What's your fear? Is it snakes? Heights? The dark? Whatever horror keeps you awake at night, there's a sadistic Superstar that has used these terrors to prey on their opponents.

Photos of WWE's most horrifying Superstars

From twisted morticians to blood-thirsty vampires, bizarre Superstars have always crept around the WWE locker room. Now, in honor of horror maestro Wes Craven, WWE.com is journeying to the dark side of sports-entertainment to unearth the definitive list of the 31 most horrifying competitors of all time. 

Scared? You should be.

The Sinister Minister

The Sinister Minister didn’t debut in ECW until 2000, but with his bright red suit and demonically long fingernails, he quickly became one of the Extreme organization’s most terrifying performers. And that’s saying something. The Minster’s natural talents originally led to him becoming a narrator of sorts for ECW’s television show — their very own hardcore Cryptkeeper. But it wasn’t until he was paired with Mikey Whipwreck that he truly began terrorizing ECW.

The Minister seemed to have control over the former underdog ECW Champion. Mikey dyed his hair a blazing crimson to match his new devilish lord’s suit and was paired with Yoshihiro Tajiri as The Unholy Alliance. As frenetic as they were in the ring, their backstage interviews were simultaneously comical, bizarre and frightening. As Mikey and Tajiri cackled in crazed delight, The Sinister Minister would conjure up fireballs straight out of his hands.

Watch The Sinister Minister get weird in ECW

The Wild Samoans

From the part of the world known as Samoa have come a great number of tough individuals who have dominated the squared circle through the years. But few Superstars from the fabled isle have intimidated fans and crushed opponents quite like The Wild Samoans.

Watch The Wild Samoans in savage action

Bull Nakano

In 1994, a new, brutal type of Diva emerged in WWE in the form of big Bull Nakano. With spiked green hair and creepy, spider web–like designs painted on her face, Nakano arrived in WWE with one goal in mind: devastate the Divas division.

Armed with the intimidating combination of size and freakish athleticism that allowed her to execute aerial maneuvers like moonsaults off the top rope, Nakano was a beastly foe for any Diva. However, it was her all-out, animalistic nature that made her a truly unique competitor who viciously roared, grunted and groaned her way through the division.

See Bull Nakano battle for the WWE Women's Title

Nailz

When an individual spends time in prison, many times they hope for rehabilitation to become a better part of society upon their release. That certainly was not the case for Nailz, the ex-con who set his sights on his former corrections officer, The Big Boss Man, in 1992. Revenge was his only motive as Nailz claimed he was mistreated in prison by the lawful Superstar. It was a dangerous time for Boss Man, as Nailz stood at nearly 7-feet tall in his prison-issued jumpsuit and spoke with an angry growl that frightened the younger members of the WWE Universe.

Witness the final battle between Nailz and Big Boss Man

Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon

Growing up in Quebec, Maurice Vachon was a bright, respectable amateur wrestler who refused to let his diminutive 5-foot-7 stature stop him from competing in the 1948 Olympic Games. But when he was reborn as the “Mad Dog” in Verne Gagne’s American Wrestling Association in the late ’50s, Vachon became something different altogether.

See Vachon take on another canine competitor in Moondog Rex 

Kevin Thorn & Ariel

“Twilight” be damned. Don’t let that asinine soap opera convince you that vampires are just a bunch of stoic, eternal teenagers brooding in the Pacific Northwest. The best vamps are twisted villains — the kind of guys who will steal your girl and then sink their canines into her jugular. Like Kevin Thorn, the wicked bloodsucker who tormented the WWE re-launch of ECW alongside his fanged female, Ariel, in 2006.

With his demonic intensity and punishing Dark Kiss finishing maneuver, Thorn made Hollywood softie Robert Pattinson look like “Count Duckula” by comparison every time he finished off an ECW Original. And Ariel was the type of woman who had men lining up to be her next victim. The nocturnal couple could have sunk their teeth into a vampire revolution in WWE had they not disappeared in 2007. That bites. — R.M.

The Great Kabuki

For the Texas fans who crammed into the humid Sportatorium on Friday nights to watch World Class Championship Wrestling, the country of Singapore seemed like such a distant and far-off place that it may as well have been Alf’s home planet of Melmac. So when the mysterious Great Kabuki descended on Dallas from the island nation in the late 1970s, crowds reacted like they were seeing an alien.

