 Wright in 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charles Thomas Wright[2] (1961-05-16)May 16, 1961 (age 64) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.[9] |
| Alma mater | University of Nevada, Reno |
Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Baron Samedi[1] The Godfather[2] The Goodfather[2] Kama[2] Kama Mustafa[2] Smoke Train[2] Papa Shango[2] Pimp Fatha[3] Rocky Las Vegas[3] Sir Charles[4] The Soultaker[5] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)[6] |
| Billed weight | 330 lb (150 kg)[6] |
| Billed from | "Parts Unknown" (as Papa Shango)[7] Las Vegas, Nevada (As Kama) "TheRed Light District"(as The Godfather)[3] |
| Trained by | Larry Sharpe[8] |
| Debut | 1989 |
Charles Wright (born May 16, 1961), better known under hisring nameThe Godfather, is an Americanprofessional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure with theWorld Wrestling Federation throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, and underwent severalgimmick changes; the most notable werePapa Shango,Kama,Kama Mustafa,The Godfather andThe Goodfather.
Among other accolades, Wright is atwo-timeUSWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion, aone-timeWWF Intercontinental Champion, and aone-timeWWF World Tag Team Champion (withBull Buchanan). He headlinedSaturday Night's Main Event XXXI againstBret Hart for theWWF Championship. Wright was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame onApril 2, 2016, under the Godfather gimmick.
Wright first entered professional wrestling after being noticed tending to a bar by wrestlers during the filming of the movieOver the Top. The wrestlers involved gave him the advice that, with his large body type and unique (tattooed) look, he should try seeking outLarry Sharpe and hisMonster Factory to get into the business.[10] Eventually Wright parlayed his training into a job withJerry Lawler in theUnited States Wrestling Association (USWA) with thegimmick the wrestlers from the bar had given him and took the name "The Soultaker", taken from one of the tattoos on his arm. Even with his admitted limited skill set, he was given theUSWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship on October 23, 1989, and held it for about two weeks.[11]
In February and March 1990, Wright wrestled for theSouth Carolina-based promotion South Atlantic Pro Wrestling as "Baron Samedi".
Throughout 1990, Wright made appearances in Japan withNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as "The Soultaker". During his appearances with NJPW, he often teamed withCrusher Bam Bam Bigelow. His opponents during his time in NJPW includedMasahiro Chono,Masa Saito, andRiki Choshu.
In November 1990, Wright wrestled for theCatch Wrestling Association in Germany as "Rocky Las Vegas". In August 1991, he appeared with theDallas, Texas-basedGlobal Wrestling Federation as "The Soultaker".
In 1991, Wright was brought in to theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) at the suggestion of his friendThe Undertaker. He made his first appearance on May 28, 1991, at aWWF Superstars of Wrestling taping inTucson, Arizona.[12] Wright competed there and briefly at house shows as "Sir Charles", a play on both his real name and the nickname ofNational Basketball Association playerCharles Barkley. The character was hardly used and never developed, and even when talking about it later Wright only remembers wearing robes he purchased from another wrestler to the ring.[10] He made a dark match appearance for the pay-per-viewThis Tuesday in Texas defeatingDale Wolfe.[13]
In January 1992, he was repackaged as aheel by the name of "Papa Shango", ahorror-themedvoodoo practitioner with an appearance reminiscent of theloa,Baron Samedi, as depicted in the 1973 filmLive and Let Die.[14] Full ofcrypticrituals and anoccult, culturallyexotic presence, the supernatural character carried a skull to the ring billowing smoke and could control arena lights (supernatural arena lighting control heavily associated withThe 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 themvomit from afar.[15]
The Shango character debuted on the February 8, 1992, edition ofSuperstars, defeatingenhancement talentDale Wolfe.[16] Shango was then thrust into the spotlight almost immediately,running in on theHulk Hogan vs.Sid Justice main event atWrestleMania VIII.[17] Shango actually missed his cue to run in, hitting the ring late. 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. Because Shango was late, Sid kicked out of the legdrop to save the angle. Sid's manager,Harvey Wippleman then jumped on the apron, and the referee signaled for the disqualification at that point as Shango was just getting to the ring.The Ultimate Warrior then returned to the WWF by running to the ring and helping Hogan against Sid and Shango.
