It’s crazy how many people loved this gimmick (including me) yet, people say it was trash. If you were a kid, you were legit afraid that the Ultimate Warrior was gonna die. It was literally his best gimmick. If people bought into the Undertaker, there’s no reason to scoff at Papa Shango in that era.
People have different opinions, you know. You say it was his best gimmick, when plenty of people are going to say it's the Godfather, not everyone will agree with you. I like Papa Shango, but no one can deny it didn't achieve much during the year and a half he was there, even the matches with Warrior were canned because they were so bad. From a popularity and success standpoint his run as the Godfather absolutely destroy his run as Papa, so it's not surprising that most will say Godfather was by far his best gimmick.
@@jonathanturbide2232 I think that is a very limited way to look at the data provided, and I say that with no offense meant to your opinion. I respect your opinion about the two gimmicks. That said, Papa Shango had a Main Event run with Warrior off of Warrior's hot return from the suspension to help Hogan against Shango and Sid. The Godfather never received that treatment as a character nor was Godfather ever really looked at as a major threat in his era. Godfather had better longevity, that is for sure, but it was only one extra year. He was also in an era that was entirely rebellious and fans loved his character for bringing scantly-dressed women with him. He fit like a glove and worked in the mid. Business was also hot so he probably made more money doing it. However, when looking even at Godfather transitioning to Goodfather it had a short shelf-life like Shango. So, I think just to say definitively his run was better as The Godfather, is opinion more than "no one can deny fact." Shango had a heads and tails chance of working, similar to what Undertaker did in 91. Business was going down too so his chances got slimmer like most acts in the early 90s. There are a number of accounts that Undertaker himself almost died as a character when Hogan tried to bury him for hurting his neck on the Tombstone (which was Hogan lying). From anything I've read, Shango died because Charles didn't like it and they ran out of things for him to do. The fans were starting to buy into Shango though by the time of the Warrior feud and he easily could have lasted longer given the right legs going into the later 90s. Again, respect your opinion, but I think it is a lot more hazy than you painted it. :)
@@KobeLoverTatum I don't think it failed, I liked Papa Shango. I just think it wasn't booked to succeed. I think he would've been good to feud with someone at the mid card level first.. like a Tito Santana.. and then move him to someone in the semi-main...like Randy Savage first. Now I don't think he's a better worker than Macho, but at this time they were phasing Savage out anyway, so this could've worked to run a 6 or 7 month program with Savage after he got out of his feud with Flair. The problem with Papa Shango vs The Ultimate Warrior is that once you have the match, you likely wouldn't want to see it again. I think Warrior getting fired from WWE in the middle of their angle didn't help things either. They never got to have their match. All in all, Warrior was limited in the ring... Papa Shango at that time was too so it would've been better booking to put him against midcarders who were solid workers. Once he defeated them in a few matches it could culminate with him using some voodoo trick to gain some of their life strength and become more "powerful" or something crazy like that. Which in turn would mean he would pose a larger threat to his next opponent. Meanwhile, it's compelling television because he is going after something other than championships. He's seeking to get stronger by using his voodoo on his defeated opponents after the match. Now you are making him a big deal without necessarily needing him at the top of the card or competing for titles. You're also booking him against solid workers who could get a decent match with him allowing the feuds and angles to last longer until finally, he's "powerful" enough to attempt to take over the top spot aka challenge for the world title. The champion would've likely been Bret Hart at the time and I think this feud would've been interesting. I can see Bret Hart finally putting a halt to Shango's momentum allowing him to settle in somewhere around mid to upper midcard. I think now you would likely have an established wrestler that would've had a longer more exciting run.
