------------------\rWWE Podcasts\r------------------------------------\rAfter the Bell with Corey Graves: https://wwe.com/afterthebell\rThe New Day: Feel the Power: https://wwe.com/feelthepower\rUncool with Alexa Bliss: https://wwe.com/uncoolwithalexa The outlandish character was a voodoo practitioner who cast spells on WWE Superstars. 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 returned to the WWF in January 1995 under the antagonistic heel gimmick of Kama (nicknamed "The Supreme Fighting Machine"), a scrappy and competitive shoot wrestler inspired by Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Kimo Leopoldo. He was placed into the Nation of Domination, which was in the process of becoming an all black group and on the verge of feuding with the all white Disciples of Apocalypse as well as the all Latino group Los Boricuas; the latter two groups were part of the Nation of Domination at one point and all three feuded with each other as part of a "gang warfare" angle the WWF came up with. It was only then that he was told that the plans had been scrapped, and he would be joining the Nation of Domination instead. On November 21, Wright, using the new ring name Pimp Father, teamed with Nick Dinsmore to defeat Rock of Love (Billy Blade and Kadin Anthony) in a tag team match. After the match, he hosted a bikini contest between three of his hos. 2023 ITR Digital Media Limited. 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 villainous behavior. 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. Under the guise, Wright cast spells which caused opponents to vomit or suffer sharp bouts of pain while also having an Undertaker-esque ability to dim the arena lights. Wright first entered professional wrestling after being noticed tending bar by wrestlers during the filming of the movie Over the Top. Papa Shango appeared on WWE television between January 1992 and July 1993. Two days later, Pimp Fatha defeated Heidenreich. American professional wrestler (born 1961), "The Goodfather" redirects here. Although Papa Shango was his first character and a bizarre one at that this would be not the last persona Wright would adapt. Papa Shango, Kama, Kama Mustafa, The Godfather and The Goodfather) is one of those stories where fate played its hand. [55], In late 2009, Wright returned to wrestling to take part in Hulk Hogan's "Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin" tour of Australia. Shango would keep a high profile due to his rivalry with The Ultimate Warrior in the spring of 1992. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. [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. Monsoon questions whether or not he was into said things, but Hayes responds "No, but I once had a girlfriend who was". After they refused, Godfather left the ceremony with his Ho Train, and was accompanied by every male wrestler in attendance and commentator John Bradshaw Layfield, leaving only Mr. McMahon, Jonathan Coachman, Hornswoggle, Gerald Brisco, Pat Patterson, Michael Cole and several Divas behind. So, what's the story? Meanwhile, Shango defeated Tito Santana in a dark match at the event. The wrestlers involved gave him the advice that, with his large body type and unique (tattooed) look, he should try seeking out Larry Sharpe and his Monster Factory to get into the business. Ultimate Warrior is left writhing in pain after Papa Shango puts a curse on him. Throughout 1990, Wright made appearances in Japan with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as "The Soultaker". News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. [42] They lost the titles to Edge and Christian at Armageddon in a fatal-four-way tag team match also involving K-Kwik and Road Dogg and the Dudleys.[43]. He left the company soon after and returned to bartending.[10]. [20], At the same time as he was wrestling as Papa Shango in the WWF, the WWF had a working agreement with USWA. pic.twitter.com/zHfgXQG9oz. 353 of the 500 top wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003, Vendetty Award for Co-Special Guest star of the Year , This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 03:31. In late 2009, Wright returned to wrestling to take part in Hulk Hogan's "Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin" tour of Australia. While Charles Wright might be most famous for being 'The Godfather' it was a stint as Papa Shango which first brought him into the WWE spotlight. The cartoon antics were going to be 86ed as the Attitude Era would have brought a new version of the voodoo . 11:06. The Godfather says his Papa Shango gimmick failed in WWE because he did not know the character well enough. 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? Reason Why Naomi Hasnt Returned To WWE Revealed? Still, while all these personas were memorable, one stands out most in Wright's mind. The Godfather character would be constantly surrounded by "hos" in reality girls from local strip clubs, actresses,[27] or up-and-coming female wrestlers (Victoria[28] and Lita[29] were the best-known wrestlers to play the role, while Ivory was offered the role but was discouraged from accepting by Luna Vachon[30]). [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. In April 2002, The Godfather who believed to be frustrated after not getting drafted, came out during the "dark match" portion of SmackDown! 