Charles Wright
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- For the poet, see Charles Wright (poet), and for the funk band, see Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.
Charles Wright (born May 16, 1961) is a professional wrestler best known for the several years he spent appearing for the World Wrestling Federation.
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Profile
- Height: 6' 5
- Weight: 320 lbs
- Birthday: May 16, 1961
- Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
- Trained By: Larry Shape
- Professional Debut: September 16, 1989
- Previous Identities: The Godfather, Papa Shango, Kama Mustafa, The Goodfather, Kama the Soultaker, Baron Samedi, Sir Charles, The Beast
- Favorite Quote(s): "Pimpin' ain't easy!", "It's time, once again, for everybody to come aboard the 'Ho' Train!"
- Finishing/Signature Move(s): Pimp Drop, The Ho Train (splash variation), Shoulder Breaker, Pimp Legdrop
- Managers: Boss Winters, Larry Sharpe, Nathaniel Whitlock, Ted DiBiase, Stevie Richards
Career
Wright first gained attention in the wrestling world as part of the Memphis based United States Wrestling Association, where he won the USWA Unified World Heavyweight Title by defeating "The King" Jerry Lawler on October 23, 1989.
Not long after, Wright became part of the WWF, where he portrayed Papa Shango, a voodoo priest whose gimmick involved carrying a smoking skull to the ring and causing his opponents to "vomit," "go into convulsions," etc., after he cast a spell on them. Wright was later repackaged as shoot-style wrestler "The Supreme Fighting Machine" Kama as part of Ted DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation and still later as Kama Mustafa, a member of the Nation of Domination.
When leaving the Nation, Wright was repackaged again, this time as the Godfather. This would prove to be Wright's most popular character, as he portrayed a wrestling pimp that was often accompanied to the ring by several of his "hos" (typically played by local strippers hired by the WWF for one-night appearances). As the Godfather, Wright would win the WWF Intercontinental Title as well as forming tag teams with Val Venis and D'Lo Brown.
On May 23, 1999, Wright was booked to wrestle Owen Hart at the Over The Edge pay-per-view for the Intercontinental Title. The match never occurred due to an ultimately fatal injury that Hart had substained while performing an elaborate stunt.
In the year 2000, Wright turned heel (became a villain) and joined the Right to Censor, a group of wrestlers lead by Steven Richards. While part of this group, his character was known as the Goodfather, and he won the WWF Tag Team Titles with his partner Bull Buchanan. When the Right to Censor group disbanded, Wright was not used on WWF television until the 2002 Royal Rumble, where he reverted to the Godfather character with no explanation. The character was altered slightly, as the Godfather claimed to have gone "legitimate" and formed a legal escort service. Wright would not be used in any major capacity in the WWF until being released from the company later that year. Wright has generally not wrestled since his release and is now the General Manager of Cheetahs Gentlemans Club in Las Vegas.
Trivia
- When Wright played The Godfather, several female wrestlers played his "hos" before they became famous. Among them were Lita, Victoria and ECW's Elektra.
Titles/accomplishments
- 1-time WWF Intercontinental Champion
- 1-time WWF World Tag Team Champion (with Bull Buchanan)
- 2-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him #353 of the best 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003.
| Preceded by: Goldust | WWE Intercontinental Champions | Succeeded by: Jeff Jarrett |