One of my earliest wrestling memories was the lights going out and when they came back on his opponent was knocked out on his back with his feet on fire. I loved it
Dude dat sh@t scared the Living all out of me. And even now his Laugh bro, gave me shivers. He was an amazing wrestler. so underrated. God bless u Charles. 👍
Would have been great but would have been great if undertaker captured the godfather and did a sacrifice or a summoning of some sort to bring out papa Shango to make it make sense and terrifying
Here's the thing I absolutely loved the godfather as a teenager but im gunna tell you flat out for me he will always be Papa Shango and I feel the same way as Chris on this one. He scared the Hell out of me as a young kid especially when he went up against Ultimate Warrior. It was a classic bad guy gimmick but still very different like on the same line as the undertaker who debuted a few years earlier. Just imagine those two monster s as a heel tag team. Holy shit lol
I saw The Godfather at Wrestlefest 26 a little over a week ago and he did the Pappa Shango voice. In person it’s frightening! He doesn’t break eye contact with you and gets closer and closer to your face as he talks
If they kept the supernatural bs to a minimum, he would have been even more scary. And before you bring up the Undertaker, when Shango debuted he didn't have nearly as much spooky magic as he would a couple of years later.
I loved Papa Shango then and now. Heck, I LOVE the name! It's so recognizable and catchy and I think the gimmick was amazing. I thought Papa Shango was highly entertaining and was one of my favorite wrestling moments.
Did anyone seen the Broken Skull episode with Godfather? Oh man, the updated Papa Shango look is truly frightening. Vince should bring back Papa Shango for nostalgia at a Rumble or a RAW reunion.
Papa Shango also terrified me as a kid. I was really concerned about the Ultimate Warrior when he cast the curse on him. Very unique and interesting villain. Plus the facepaint and look was awesome.
Papa Shongo freaked me out as a kid. I remember when he put a “curse” on the Ultimate Warrior. Lol. Watching as a kid in the late 80’s/early 90’s was so freakin fun. Man, how I miss those days.
I loved the Papa Shango character. They just didn't spend enough time making him dominant. I think they use them too quickly to get a few people over, and it ruined his run. He could have been a monster Hill that had a lot more staying power. I also love the fact that he put so much effort into research for the character.
Bruh.... that laugh broght me back to 1992😱. The Papa Shango/Ultimate Warrior feud was my entrance into the world of pro wrestling. HE SCARED TGE HECK OUT OF ME🤣😂
I love how Charles still owns the Papa Shango gimmick even after all these years. Enough revisionist history, let's acknowledge how awesome Papa Shango was and do the Shango Tango together
Same here. When Papa Shango put the “curse”on Ultimate Warrior, I thought it was real, especially when Warrior spit out some green stuff while being hexed. That’s the first time in decades I’ve heard Papa Shango’s voice again.
As a kid I never had the oportunity to watch the WWE because it was aired here in the 2000s but I was aware of the guys from the Golden era of the WWF because of the videogames, me and my cousin used to play the WWF Super Wrestlemania and the Royal Rumble for Sega Genesis and Papa Shango looked great in the select screen, so we always picked him to play. Great memories
I was born in the 80s and loved wwf. My absolute favourite wrestlers were Jake roberts, papa Shango, earthquake in the older gen. Every time I rented an nes or SNES game or saw a wrestling arcade machine I looked for them first. IIRC there was an awesome arcade game with earthquake and Jake in it . I think only one game ever had papa Shango. It was real old
If Papa Shango came back today you *know* he'd get a massive pop. He's right comparing himself to the Road Warriors. At first, it seemed like an over-the-top gimmick, but it had lasting power without a doubt!
I think it's because the UFC started in 1993, and it was getting a lot of headlines back in the day, so the WWF wanted to capitalize on it with the Kama character.
I've always felt that Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Man laugh was the best villain laugh, but the Papa Shango laugh is like the kind you'd hear in a haunted house or horror movie. Gives me the creeps and terrified me as a kid
Back in what I think is probably 93 or 94, I begged my mum for a Papa Shango Hasbro figure. What so you know, Santa delivered that year. The character scared me to death and I wanted Warrior to win so badly.