See a bizarre tag bout featuring The Great Kabuki

Stoic, unorthodox and somewhat ghoulish with his crude face paint and greasy black hair, Kabuki and his manager, Gary Hart, brought hell to the beloved Von Erich boys. With his unique martial arts offense and devastating nerve hold, The Great Kabuki was hard to stop, but it was his poisonous Asian mist that made all the difference. Spraying a mysterious liquid into the face of his opponents, Kabuki stopped legends like Jack Brisco and Kerry Von Erich and inspired future standouts like The Great Muta and Tajiri. — R.M.

Tor Johnson

As a professional wrestler, Swedish strongman Tor Johnson made little impact under the persona of The Super Swedish Angel — a blatant rip-off of sports-entertainment original “The French Angel” Maurice Tillet (more on him later). But as a supporting player in a string of no budget sci-fi and horror flicks, the lumbering Swede became something all the more unique — a cult movie icon.

A member of Z-grade director Edward D. Wood Jr.’s repertory company of castaways and cutouts, the bald, 400-plus pound Johnson trudged his way through so-bad-they’re-good midnight movies like “Bride of the Monster,” “Night of the Ghouls” and Wood’s most notorious turkey “Plan 9 from Outer Space.” In 1994, When Ed Wood’s life was made into a movie by director Tim Burton, the massive pro wrestler was played, appropriately enough, by WWE Hall of Famer George “The Animal” Steele. How's that for type casting? — R.M.

Vampiro

In 1998, a bizarre competitor who spent much of his career in Mexico made his WCW debut. Vampiro’s bizarre face paint and gothic attire immediately made him an intriguing figure in American sports-entertainment. For the first couple years of his WCW tenure, Vampiro was a peculiar but popular competitor. In 2000, he formed an alliance with Sting that seemed to put the face-painted grapplers in a student/teacher role.

See Vampiro going against The Kiss Demon

However, Vampiro’s union with his would-be mentor soon degraded into a bitter rivalry that saw some of the most brutal contests in WCW history. Sting represented the old guard of the Atlanta-based organization; Vampiro embodied the new, edgier breed of competitor. Striving to make a bigger name for himself against The Stinger, Vampiro became a frightening and nearly reckless ring warrior. During one of his battles with Sting, Vampiro set the WCW-stalwart ablaze and tossed him from a balcony. 

Though Vampiro was initially a popular competitor, his brutal battles with Sting — and his lack of intimidation in going toe-to-toe with WCW’s greatest — made him one of the most frightening Superstars ever. — K.P.

Pampero Firpo

The man known as “The Wild Bull of the Pampas” was just that. With his disheveled hair, shaggy beard and beastly growl of a voice, the unpredictable Argentine gave his opponents fits for the better part of three decades.

Doink the Clown

Doink the Clown is remembered as a goof — the kind of misguided, not-ready-for-the-ring misfire that defined WWE’s slumping pre–Attitude Era days. But the truth is, Doink was less of a Bozo in wrestling boots and more like Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King’s shock novel “It.”

Watch Doink the Clown torment Marty Jannetty

Taking a twisted delight in torturing his opponents, the Superstar “Mean” Gene Okerlund once described as a “sick puppy” brought to light a secret horror that many Superstars had, but few were willing to admit. Technically known as coulrophobia, the abnormal fear of clowns took over many in the WWE Universe as Doink harassed fans and mocked opponents with his mad cackle. The circus freak would take a happier turn in his later years in WWE, but longtime viewers still remember just how creepy a clown can be. — R.M.

Ox Baker

Simply put, Ox Baker liked to hurt people. A feared villain for more than three decades, the 6-foot-5 beast from Waterloo, Iowa, was such a dangerous competitor that opponents actually feared for their wellbeing when they stepped in the ring with this intimidating big man. And they had every right to be afraid. According to pro wrestling lore, Ox had ended the lives of two opponents with his devastating finishing maneuver — the heart punch.

