NXT Superstars' Halloween flashback
For the third year in a row, WWE.com takes a haunted trip down memory lane as we reveal the childhood costumes of some of your favorite NXT Superstars and Divas. Which costumes were a trick-or-treating hit? You be the judge. The flashback starts now!
Bull Dempsey as Mankind
We start with the owner and founder of Bull-Fit, Bull Dempsey. Before he spread his new craze to the NXT Universe, Dempsey chose to emulate Tthe Hardcore Legend, Mick Foley.
"I was a big Mankind/Mick Foley fan,” Dempsey said. “He had a different look and body type than everyone else, so being different was cool. He wasn't afraid to be himself and was successful because of it. You can say Mick Foley was an ancestor of Bull-Fit."
Eva Marie as a cowgirl
The resident “Queen of Red” and “Total Divas” star sported a quite different look in her younger years. Will we one day see Eva Marie the Cowgirl in NXT? Probably not, but it’s fun to imagine.
“Growing up with three older brothers, I was destined to be a tomboy,” Eva Marie said. “I was 2 years old and this red cowgirl costume was my mom’s favorite, and my dad’s cowboy hat was mine at the time. My parents actually still have both items. I guess you could say I started #AllRedEverything at a young age.” [Laughs.]
Solomon Crowe as Pugsley
Before he spent his time residing in basements and embracing the role of society’s outcast, Solomon Crowe chose to take a page out of one of his favorite television-turned-movie franchises.
“I was Pugsley from ‘Addams Family Values,’ from the Thanksgiving summer camp scene,” Crowe recalled. “The outfit was homemade because my dad always said he could make a better outfit than we could buy. My dad was always the type of guy who wanted to make Halloween costumes for my brothers and me. One year I was the Tin Man, another year I was ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. Some years the outfits where epic; on that fateful year, it was not.” [Laughs.]
Carmella as a witch
The Princess of Staten Island had one goal in mind on this particular Halloween night. The mission? Strike fear in all trick-or-treaters who dared to cross her path.
“I was 4 years old and wanted to be the scariest witch anyone had ever seen,” Carmella said. “My mom painted my face green, darkened my eyebrows and put a mole on my nose so I could fully look the part. You can totally tell I'm saying ‘Boo!’ when she snapped the photo. So scary.”
Dana Brooke as a witch
It seems that witch outfits were a popular choice, as Dana Brooke also hopped on the bandwagon. The self-proclaimed “Total Diva” went all out on her favorite holiday of the year.
“Halloween is my favorite time of year,” she said. “Just like sports-entertainment, we get to be larger-than-life characters and create a unique look. When I was a child, it was always a huge decision of what costume to pick, because I had to be in character from head to toe, inside and out. With this particular outfit, I wanted to be a witch because I never was able to be mean, ever, or cast spells. Being The Total Diva I am now was probably inspired by my childhood when I always wanted to do crazy-fun, extreme makeup, as we can see from this photo. Being able to create a character in my head and live it for a day is what made me love Halloween. Now I get to live it and love it every day for the rest of my life!”
Chad Gable as Popeye
The former Olympian had to start his successful string of winning competitions somewhere. Perhaps it all started with this costume choice.
"I always entered the costume contests in my grandma's town growing up,” Chad Gable remembered.” We wanted to go all out this year, so she hand-made me this Popeye outfit and I ended up winning the contest!”
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