I met the Guy back in March 2002 at WWF New York Restaurant(The Hard Rock Cafe) Today it’s now the Hard Rock Cafe!!Every Monday they would show Raw live and have a Superstar come through!! Well The Godfather came through the night I was there, he’s asked me what my name was and every time I’d tell him he’d say “what” little did I know he was pulling a “Stone cold..What!!!” On me, cause I was wearing Austin’s “What” T-shirt at the time!! Hahahaha First time in New York and I met The Godfather!! classic!! the man’s a legend!!!
Watch the full interview with The Godfather on my main Chris Van Vliet channel here:
ruclips.net/video/UCxwDCCXanQ/видео.html
It’s crazy how many people loved this gimmick (including me) yet, people say it was trash. If you were a kid, you were legit afraid that the Ultimate Warrior was gonna die. It was literally his best gimmick. If people bought into the Undertaker, there’s no reason to scoff at Papa Shango in that era.
The dude himself admits that gimmick failed, how other people can attempt to pretend it was on an Undertaker level is a joke. It failed.
People have different opinions, you know. You say it was his best gimmick, when plenty of people are going to say it's the Godfather, not everyone will agree with you. I like Papa Shango, but no one can deny it didn't achieve much during the year and a half he was there, even the matches with Warrior were canned because they were so bad. From a popularity and success standpoint his run as the Godfather absolutely destroy his run as Papa, so it's not surprising that most will say Godfather was by far his best gimmick.
@@jonathanturbide2232 I think that is a very limited way to look at the data provided, and I say that with no offense meant to your opinion. I respect your opinion about the two gimmicks. That said, Papa Shango had a Main Event run with Warrior off of Warrior's hot return from the suspension to help Hogan against Shango and Sid. The Godfather never received that treatment as a character nor was Godfather ever really looked at as a major threat in his era. Godfather had better longevity, that is for sure, but it was only one extra year. He was also in an era that was entirely rebellious and fans loved his character for bringing scantly-dressed women with him. He fit like a glove and worked in the mid. Business was also hot so he probably made more money doing it. However, when looking even at Godfather transitioning to Goodfather it had a short shelf-life like Shango. So, I think just to say definitively his run was better as The Godfather, is opinion more than "no one can deny fact." Shango had a heads and tails chance of working, similar to what Undertaker did in 91. Business was going down too so his chances got slimmer like most acts in the early 90s. There are a number of accounts that Undertaker himself almost died as a character when Hogan tried to bury him for hurting his neck on the Tombstone (which was Hogan lying). From anything I've read, Shango died because Charles didn't like it and they ran out of things for him to do. The fans were starting to buy into Shango though by the time of the Warrior feud and he easily could have lasted longer given the right legs going into the later 90s. Again, respect your opinion, but I think it is a lot more hazy than you painted it. :)
I was 13 and we all LOVED the Shango Tango.
@@KobeLoverTatum I don't think it failed, I liked Papa Shango. I just think it wasn't booked to succeed. I think he would've been good to feud with someone at the mid card level first.. like a Tito Santana.. and then move him to someone in the semi-main...like Randy Savage first. Now I don't think he's a better worker than Macho, but at this time they were phasing Savage out anyway, so this could've worked to run a 6 or 7 month program with Savage after he got out of his feud with Flair. The problem with Papa Shango vs The Ultimate Warrior is that once you have the match, you likely wouldn't want to see it again. I think Warrior getting fired from WWE in the middle of their angle didn't help things either. They never got to have their match.
