10: Vader’s Awkward Wardrobe Mishap

When Vader arrived in WWE at the 1996 Royal Rumble, he was presented as somewhat of a big deal. However, upon re-watching Vader’s WWE debut, it’s apparent that somehow, Vader was wearing his singlet backwards. Upon noticing this for the first time, it’s virtually impossible to ignore, and it’s baffling how the legendary star made this blunder.

The weird thing about Vader’s attire mishap is that this was sort of an omen for how his WWE run would turn out. Vader’s WWE run was a total failure, and despite Vader being initially set to win the WWE Title in the summer of 1996, all he would receive was backstage heat, and a place further down the card.

9: Paul Bearer Has A Theme Song

Paul Bearer is mostly known for his acclaimed work alongside The Undertaker, and Bearer rarely took part in segments by himself, so in theory, a theme song was never needed for him. Surprisingly, it turned out that Bearer genuinely did have his own unique theme song, and it debuted on WWE TV in 1997.

On the March 31, 1997 edition of RAW, Bearer would come to the ring with his own theme song, and the song sounded somewhat familiar, and it turned out that it was one of Papa Shango’s old theme songs.

A fascinating fact about the theme song is that it was also used for The Executioner character. This character was briefly managed by Bearer, so this was a nice touch of logic and continuity from WWE production.

8: Triple H’s Special Boots

WrestleMania 20 was main evented by Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit for the World Title, and one of the more interesting things about the attires for the match was that Triple H was wearing white boots.

This was a drastic change for The Game, and they looked incredible. The change was even picked up on by Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler on commentary, which in-turn gave extra weight to the significance of the change.

What many fans forget is that this wasn’t the only time that The Game brought out the white boots. For numerous major matches in 2004, Triple H would sport the white boots. Take for instance the Backlash 2004 rematch between himself, HBK and Benoit, and his subsequent Hell in a Cell showdown with Michaels at the Bad Blood PPV. The Game opting to keep the boots for special occasions was a welcomed touch, as it kept the look unique, and whenever The Game wore the boots in 2004, it signalled that the match was a big deal.

7: Aleister Black’s Gear Had Hidden Meaning

During his WWE tenure, Aleister Black went above and beyond when it came to his character work, and this was especially the case when it came to his attire. Whenever Black entered into a feud with someone on the WWE roster, he would customise his gear to match the specific wrestler that he was feuding with.

In a now deleted social media post, Black previously went into detail into the rationale behind this:

“This AB outfit is my ‘basic’ outfit. Whenever I wear the gold and black Kali on my trunks it means that I am either starting a feud, storyline or are having a ‘one off’. The jacket is famine. Hannah made this jacket as part of the Circles Of Hell we are doing. The ribs mean I am starving, I need competition/struggle/strife/war in order to transform. This can come in the form of matches, violent verbal engagements or attacks. The more violent the built the more I change. However, if there is something significant at play I use that to transform too.”

Black specifically drew attention to his NXT feud with Johnny Gargano:

“For example myself Vs. Gargano. Johnny jumped me and I was out for three months. When I came back my jackets switched, my trunks changed. Because I didnt know who did it at first. So I didn’t have an identity. Then when it was revealed to be John and by the time I came out I looked like I just skinned a demon and wore his skin.”

This didn’t stop when Black was called up to the main roster, as the attention to detail continued, as Black would incorporate new elements such as using Cesaro’s colours for the lighting during his backstage promos.

6: Mankind Had An Exit Theme

Upon arriving in WWE in 1996, Mankind was given one of the most iconic theme songs possible. His first theme was dark, mysterious, and perfectly captured the essence of what Mankind’s character was all about.  

When Mankind won his matches, a different theme would play, and this theme would be much more positive in tone, and it was as if Mankind was now in a much better place mentally.

To this day, Mankind is the only person in WWE history to have two different theme songs for his entrance and exit, and it’s a formula that WWE could look to re-visit.

