July is the season of American Independence, so in honor of the USA, I wrote "Superstars and Stripes Forever: Top 13 Most Patriotic Performers." This got me thinking about other holidays, and pro wrestlers commonly associated with them. I originally planned to do another Top Thirteen Countdown, but came up very short on names—I guess there's no real market for a Columbus Day or EASTER gimmick. And before you say anything, no, I did not include Adam Rose's bunny. So sit back and enjoy "Six Seasonal Superstars: Holiday-Themed Wrestlers."
The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust – New Years 1998
Number six was a one-off by the incomparable Dustin Runnels, and while some might say that's a cop-out, I'll argue it's just as valid as se of the
other
names on this list. Goldust was going through some emotional problems toward the tail-end of 1997, and by 1998 had completely gone off the deep-end. This was one of his more modest moments, when compared to the time he dressed up as Sable. Goldust decided to celebrate 1998 on Monday Night Raw dressed as the iconic "Baby New Year." He was scantily-clad, as was the norm for "The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust," and danced around the ring until a certain "Rattlesnake" crashed the party. Goldust ended up ringing in the New Year inside a port-a-potty dubbed "Crapper 3:16.
Hornswoggle – St. Patrick's Day
He arrived in the WWE under seemingly mythological circumstances, and lived underneath the ring where he took part in "Little People's Court." Hornswoggle is the WWE's resident Leprechaun, who captured his own
"pot of gold"
in the form of the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Hornswoggle has transitioned away from the soot-faced caricature he used to play, but still enters the arena to a lively Irish jig. Not only has Hornswoggle made a name for himself in the WWE, but on the silver screen in the recent reboot of the "Leprechaun" film franchise.
Christmas Creature – Christmas
Before he was the "Devil's Favorite Demon," Kane went by several other names. Without getting into the history of insane gimmicks Glen Jacobs has been given, let's instead focus on the most bizarre of them all. After making a name for himself in USWA, Jacobs arrived in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, where Jim Cornette christened him "The Christmas Creature." His sleeves were made to look like candy canes, whereas the rest of his body—including his head—was covered in green fabric. In addition, he was liberally adorned with strands of tinsel—both across his chest and around his waist, as well as suggestively strung between his legs. The Christmas Creature might have been a bit flawed in terms of execution, but you cannot fault anyone for the sheer creativity of the character.
Gobbledy Gooker – Thanksgiving
The holiday season was just starting in 1990, and the entire WWE Universe was wondering—"What's in the Egg?" The Egg, of course, was a giant anomaly placed near the entrance way at WWE television tapings and live events. Speculation would proceed to run rampant, until everyone's questions were answered at the Survivor Series on Thanksgiving Night. It was the Gobbledy Gooker! An anthropomorphic Turkey, who ran to the ring and
danced
with Mean Gene Okerlund. The �Gooker went on to appear a handful of times in prerecorded promos, but disappeared from television before Christmas. It was later revealed that Hector Guerrero—Eddie's older brother—was the wrestler inside the Turkey suit. Hector reprised his role as the Gobbledy Gooker in 2001 as part of the "Gimmick Battle Royal" at Wrestlemania X7, when he was the
second
Superstar eliminated.
Halloween – Halloween
Halloween is number two for a variety of reasons, but first and foremost—his name is Halloween! Audiences in America might best remember this famed performer as "Ciclope," a Cruiserweight competitor in WCW. Halloween's longevity sets him apart from everyone else on the list. Like Hornswoggle, his persona is more than just a short-lived publicity stunt—Halloween has been performing under the black and orange since 1990. While his resilience and ability to withstand the test of time earns him a top spot on my list, I couldn't place him at number one because his character doesn't exactly
embody
the "Halloween Spirit."
Xanta Claus – Christmas
Like many other names listed, our number one
Seasonal Superstar
went on to achieve greater success once his holiday-themed gimmick expired. Fans around the world know him as Balls Mahoney, the former amateur wrestler-turned-hardcore legend, but for a short period in the mid=90s, Balls was known as Xanta Claus. Xanta Claus was brought to the World Wrestling Federation by the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, to act as an antithesis to—you guessed it—
SANTA CLAUS
. He wore black and red, and sported a closely-groomed dark brown beard. He wouldn't last very long because, as James Bond will tell you: "Christmas only comes once a year." Despite the unusually short-shelf life of the character, Xanta Claus remains among the most talked about WWE Superstars of all time.
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