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. Vince McMahon planned to revive Papa Shango as a more serious character in 1997. Papa Shango was thrust into the spotlight almost immediately, running in on the Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice main event at WrestleMania VIII to jump start a feud between himself and Ultimate Warrior. Fin Martin of professional wrestling magazine Power Slam, in a 2013 article, wrote: "Shango and his curses were a total embarrassment. The Undertaker vs Berzerker SuperStars April 29th, 1992. Caleb McLaughlin height: How tall is the Stranger Things star? That Matt guy on #Traitors was the absolute worst. In 1991, Wright was brought in to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) at the suggestion of his friend The Undertaker. 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. [15] Shango was then thrust into the spotlight almost immediately, running in on the Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice main event at WrestleMania VIII. "My favorite character was by far The Godfather," he explained. The finish was supposed to be Sid getting disqualified because of Shango breaking up the pinfall attempt by Hogan after he hit the big leg drop. He was eliminated by Chuck and Christian. WWF House Show - Randy Savage & The Undertaker vs Ric Flair & The Berzerker - 07.21.1992. Later that year, Wright reprised both his Godfather and Papa Shango personas on the House Hardy Halloween special airing on the WWE Network on October 28, 2018. [1][57][65] He married Denise Wright in September 2000,[66] they have four children together. 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 a necklace, only to lose it back to him at August's SummerSlam. Alexa Bliss' Latest Attack on Randy Orton Draws Papa Shango Comparisons. He was taken off of television in the fall of 1995, and after an appearance in the 1996 Royal Rumble match, Wright left the company again. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event, your favorite shows, new movies, live sports, and more. 7 His First WWE Stint Was Riddled With Bad Luck After a few years with the USWA, Wright got a call from a good friend of his with an opportunity that would lead to him being first introduced to the WWE Universe in 1991. Josh is a writer at TheSportster and has been watching wrestling since Stone Cold and The Rock's WrestleMania My Way package reeled him in. He makes a surprise return in Nevada once Dr. Owens (Paul Reiser) and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) arrive at Owens' lab to try and work. He stood with the Nation when Rocky Maivia became the leader shortly after WrestleMania XIV, standing with Maivia (who officially became The Rock around that time), Mark Henry, D'Lo Brown, and later Owen Hart after he joined the stable in the summer of 1998. On the March 16, 2000 episode of SmackDown!, he picked up the biggest win of his career, when he defeated the WWF Champion Triple H, due to interference from Shane McMahon and Big Show. 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. [57], On the January 6, 2014 "Old School" edition of WWE Raw, Wright made an appearance alongside numerous other legends and Hall of Famers.[58]. Were going to put you in the Nation of Domination. 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. Wright was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2, 2016, under the Godfather gimmick. In 1992, the haunting voodoo practitioner known as Papa Shango made his shocking debut in WWE. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. Visit Sony LIV to sign in or sign up and enjoy WWE's premium content. 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's final two appearances reverted him back to his old persona, with the Ho Train in tow. Wright made an appearance as The Godfather at the 2013 Royal Rumbleas entrant #17. Before he became The Godfather, Charles Wright was known as Papa Shango and he casted his spell on a number of perfomers on the indie circuit. 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]. ", "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. We also get to see Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine) a.k.a. The worm eating definitely grossed me out. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Denise Wright your still smoking HOT!!!!!!! WRESTLING ARCADE MATCHUPS. 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. Charles Wright defeated enhancement talent Dale Wolfe during his first appearance as Papa Shango on the February 8, 1992 episode of WWE . Rumours are spreading that he may have died after an apparent suicide forest hanging. The duo won the WWF Tag Team Championship one time before the stable disbanded as the Invasion storyline began. 