Sycho Sid

Many competitors have claimed they are the ruler of the squared circle, but only one Superstar has the rightful claim as “the ruler of the world.” Standing at nearly 7-feet tall and tipping the scales at more than 300 pounds, Sid was one of the most physically imposing Superstars in WCW, WWE and ECW. The sadistic competitor didn’t care who stood in his path; his only goals were destruction and deception.

Sid debuted in WWE as Sid Justice and formed alliances with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels. But these friendships were simply just a piece in Sid’s larger plan as he manipulated his allies and ultimately betrayed them. Sid’s stature clearly gave him an advantage, but his mind games made him both untrustworthy and frightening to cross. ( WATCH)

The Missing Link

One of the most unique and bizarre Superstars that ever donned a pair of tights, The Missing Link gave new meaning to the term “use your head.”

See The Missing Link in action against SD Jones 

Vader

Straight from The Rocky Mountains came The Man They Call Vader. At The Great American Bash 1990, the 400-plus pound Vader made his WCW debut clad in a horned helmet that looked like something straight out of a science fiction film. Halfway to the ring, Vader removed the massive helmet to reveal his masked visage. Somehow the man himself was even more terrifying. Sporting arms the size of children and a web of red straps gripping his face, The Rocky Mountain Mastodon was as imposing as they come.

Check out a vicious brawl between Vader and Cactus Jack 

Two years later, Big Van Vader manhandled Sting to win the WCW Championship and began a reign of terror he dubbed “Vader Time.” His vicious rivalry with Cactus Jack set new standards for brutality when he severed Jack’s ear in Germany, and he kicked out of Hulk Hogan’s immortal leg drop with authority before executing a Vader Bomb onto The Hulkster. Vader destroyed Antonio Inoki in Japan, brutalized El Canek in Mexico, assaulted WWE President Gorilla Monsoon and even defeated the legendary Undertaker.

Scary Sherri

There is an old saying that “behind every great man is a great woman.” During the 1980s and 1990s in WCW and WWE, behind every great villain was Sherri Martel.

Known as “Scary” Sherri, the twisted lady was a pioneer for women in sports-entertainment and a true antithesis to another 1980s mainstay, Miss Elizabeth. A former AWA and WWE Women’s Champion, Sherri mastered her craft under the guidance of The Fabulous Moolah. As a manager, Sherri was most closely associated with “Macho King” Randy Savage, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels.

Whenever a competitor matched up against someone who had Sherri in their corner, they had to keep their eye on the tough-as-nails Diva because she was never afraid to get herself physically involved. On more than one occasion, Sherri would break down gender lines and interject herself into the fray to give her competitor an edge. — K.P.

"King" Curtis Iaukea

A veteran of the ring wars for more than 30 years, this native Hawaiian carved himself out an interesting career both in and out of the ring. And carved is an appropriate word for “King” Curtis Iaukea, because he had a scary-looking forehead that resembled a road map of multiple permanent scars he accumulated from the many battles he had.

Gangrel

Though he had one of the coolest entrances of WWE’s Attitude Era, Gangrel was a frightening Superstar to behold. After all, he was a vampire. With the entrance stage set ablaze, Gangrel rose from below the entrance stage, carrying a vessel full of familiar red liquid. Showing his fangs to the WWE Universe as he marched toward the ring, the nocturnal competitor kept sharp eyes locked on his potential prey.

Watch Gangrel torment Brian Christopher

The Wyatt Family

To find a persona as uniquely disturbing as Bray Wyatt, you’d have to go digging through the darkest recesses of the FBI’s file room. Introduced in a series of increasingly bizarre vignettes filmed at his haunting backwoods compound, the self-proclaimed “Eater of Worlds” — with his mad eyes and his skin slick with bayou sweat — appeared startlingly charismatic and supremely unsettling somehow all at once.

Watch The Wyatt Family brutalize Kane |  Watch Bray's eerie emergence at Hell in a Cell 2014 on WWE Network

By the time he stepped out on Raw with his hillbilly goliaths and a flickering lantern guiding his way, Wyatt instantly unnerved the WWE Universe as he picked apart Kane, terrorized The Miz and — in his single most disturbing moment — walked on his hands with his body inverted like a man possessed. Wyatt’s cryptic speeches have left his objectives unclear, but his ability to instantly upset the mood has made it impossible to look away. — R.M.

