Dr. Isaac Yankem, DDS
True identity: Glen Jacobs
Some gimmicks just bite. As Jerry "the King" Lawler's "royal
dentist," summoned to "extract revenge" on Bret Hart, Dr. I. Yankem
wore a white smock to the ring, his entrance accompanied by the
whine of a dentist's drill. His finishing move was known as the DDS
(actually the DDT, made famous by wrestlers such as Jake "the
Snake" Roberts). In an ironic twist only a wrestling fan could
appreciate, the Doc's own teeth were rotted and nasty, and he
enjoyed subjecting his patients to pain?just like a real
dentist.
Did you know: As the Undertaker's brother Kane (Jacobs' current,
more successful persona), Jacobs wore a full face mask for
years?presumably to hide his shame over this role.
Henry O. Godwinn
True identity: Mark Canterbury
An ornery hog farmer ushered into to the ring by eerie,
Deliverance-esque banjo music, Godwinn was the dark side of lovable
hick grappler Hillbilly Jim (who at one point became his manager).
He wrestled in denim overalls and carried a bucket of hog slop to
the ring, which he dumped over opponents' heads. The lameness
quotient was doubled when he formed a tag team with his brother,
Phineas I. Godwinn (note initials on both).
Did you know: The Godwinns were once managed by their "Uncle
Cletus," an evil redneck portrayed by none other than Tony "T.L.
Hopper" Anthony.
Dean Douglas
True identity: Troy Martin
This cerebral villain pissed off fellow superstars by grading their
performances (always an "F") after matches from the security of a
backstage "classroom." When the Dean finally got into the ring, he
strutted up wearing a graduation robe, defeated opponents with a
special suplex called "the Final Exam," and, at his lowest point,
spanked opponents with a wooden paddle called "the Board of
Education"?bringing a hint of homoeroticism to higher
education.
Did you know: Troy Martin owns a teaching degree in real life?which
may have inspired Vince McMahon's brain trust to concoct the "Dean"
character. Either that, or they were just high.
T.L. Hopper
True identity: Tony Anthony
The sounds of a flushing toilet accompanied this evil wrestling
plumber into the squared circle, where he grappled in butt
crack?revealing jeans and a dirty undershirt. Hopper's greatest
accessory was his plunger, nicknamed "Betsy," which he would
arrogantly shove into the face of defeated adversaries in his few
actual victories.
Did you know: Hopper's finishing move was called "Down the Drain."
We suppose "the Royal Flush" must have been too obvious.
The Goon
True identity: Bill Irwin
If Bo Jackson could excel in baseball and football, why couldn't a
hockey enforcer also be a pro wrestler? This short-lived ice-hole
wore a hockey jersey and ridiculous platform wrestling boots that
looked like skates, and toted his hockey stick to the ring.
Somehow, the referees missed his using it in ways that would earn
him triple-digit penalty minutes in the new NHL.
Did you know: The Stanley Cup was originally called the Dominion
Hockey Challenge Cup. What does this have to do with the Goon? Not
much.