5: Sabu’s Trademark Point To The Sky

The reason as to why Sabu points towards the sky during his entrance has always been put down to Sabu paying tribute to his uncle, The Sheik. In reality, the trademark point is simply a generic wrestling taunt, and has no symbolism. Sabu’s uncle passed away years after Sabu began to perform the taunt. Despite this, it could certainly be argued that following 2003 when The Sheik passed away, Sabu’s taunt transitioned into a formal tribute to his uncle.

4: Xavier Woods’ Continuity

In 2016, The Wyatt Family embarked in a feud with The New Day. The feud was vastly underrated, and the work of Xavier Woods and Bray Wyatt in particular was nothing short of outstanding. The likely reason as to why the feud is often forgotten about is that it came just before the modern brand-split, so most of the attention at the time was directed towards that notable event.

One of the key plot points of the storyline was that Woods would come under Wyatt’s spell numerous times, and this was played to perfection by Woods. Whilst this didn’t go anywhere substantial once the feud was over, Woods has managed to keep the lore of the storyline alive in subsequent years.

Following the 2016 feud, whenever Woods and Wyatt interacted on screen, Woods would act terrified and hesitant of Wyatt. This is the exact type of character and continuity work where wrestlers thrive.

3: Shane McMahon’s Ingenious Attire

Shane McMahon’s matches were always an exciting spectacle, and McMahon always went out of his way to leave a lasting memory for the fans. Due to McMahon not being a ‘traditional’ wrestler, he often wore sweatpants for his matches, yet his shirt was always symbolic, and always had a nod to his feud or the event itself.

Take for instance when McMahon took on X-Pac at WrestleMania 15, McMahon sported a WrestleMania 15 jersey with the phrase X-Chump plastered over the centre. Fast-forward to WrestleMania 17, and McMahon wore a jersey that perfectly matched the branding colours of the event itself, and this was one of McMahon’s best attires, as it was simple, but stylish at the same time.

For virtually every PPV match, McMahon would also use a phrase on the back of his shirt, and this phrase was always used to poke fun at his opponent. Some of the highlights over the years have included:

-          Vince, We Have A Problem for his match vs. his father, Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 17

-          Giant Killer for his match vs. Big Show at Backlash 2001

-          Kurt’s Kryptonite for his match vs. Kurt Angle at King of the Ring 2001

-          Bitch-off for his match vs. Eric Bischoff at SummerSlam 2003

-          Heart-Breaker for his 1 vs. 1 match vs. Shawn Michaels at Saturday Night’s Main Event in 2006.

2: Bret Hart’s Gear Has A Hidden Meaning

In terms of iconic ring gear, Bret Hart’s gear is certainly up there with the very best, and it had a touching element embedded onto it. The hearts and stars were all there to represent his children, with one being added each time another child was born. Hart would have four children by the early 1990s, and that’s why Hart had four hearts or stars for the entirety of the 1990s.  

1: Triple H’s Respect For The World Title

Whenever Triple H was World Champion in WWE, it was presented to the audience that the World Title was the life and soul of The Game’s existence. Whenever Triple H lost the title, it was as if his entire world had fallen apart, and this was a gimmick that made the World Title seem like the biggest thing in the world, and it was definitely a gimmick that should be commonplace for top heels in WWE.

When watching Triple H’s World Title matches, it’s easy to miss a secret detail that The Game does with the World Title, and it highlights just how much respect and love he had for the title itself.

When handing the title over, The Game would carefully fold over the straps, kiss it, and he would often hold it close to his chest like a newborn child. This was a stark contrast to wrestlers who treated the top prize in the company like a prop, and would often throw the title in the ring like it meant nothing.

Interestingly, we have seen Triple H’s attitude towards top titles re-surface since he became head of WWE creative. Names such as Roman Reigns and Gunther treat their respective titles with respect and love, and this has definitely been something that The Game would have been pushing for internally.

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