Andre the Giant

The first WWE Hall of Famer, Andre the Giant is regarded as one of the most beloved Superstars of all time. For a period in the 1980s, however, “The Eighth Wonder of the World” was the most frightening Superstar in sports-entertainment. One look at the behemoth competitor and it wasn’t terribly difficult to ascertain why.

Andre stood at 7-feet, 4-inches tall and weighed more than 500 pounds. The Grenoble, France, native competed in the 1970s and 1980s and presented a daunting challenge for Superstars like Big John Studd and Hulk Hogan, who themselves were considered larger-than-life. 

Watch the classic showdown between Andre and Hogan

It was mostly Andre’s size that made him frightening, although during the 1980s, “The Eighth Wonder of the World” had never lost via pinfall or submission and was considered to be undefeated. This presented a daunting challenge for Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III. Andre had his sights set on the WWE Championship and ending Hogan’s three-year reign. Fortunately for The Hulkster, he stared in the face of fear and insurmountable odds and slammed the giant in what became one of WWE’s most defining moments. — K.P.

The Original Sheik

One of the originators of hardcore wrestling, The Original Sheik wasn’t scary in the way vampires or ghosts are. His fearsomeness came from the way he carved up opponents in the squared circle, doing anything to decimate his opponent.

The Syrian madman battered opponents with his bare hands, but wanting more, he drew a sharpened pencil from his trunks and dug into his foe’s forehead, turning them into a crimson mess. If the scarring from the writing utensil wasn’t enough, The Sheik had mastered the art of throwing fire. He charred his opponents’ flesh with fireballs that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

The Original Sheik, not content with wreaking havoc in his home territory in Detroit, as well as Japan, passed on his extreme knowledge to his nephew Sabu. The death-defying maniac took his uncle’s hardcore sensibilities and cranked them up to 11, putting his own body on the line to inflict damage on whoever crossed his path. — B.M.

Paul Bearer

Paul Bearer’s persona was somewhat ghoulish and ghostly, yet his role in representing the Superstars he aligned himself with gave him everlasting recognition in the WWE Universe. Bearer’s trademark quivering, high-pitched voice and his “power of the urn” made a perfect accompaniment to the legendary Undertaker, and overall, their association was a successful one. Bearer also aligned himself for a brief time with Mankind back in the mid-1990s, in addition to revealing his “son” Kane in 1997 and then guiding his fortunes on many an occasion.

Watch Paul Bearer's most ghoulish moments

Luna Vachon

Following in the psychotic footsteps of her father, “Butcher,” and her uncle, “Mad Dog,” Luna carried on the twisted legacy of the legendary Vachon family in WWE. With her wild mohawk, bloodcurdling screams and a sneer that never seemed to leave her face, the second-generation competitor didn’t fit the mold of a typical WWE Diva, but that's because she never wanted to.

See Luna Vachon frighten Jerry Lawler

Papa Shango

Papa Shango painted his face like a skeletal demon, wore a bizarre stove pipe hat and a necklace made of bones and carried a smoke-billowing skull to the ring. For a year and a half in the early 1990s, the witch doctor frightened anybody who watched WWE programming. 

Watch Papa Shango decimate a hapless competitor

In the gargantuan voodoo wizard’s most notable moment, Shango cast a spell on Ultimate Warrior that made the former WWE Champion to vomit and caused a thick black liquid to pour from his head. While most such acts would be brushed off by the WWE Universe as merely entertainment, WWE fans never doubted that Shango was a true practitioner of black magic.

In an ultimate battle of good and evil, the terrifying Shango challenged Bret Hart for the WWE Championship on an edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, but came up short and quietly left the WWE in 1993, though he left his stove pipe hat behind. — Z.L.

“The French Angel” Maurice Tillet

To the wrestling fans who queued up to see Maurice Tillet in the 1930s and ’40s, “The French Angel” was more monster than man. Billed by promoters as “the freak ogre of wrestling,” the bald Frenchman with the abnormally sized head and feet was touted as the closest thing to a Neanderthal modern science had ever seen.