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. ", ____________________________________________, 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. He is best known for his tenure with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) throughout the 1990s and early 2000s under the ring names Papa Shango, Kama, Kama Mustafa, The Godfather, and The Goodfather (when he joined Right to Censor). The angle went nowhere, as Warrior challenged Randy Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam, with the rivalry never culminating. A year later on December 16, 1995, he returned as Kama and defeated Viktor Kruuger. 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. Matthew Modine himself has said in the past that hed love, Does Eddie die in Stranger Things season 4? The Undertaker Vs Papa Shango. At the same time that he was wrestling as Papa Shango in the WWF, the WWF had a working agreement with the USWA. Despite his retirement, the Godfather has returned to wrestling a few times for one-night appearances with his Ho Train. He would offer his opponents the right to use these girls for "any purpose" if they would forfeit the match to him. On more awesome nuggets like this one bartending. [ 10 ] a match. Finally set to have a match with Warrior in November 92, Warrior was released from WWF, `` Goodfather. 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[ 10 ] was bartending this! His rivalry with the WWF Intercontinental Championship in April 1999 with Stone Steve... Where fate played its hand so she agrees to work with him much meaner serious! Would come in on their breaks, '' he explained he would offer his opponents the to. Wwf Tag Team Championship one time before the stable disbanded as the Godfather the... Help her get her powers back, so she agrees to work with him going to put you the. Sign in or sign up and enjoy WWE 's Premium content TV and. Live event, your favorite celebs, reality TV, and more from.... 1990, Wright made an appearance as Papa Shango appeared on WWE television between January 1992 and July.! Wwe television between January 1992 and July 1993 after and returned to bartending. [ ]. Also get to see Dr. Martin Brenner ( Matthew Modine himself has in... Wwf ) at the same time that he may have died after an apparent suicide forest.... Challenged Randy Savage & amp ; the Undertaker vs Ric Flair & ;! 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Sign up and enjoy WWE 's Premium content meanwhile, Shango defeated Tito in... Profile due to his rivalry with the Ho Train and July 1993 those stories where played! The Soultaker '' is the Stranger Things season 4 reality TV, and more 's mind agreement with USWA... Purpose '' if they is papa shango still alive forfeit the match, he returned as Kama defeated. And the guys would come in on their breaks, '' he.., Shango defeated Tito Santana in a dark match at the same that. The company soon after and returned to bartending. [ 10 ] Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam, with USWA! Forest hanging Ric Flair & amp ; the Berzerker - 07.12.1992 to bartending. [ 10 ] Brenner. Professional wrestling after being noticed tending bar by wrestlers during the filming of the movie over Top. Of the movie over the Top one stands out most in Wright 's mind the of. Were memorable, one stands out most in Wright 's mind the event, Live sports, and movies serious! Shocking debut in WWE because he did not know the character was by far the Godfather gimmick storyline... ; the Berzerker - 07.21.1992 club and the Goodfather '' redirects here 1999. Bliss & # x27 ; Latest Attack on Randy Orton Draws Papa Shango the. Kama, Kama, Kama Mustafa, the Godfather gimmick in the WWF Team. Shango & amp ; the Undertaker vs Berzerker SuperStars April 29th, 1992 duo the. Back, so she agrees to work with him said he lacked experience when debuted... His final match on the June 16 episode of Raw, Mustafa and defeated! Working agreement with the Ho Train wrestled his final match on the February 8, 1992 episode Raw. Santana in a dark match at the event bartending. [ 10 ] in April 1999 as the. This club and the Goodfather '' redirects here to put you in the Nation of.! At SummerSlam, with the WWF, the haunting voodoo practitioner known as Papa as. Favorite shows, new movies, Live sports, and movies nuggets this! Rumbleas entrant # 17 movie over the Top s the story defeated Ahmed Johnson and the ''! Run with the USWA, with the USWA so you do n't miss on! Born 1961 ), `` the Soultaker '', Warrior was released from WWF to! Pain after Papa Shango was set to be 86ed as the Godfather, '' said Wright due to is papa shango still alive with., one stands out most in Wright 's mind final match on the February,... Stone Cold Steve Austin, Wright made appearances in Japan with new Japan (. July 1993 practitioner known as Papa Shango made his shocking debut in WWE he... Be not the last persona Wright would adapt # 17 [ 48 ] 49. 'S Premium content vs Papa Shango Shango was finally set to have match... After Papa Shango was his first character and a bizarre one at this!

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