All in all, Warrior was limited in the ring... Papa Shango at that time was too so it would've been better booking to put him against midcarders who were solid workers. Once he defeated them in a few matches it could culminate with him using some voodoo trick to gain some of their life strength and become more "powerful" or something crazy like that. Which in turn would mean he would pose a larger threat to his next opponent. Meanwhile, it's compelling television because he is going after something other than championships. He's seeking to get stronger by using his voodoo on his defeated opponents after the match. Now you are making him a big deal without necessarily needing him at the top of the card or competing for titles. You're also booking him against solid workers who could get a decent match with him allowing the feuds and angles to last longer until finally, he's "powerful" enough to attempt to take over the top spot aka challenge for the world title. The champion would've likely been Bret Hart at the time and I think this feud would've been interesting. I can see Bret Hart finally putting a halt to Shango's momentum allowing him to settle in somewhere around mid to upper midcard. I think now you would likely have an established wrestler that would've had a longer more exciting run.
I love the Papa Shango laugh.
When he does that laugh, it sounds like it's coming off the soundtrack of an old movie, like the audio fidelity drops. It's uncanny.
It was based on a character from a 007 James Bond movie, "Live and Let Die".
I loved pappa shango.... I even made my own version of the gimmick and outfit as a kid...... Dry ice and all LOL
You went all out.
@@queefersutherland8495 no doubt boss LOL
@@queefersutherland8495 Your name is fantastic
From a shaman to a wrestling machine to a pimp... Thank you, Charles!
Pimpin' ain't easy, brother. 😀
@@jonathanturbide2232 shango train
@@joee95 Voodoo train. 😏
@@jonathanturbide2232 Kama train
He put a spell on them hoes 😂
Wow, he slipped right into Papa Shango. That was awesome to see! He's amazing to listen to.
This guy played a fighter, a witch doctor, a pimp, and a plain salaryman. That is range.
38 now. Still love Papa Shango. Nothing but fond memories!
As a kid... he fascinated me. I was not afraid at all. He was my favorite heel of that era besides Earthquake
Bam bam Bigelow was sweet to
Papa Shango was always my favorite gimmick of his. Very underrated.
Everyone who listened to this video is now cursed and will start throwing up like the Warrior.
Facts.
I feel like I'm cursed every time I hear that Mariah Carey Christmas song, so he'll have to get in line. lol
We were huge fans of Shango as kids. We were cheering for him over Warrior.
Papa Shango was freaking awesome. I loved it.
One of my earliest wrestling memories was the lights going out and when they came back on his opponent was knocked out on his back with his feet on fire. I loved it
Man that laugh is still terrifying lol
You’re telling me!
Yo that laugh is still spot on!
I never got to see Papa Shango, I didn't start watching WWE until the Attitude Era
Dude dat sh@t scared the Living all out of me. And even now his Laugh bro, gave me shivers. He was an amazing wrestler. so underrated. God bless u Charles. 👍
His laugh reminds me of an 80's night show in Kansas City called friday fright night
I wish Papa Shango came back during the ministry of darkness storyline
Would have been great but would have been great if undertaker captured the godfather and did a sacrifice or a summoning of some sort to bring out papa Shango to make it make sense and terrifying
Here's the thing I absolutely loved the godfather as a teenager but im gunna tell you flat out for me he will always be Papa Shango and I feel the same way as Chris on this one. He scared the Hell out of me as a young kid especially when he went up against Ultimate Warrior. It was a classic bad guy gimmick but still very different like on the same line as the undertaker who debuted a few years earlier. Just imagine those two monster s as a heel tag team. Holy shit lol
That was such underrated character
He scared the hell out of me as a kid🤣
Same!
How does he make the laugh sound like it's audio from an N64???
I saw The Godfather at Wrestlefest 26 a little over a week ago and he did the Pappa Shango voice. In person it’s frightening! He doesn’t break eye contact with you and gets closer and closer to your face as he talks
If they kept the supernatural bs to a minimum, he would have been even more scary. And before you bring up the Undertaker, when Shango debuted he didn't have nearly as much spooky magic as he would a couple of years later.
man Chris, this was awesome! Really appreciate all these moments you create with those who were part of our childhood!
I loved Papa Shango then and now. Heck, I LOVE the name! It's so recognizable and catchy and I think the gimmick was amazing. I thought Papa Shango was highly entertaining and was one of my favorite wrestling moments.