After WrestleMania, Sid and the Warrior were scheduled to begin afeud. Sid had previously failed a drug test and was let go by the WWF. The feud was then re-written with Shango instead of Sid, where he would cast voodoo spells on his opponent. The angle went nowhere, as Warrior challengedRandy Savage for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship atSummerSlam, with the rivalry never culminating. Meanwhile, Shango defeatedTito Santana in adark match at the event. When Shango was finally set to have a match with Warrior in November 1992, Warrior was released from WWF. Shango received aWWF World Heavyweight Championship shot againstBret Hart (with whom he had been feuding immediately prior to Hart's World title win)[16] onSaturday Night's Main Event XXXI, but was unsuccessful.[18] Wright's final PPV appearance as the Papa Shango character was at the1993 Royal Rumble (where he was eliminated in under 30 seconds). He would appear in another pay-per-view dark match against Tito Santana atWrestleMania IX, with Santana getting the victory.[19] Shango was seen infrequently on WWF television afterwards, and following a loss toJim Duggan in a1993 King of the Ring qualifying match, he made two final televised appearances against enhancement talent in June and July 1993.
Wright's Papa Shango character was pilloried by fans, being voted theWorst Gimmick and theMost Embarrassing Wrestler in theWrestling Observer Newsletter awards for 1992. Fin Martin of professional wrestling magazinePower Slam, in a 2013 article, wrote: "Shango and his curses were a total embarrassment. Fans exhaled loudly each time he appeared on screen. Shango bombed, and deservedly so."[20] Bret Hart liked the character and Wright's in-ring work, but found Shango's storyline with the Ultimate Warrior – in which a voodoo curse was placed on the latter – to be perhaps the second-worst creative concept in WWF history (after the introduction ofThe Gobbledy Gooker). Hart reported that WWF executivePat Patterson did not like the gimmick and was responsible for its termination.[21]
At the same time as he was wrestling as Papa Shango in the WWF, the WWF had a working agreement with USWA. As part of the agreement, Papa Shango was sent to wrestle in USWA, where he won the Unified World Heavyweight Championship for a second time.[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 toOwen Hart. He left the company soon after and returned to bartending.[10]
During the autumn of 1994, there were rumors that the Papa Shango character would be brought back to participate in a storyline involvingBob Backlund, wherein Shango's voodoo spells would explain the traditionally good-natured Backlund's erratic andvillainous behavior. This didn't come to fruition.
Wright as Shango defeatedUlf Herman forOtto Wanz'Catch Wrestling Association in Germany in December 1993. As Papa Shango, he wrestled a summer tour in 1994. In July, he had a shot at theCWA World Heavyweight Championship against Rambo, but lost.
A year later on December 16, 1995, he returned as Kama and defeated Viktor Kruuger.
.jpg)
Wright returned to the WWF in January 1995 under the antagonistic heel gimmick of Kama (nicknamed "The Supreme Fighting Machine"), a scrappy and competitiveshoot wrestler inspired byUltimate Fighting Championship fighterKimo Leopoldo. Shortly after his debut, he joinedTed DiBiase'sMillion Dollar Corporationstable.[22] He became an immediate part of the stable's feud withThe Undertaker, stealing the Undertaker's signatureurn at April'sWrestleMania XI then having it melted down and formed intobling,[23] but remained in possession of the bling urn remnants until November 1995 whenKing Mabel seized it amid a feud with The Undertaker. He was taken off of television in the fall of 1995, and after an appearance in the1996 Royal Rumble match, Wright left the company again.
Kama made a few appearances forNational Wrestling Conference in Las Vegas where he feuded withSabu.
Shortly after his departure, Wright had verbally agreed to joinWorld Championship Wrestling to serve as the enforcer for theNew World Order (nWo), but chose not to go to WCW after speaking to Ron Simmons. Wright then learned that WCW signedVirgil to be the nWo's enforcer by watchingWCW Monday Nitro at home with his wife, and that they had signed him for less than what they offered Wright.[24]
Wright was asked to return in 1997, with the original plans being for him to revive the Papa Shango character.[25] Instead he returned as Kama, now billed under his full name, "Kama Mustafa", joiningFaarooq's faction theNation of Domination. On the June 16 episode ofRaw, Mustafa and Faarooq defeatedAhmed Johnson andThe Undertaker.[26] Mustafa became increasingly known as "The Godfather" of the Nation, a moniker which was the brainchild of Wright's wife[27] and would become his official ring name in mid-1998. He stood with the Nation whenRocky Maivia became the leader shortly afterWrestlemania XIV, standing with Maivia,Mark Henry,D'Lo Brown, and laterOwen Hart after he joined the stable in early May 1998.