Kevin Sullivan

He may not have looked like evil incarnate, but there was no denying that Kevin Sullivan was Satan in the squared circle. Dubbing himself “The Prince of Darkness,” Sullivan terrorized Championship Wrestling from Florida in the 1980s.

Witness a brutal brawl between Kevin Sullivan and Buzz Sawyer

The short, stocky Bostonian became possessed with pure wickedness, evolving into a cult leader. Painting his face in increasingly odder patterns, Sullivan led his “Army of Darkness” down the aisle, each of them carrying snakes. Once they were in the ring, Sullivan laid on the mat while his cronies draped the reptiles over him in a strange ritual.

Kane

When Kane made his first WWE appearance at Badd Blood 1997, few could have predicted the 15-year reign of terror the masked monster would inflict on WWE fans and opponents alike.

Relive Kane's most demonic deeds

For The Devil’s Favorite Demon, his mask wasn’t a costume — it was armor, protection from the world witnessing his physical and emotional scars underneath. He paired it with black leather gloves and full-body tights with only one arm’s skin exposed. This implied to the WWE Universe that something was horribly wrong with his other limbs. This mystique created inherent fear, and although his wrestling gear has morphed several times over the years, he is still just as scary as ever.

Abdullah the Butcher

Sports-entertainment has no shortage of heavyweight savages. But none of them have matched the intensity and thirst for brutality of Abdullah the Butcher.

The Madman from the Sudan has been terrorizing foes by jabbing his rusty fork across the globe for more than half a century, and in all this time, the 400-pounder’s distinctive look has barely changed — his baggy pants hiked high above his enormous waistline, his darting eyes and that disgusting forehead carved with deep scars that he can supposedly insert quarters into the wounds like coin slots.

In his only notable North American exposure, WCW fans witnessed Abby being fried in an electric chair during Halloween Havoc 1991’s infamous Chamber of Horrors Match. Even in defeat, Abby was absolutely terrifying. — Z.L.

The Boogeyman

He’s The Boogeyman, and he’s coming to get you! While most kids are afraid of boogeymen hiding in their closet or under the bed, the WWE Universe was haunted by one hailing from The Bottomless Pit. Emerging with a staff that spewed an eerie red smoke, The Boogeyman signaled his arrival by smashing an alarm clock over his head.

After shaking off the clock’s broken glass, Boogeyman made his way to the ring, shaking and convulsing as his confused prey watched on. Most of his opposition was thrown off by his ghoulish entrance, leaving Boogeyman an opportunity to easily dispatch of them.

Watch Boogeyman kiss Sharmell with a mouthful of worms |  Watch The Boogeyman frighten WWE employees

The ghastly Superstar wasn’t finished with a pinfall, though. Boogeyman liked to indulge with a little post-match snack immediately after the referee counted three. He eschewed processed protein bars in favor of a little natural treat: worms. Boogeyman grabbed a handful from a satchel he kept with him, stuffed them into his mouth and let the nightcrawlers drip from his toothless maw and onto his helpless opponent. — B.M.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Snakes aren’t what made Jake Roberts scary. Sure, the sight of the Superstar draping his massive Burmese python, Damien, over the body of a fallen opponent was enough to make anyone in the WWE Universe uneasy, but Roberts was capable of more evil than any of his serpents.

See Jake Roberts' stunning deception of Ultimate Warrior

The Undertaker

There is no other Superstar in sports-entertainment surrounded by myth and legend like The Undertaker. From the moment he debuted at Survivor Series 1990, through his constant reinventions, The Deadman has remained one of the most mystifying and frightening figures not only in the squared circle, but in all of pop culture.

Relive the night The Deadman abducted Stephanie McMahon

For more than two decades, the unmistakable “GONG!” has signaled the imminent arrival of The Phenom. Though the WWE Universe welcomes his presence with open arms, the slow tone of “Graveyard Symphony” always sends chills throughout the arena. For years, the mystery and allure surrounding The Deadman was contained within Paul Bearer’s urn, but the legendary competitor’s ability to strike fear into the hearts of anyone brazen enough to cross his path is unmatched.

Through his entire evolution, The Undertaker has remained one of the most respected and intimidating Superstars in the history of sports-entertainment, not just because of his personality, but because there is something supernatural about The Phenom. — K.P.