Man he'll make a great fantasy voice actor
I have a friend in her 40s who's still scared of Papa Shango today and we use that fear to tease her to this day.
Did anyone seen the Broken Skull episode with Godfather?
Oh man, the updated Papa Shango look is truly frightening. Vince should bring back Papa Shango for nostalgia at a Rumble or a RAW reunion.
Papa Shango also terrified me as a kid. I was really concerned about the Ultimate Warrior when he cast the curse on him. Very unique and interesting villain. Plus the facepaint and look was awesome.
That laugh was menacing af
Papa Shongo freaked me out as a kid. I remember when he put a “curse” on the Ultimate Warrior. Lol. Watching as a kid in the late 80’s/early 90’s was so freakin fun. Man, how I miss those days.
Papa Shango was a great gimmick.
You still got it!!!
I loved Papa Shango as a kid. He made wreslting have better villains at the time.
I hope that there are people out there like me who can say that Papa Shango and Yokozuna played a huge part in getting them hooked! 1992!
Papa Shangos entrance music is also cool
Papa shango was awesome. Of all of his characters this one was my favorite
Love papa shango ! Good ol days
Papa Shango was awesome
that laugh is sick
When he made Warrior throw up on Superstars as a kid i was freaked out
I loved the Papa Shango character. They just didn't spend enough time making him dominant. I think they use them too quickly to get a few people over, and it ruined his run. He could have been a monster Hill that had a lot more staying power. I also love the fact that he put so much effort into research for the character.
i fucking loved poppa shango!!!!
Bruh.... that laugh broght me back to 1992😱. The Papa Shango/Ultimate Warrior feud was my entrance into the world of pro wrestling. HE SCARED TGE HECK OUT OF ME🤣😂
Papa was one of the first wrestlers I saw briefly when I was a kid when we had cable for a very short time. And always loved that character.
I absolutely ❤'d Papa Shango as a kid
I love how Charles still owns the Papa Shango gimmick even after all these years. Enough revisionist history, let's acknowledge how awesome Papa Shango was and do the Shango Tango together
Papa Shango was a great WWF character and a staple of early WWF.
the laugh is now my text alert thanks brotha hehe
as a kid seeing papa shango, I fell in love with the character, I was never scared of him and taker.
I loved Papa Shongo. I even have a FF XIV charater named after him just be
Cause I loved him so much.
The updated PS gimmick they had before they used Savio Vega was even scarier.
That fkn laugh.... LOVE that fkn dude!!!
Never scared me because I was already watching horror movies as a young kid but I did love that character.
I've worked in wrestling for decades, seen it all...
...and holy shit that legit scared the hell out of me.
Papa shango was my absolute fav character of all time! I would love to see more of that gimmick...
Adding "watching this at 12:53am" to my list of regrets
I loved Papa Shango too. Didn't care for the spells but that voice and laugh were money.
I used to watch WWF late at night in the dark and when Papa Shango came out I legitimately had to turn the lights on lol
His best gimmick outfit the music everything about it
those 80s /90s wrestlers dont get enough credit for being good actors
I really like the Papa Shango gimmick
i love wrestlers are able to talk now and drop kayfabe , its so awesome meeting the real men behind the childhood heros
Same here. When Papa Shango put the “curse”on Ultimate Warrior, I thought it was real, especially when Warrior spit out some green stuff while being hexed.
That’s the first time in decades I’ve heard Papa Shango’s voice again.
From voodoo man to pimping aint easy gimmick to the reformed good father in RTC: this man has had the broadest range in WWE/wrestling history.
Had he not struck gold with the Godfather gimmick, I would've loved to see him in the Ministry of Darkness as Papa Shango.
I would have loved to see him team up with Kane to face the Ministry. Papa Shango doesn't bow down to anybody.