In 1998, The Godfather (known to wrestlers as a genuine tough guy) competed in theWWF Brawl for All; which was a strictlyvoluntaryboxing /shoot fighting competition, eventually won byBart Gunn. On a July 27 episode ofRaw is War, Wright debuted his "Ho’s", during a tag-match, with Nation member Mark Henry against theLegion of Doom. The Nation lasted until around September 1998 and officially disbanded in October 1998 when Henry attacked the Nation's leader The Rock.
_(cropped).jpg)
After The Nation split up, Wright had his most successful run with the company under the hugely popular persona of "The Godfather". The Godfather character would be constantly surrounded by "hos" – in reality girls from localstrip clubs, actresses,[28] or up-and-coming female wrestlers (Victoria[29] andLita[30] were the best-known wrestlers to play the role, whileIvory was offered the role but was discouraged from accepting byLuna Vachon[31]). He would offer his opponents the right to use these girls for "any purpose" if they would forfeit the match to him. The Godfather first walked out with his "hos" on the July 27, 1998 episode ofRaw Is War.[32]
Thegimmick was highly popular with audiences, and he defeatedGoldust for theWWF Intercontinental Championship on the April 12, 1999, episode ofRaw Is War.[33] He was Owen Hart's scheduled opponent for the title atOver the Edge; Hart was fatally injured during a live stunt prior to the match's time. The Godfather was scheduled to lose the title to Hart's character, "The Blue Blazer," that night. The Godfather would instead lose the title to Hart's tag team partnerJeff Jarrett a week later. On the March 16, 2000, episode ofSmackDown!, he picked up the biggest win of his career, when he defeated theWWF ChampionTriple H, due to interference fromShane McMahon andBig Show.[34]
On the July 24 episode ofRaw is War, The Godfather facedBull Buchanan, member ofSteven Richards'ultra-conservative stableRight To Censor, in which he agreed to give up pimping if he lost. Buchanan defeated The Godfather, who promptly joined the stable and renounced his former ways.[35] He began to dress in a formal white shirt and tie, and became known as "The Goodfather".[36] AtSummerSlam on August 27, Right to Censor defeatedToo Cool in a six-man tag team match.[37] On the September 11 episode ofRaw is War, The Goodfather and Buchanan defeatedthe Acolytes. After the match,Val Venis attacked the Acolytes, joining the group in the process.[38] AtUnforgiven on September 24, Right to Censor defeated the Acolytes andthe Dudley Boyz.[39] AtNo Mercy on October 22, The Goodfather and Buchanan entered into an elimination tag team tables match, which was won by the Dudley Boyz.[40] The next night onRaw is War,Ivory was announced as the newest member of the group.[41] The Goodfather and Buchanan won theWWF Tag Team Championship from theHardy Boyz on the November 6 episode ofRaw is War.[42] AtSurvivor Series on November 19, The Goodfather and Buchanan teamed up withEdge and Christian, to face the Hardys and the Dudleys in a losing effort.[43] AtRebellion on December 2, the duo retained the titles against the Hardys.[44] They lost the titles to Edge and Christian atArmageddon on December 10 in a fatal-four-way tag team match also involvingK-Kwik andRoad Dogg and the Dudley Boyz.[45]
The Goodfather entered the2001Royal Rumble match on January 21, 2001, at entry number 14, but was swiftly eliminated byThe Rock.[46] AtWrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, The Goodfather, Buchanan and Venis were defeated by the APA (formerly the Acolytes) andTazz. Also at WrestleMania, Ivory lost theWWF Women's Championship toChyna.[39] On the April 26 episode ofSmackDown!, Right to Censor lost tothe Brothers of Destruction in a 4-on-2 handicap match, after all other members walked out on Richards mid-match.[47] The Goodfather would continue to team with Buchanan, until the June 17 episode ofSunday Night Heat, where they lost to the Dudley Boyz.[48] The last time Wright would be seen on television was where he along with Buchanan and several WWF superstars attacked invading WCW wrestlersChuck Palumbo andSean O'Haire on an episode ofSmackDown! For the remainder of the year, The Goodfather was completely absent from WWF programming.
The Godfather, under his old gimmick and with his hos, returned at the2002 Royal Rumble competing in the Rumble match. He was eliminated byChuck andChristian.[49] During the next six months, Wright competed in several television matches, usually onRaw,Heat andSmackDown!'s sister showVelocity.[50][51] The Godfather wrestled his final match on the June 8 episode ofVelocity, defeatingHugh Morrus.[52] On the October 7, 2002, episode ofRaw he made an appearance in a match betweenJerry Lawler and his former Right To Censor teammate,Steven Richards in which the winner would get a night with the Godfather's hos.[53] This would be his final appearance on WWE programming for the next three years as Wright was released from the WWE in December 2002.