Papa Shango is his own boss and entity. He would go after the ministry and Undertaker and constantly try to curse them lol
As a kid I never had the oportunity to watch the WWE because it was aired here in the 2000s but I was aware of the guys from the Golden era of the WWF because of the videogames, me and my cousin used to play the WWF Super Wrestlemania and the Royal Rumble for Sega Genesis and Papa Shango looked great in the select screen, so we always picked him to play. Great memories
I absolutely loved Papa Shango and he scared the ish out of my 12 year old self. I saw Papa Shango vs The Undertaker at the LA Sports Arena in 93
I was born in the 80s and loved wwf. My absolute favourite wrestlers were Jake roberts, papa Shango, earthquake in the older gen. Every time I rented an nes or SNES game or saw a wrestling arcade machine I looked for them first. IIRC there was an awesome arcade game with earthquake and Jake in it . I think only one game ever had papa Shango. It was real old
I had a dream about Pappa Shango teaching me about not only wrestling, but voodoo as well
Papa Shango was my favorite Charles Wright gimmick
Goosebumps.
Papa Shango was dope. That voice.
If Papa Shango came back today you *know* he'd get a massive pop. He's right comparing himself to the Road Warriors. At first, it seemed like an over-the-top gimmick, but it had lasting power without a doubt!
I doubt it since half of the fans don’t know who he is
I never thought about it before, but that Papa Shango voice is a lot like Undertaker. I can't remember who came first.
papa shango although a little bit cheesy was awesome and kind terrifying
EVERYBODY wanted the papa shango action figure when it came out.
Man I LOVED Papa Shango, have no idea why the gimmick didn’t get more traction!
I think it's because the UFC started in 1993, and it was getting a lot of headlines back in the day, so the WWF wanted to capitalize on it with the Kama character.
Papa shango was awesome
I always loved that gimmick!
Charles Wright - such a cool legend, man. :)
Bro that match against Warrior terrified me
I'm still waiting for Papa Shango in a Royal Rumble. Maybe 2025 is the year 🙏🏻
That laugh reminded me of Baron Semedis laugh from the Goldeneye 007 game 😂
The goosebumps....good lord...
When he was the soul taker in Memphis and papa shango, he scared the piss out of me at 6 years old.
The fears coming back 😅🥹🤣
Fun fact the Papa Shango character was inspired by Jeffrey Holders Baron Samdi from 007 Live and Let Die
Yep. Sounds about right!
Papa Shango and Kamala will always be my 2 favorite gimmicks of all time.
I've always felt that Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Man laugh was the best villain laugh, but the Papa Shango laugh is like the kind you'd hear in a haunted house or horror movie. Gives me the creeps and terrified me as a kid
Papa Shango was my brother's favorite character
Back in what I think is probably 93 or 94, I begged my mum for a Papa Shango Hasbro figure. What so you know, Santa delivered that year. The character scared me to death and I wanted Warrior to win so badly.
The godfather had the greatest gimmicks
Papa Shango was a movie worthy character.
I was scared to death of him as a little kid. Gimmick worked on me.
Met him in Vegas. Cool ass dude.
as a kid i was scarred for life when he did the hex on ultimate warrior. i was so scared i didn’t even choose him in the arcade game
Always thought it would be cool if Kane, Undertaker, and Papa Shango had formed a group.
I met the Guy back in March 2002 at WWF New York Restaurant(The Hard Rock Cafe) Today it’s now the Hard Rock Cafe!!Every Monday they would show Raw live and have a Superstar come through!! Well The Godfather came through the night I was there, he’s asked me what my name was and every time I’d tell him he’d say “what” little did I know he was pulling a “Stone cold..What!!!” On me, cause I was wearing Austin’s “What” T-shirt at the time!! Hahahaha First time in New York and I met The Godfather!! classic!! the man’s a legend!!!
Papa Shango was my inspiration at a very young age to get tatted up,I'm all skulls, everywhere
Papa shongo oh hell yeah back in the day!!!!!!