On July 13, 2007, Wright returned to the ring for the first time in five years after his retirement, where he reunited withD'Lo Brown to defeat Jeremy and Bubba Blanchard inMcMinnville, Oregon.[54]
In 2007, Wright appeared for WWE at theTheodore Long andKristal Marshall wedding ceremony on the edition of September 21, 2007, ofSmackDown!, where he tried to convince Long andRon Simmons to go back to the old partying days they had. After they refused, Godfather left the ceremony with his Ho Train, and was accompanied by every male wrestler in attendance and commentatorJohn Bradshaw Layfield, leaving onlyMr. McMahon,Jonathan Coachman,Hornswoggle,Gerald Brisco,Pat Patterson,Michael Cole and severalDivas behind.[55] Wright reappeared on WWE television during the McMahon family portrait duringRaw's 15th Anniversary on December 10, 2007, where he let Hornswoggle join his Ho Train.[56]
In January 2013, Wright made a short appearance with WWE as The Godfather at the2013 Royal Rumble as entrant #17. He was eliminated immediately byDolph Ziggler.
On the January 6, 2014 "Old School" edition ofRaw, Wright made an appearance alongside numerous other legends and Hall of Famers.[57]
On February 22, 2016, it was announced that Wright would be inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame class of 2016, under his Godfather persona.[58]
In June 2016, Wright appeared (as Papa Shango) on a season two episode of WWESwerved on theWWE Network along withThe Boogeyman, pranking people inside a shopping mall.
He appeared on January 22, 2018, atRaw's 25th anniversary show, in a backstage segment with his former teammateMark Henry, and his real-life wife. 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. Wright appeared at the WWERaw Reunion show on July 22, 2019.[59]
On November 22, 2020, he made an appearance atSurvivor Series during The Undertaker's retirement ceremony.[60]
On February 1, 2025, he was shown at ringside amongst other legends during theRoyal Rumble.[61]
In late 2009, Wright returned to wrestling to take part inHulk Hogan's "Hulkamania: Let The Battle Begin" tour ofAustralia. On November 21, Wright, using the newring name "The Pimp Fatha", teamed withNick Dinsmore to defeat Rock of Love (Billy Blade and Kadin Anthony) in a tag team match.[62] On November 24,Big Daddy Row Row defeated Pimp Fatha andSean Morley in a three-way match.[62] Two days later, Pimp Fatha defeatedHeidenreich.[62] After the match, he hosted a bikini contest which was won by Lacey von Erich. Two days later, Pimp Fatha wrestled his last match on the tour and was defeated bySean Morley.[62]
In January 2012, Wright won a battle royal at Pro Wrestling Superstars in Los Angeles.
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.[citation needed] In September 2013, Wright resumed wrestling on theindependent circuit.[63]
In spring of 2014 Wright made two appearances forPreston City Wrestling inEngland, as Papa Shango working against local star Bubblegum on both nights. In October 2014 atElite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW) Halloween Hell, Wright teamed with his old partner, Val Venis to face the team of then-ECCW Tag Team Champions Jordie Taylor and Daniel Adonis and the team of Ladies Choice and Eric Locker in a three-way elimination tag team match, but unsuccessful. Wright would step down from wrestling in March 2020 whenCOVID-19 hit.
On April 26, 2024, Wright returned as Papa Shango when he defeated This Guy in Burwood East, New South Wales, Australia for Battle Championship Wrestling.
According to Wright, the Papa Shango character uses paint because Vince McMahon said his face did not match his body.[64] During his last WWE appearances as The Godfather, where he would usually be accompanied by a group of girls referred to as the "Ho Train", Wright appeared sans girls. According to him, it was done because times had changed and the character was phased out.[64]
Wright attended theUniversity of Nevada, Reno where he was anoffensive tackle on thefootballteam.[65][66] After leaving professional wrestling, Wright moved toLas Vegas where he managed theCheetah's strip club.[2][63][67] He married his girlfriend Denise in September 2000,[68] they have four children together. His marriage to Denise is his third marriage after two previous marriages.[69]
'All of a sudden I turn on the show and I see Virgil in my spot that they were talking about me doing.'
'You know who came up with it? My wife.'
'...so we started bringing in actresses'
'The Goodfather & Bull Buchanon defeated the Acolytes at 2:36 when Buchanon pinned Farooq with the axe kick; after the match, Val Venis attacked the Acolytes with a chair and joined the RTC.'
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
,Cagematch,Internet Wrestling Database
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
