The Oddities (also known as The Parade of Human Oddities)
were a
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
in the
World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
(WWF) during the
Attitude Era
The Attitude Era was a term used by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) to describe the company's programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002. It started during the Monday Night Wars, a pe ...
of the late 1990s.
History
World Wrestling Federation (1998–1999)
The Jackyl formed the group in May 1998 and called them "The Parade of Human Oddities” after
The Truth Commission
The Truth Commission was a professional wrestling stable in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and the United States Wrestling Association (USWA). Their label "Truth Commission" was a take on the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commissio ...
disbanded. The group consisted of a
freak show
A freak show, also known as a creep show, is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to in popular culture as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with ...
of wrestlers, including the
masked Golga (whose mask was supposed to hide a
bone growth
Ossification (also called osteogenesis or bone mineralization) in bone remodeling is the process of laying down new bone material by cells named osteoblasts. It is synonymous with bone tissue formation. There are two processes resulting in th ...
disorder yet made him look
deformed anyway), the deranged
Luna Vachon
Gertrude Elizabeth Vachon ( ; January 12, 1962 – August 27, 2010) was an American-Canadian professional wrestler, better known as Luna Vachon.Lisa S. Davis,Ex-wrestler Luna Vachon, 48, found dead", ''Tampa Bay Online'' (August 31, 2010). Over ...
, the towering
Kurrgan
Robert Maillet (born October 26, 1969) is a Canadian actor and retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his time in the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1997 to 1999, where he performed under the ring name ...
(who stood at seven feet tall)
and the even larger
Giant Silva
Paulo César da Silva (born July 21, 1962) is a Brazilian former national basketball player for the Brazilian national basketball team and later mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Giant Silva. He stands ...
. On the May 25, 1998 episode of ''
Monday Night Raw
''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...
'', the stable appeared in a segment with ''
Howard Stern Show
''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was radio syndication, nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WINS-FM, WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The sho ...
'' regulars
Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf
Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf (born Henry Joseph Nasiff Jr.; April 20, 1962 – September 4, 2001) was an American entertainer. He appeared numerous times on ''The Howard Stern Show'' and on the televised studio segments which aired on the E! cha ...
and
Crackhead Bob.
[ Under the leadership of the Jackyl, the Oddities were a fearsome group of ]heels
The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg.
Structure
To distribute the compressive forces exert ...
though they did not win any titles
A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...
. Jackyl, however, soon left the Oddities to become the manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
of Hell's Henchmen (later renamed The Acolytes
The Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) was an American professional wrestling tag team who consisted of Bradshaw (John Layfield) and Faarooq (Ron Simmons). They wrestled for the American promotion World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) b ...
), before leaving WWE altogether.
On the July 28, 1998 episode of ''Raw'', the Oddities were re-introduced, this time as babyfaces, by Sable
The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaza ...
, a former enemy of Vachon who had discovered their fun loving side and made them feel happy in spite of their freakish appearances. The same night, Golga (now turned into a fan of Eric Cartman
Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to by his surname Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom '' South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main chara ...
) defeated Marc Mero
Marc Mero (born July 9, 1960) is an American former Amateur boxing, amateur boxer and professional wrestling, professional wrestler, as well as a motivational speaker. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF ...
, with whom Sable was feuding, and the group celebrated in the ring afterwards. Off-screen, the idea to pair Sable with the Oddities had been Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...
's. The Oddities made their pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
under a new entrance music
Entrance music (also known as an entry theme or walk-on music) is a musical piece or song that is played for athletes or entertainers when they first appear in front of the spectators before beginning a performance. Popular music acts may have rec ...
performed live by Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler ...
, who also started accompanying them to the ring and dancing energetically along with all of them before their matches. Their entrance video featured clips from the 1932 horror film ''Freaks
Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc.
Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to:
Fictional characters
* Freak (Ima ...
'', as the song and video celebrated the film's message, that the "freaks" were actually decent and polite and that the so-called "normal" people were bad. At the event, Kurrgan, Golga and Giant Silva defeated the numerically superior Kaientai
The was a trading and shipping company and private navy, considered to be the first corporation in modern Japan.
Kaientai, originally named Kameyama Shachū (亀山社中, "Kameyama Troupe"), was founded by Sakamoto Ryōma in Nagasaki in 186 ...
(Taka Michinoku
(born October 26, 1973), better known by his ring name (with his first name usually stylized in all capital letters), is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Michinoku is known in North America for his work for the ...
, Dick Togo
, better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. Togo is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a member of the Bullet Club stable, and its sub-group House of Torture.
Togo has spent the majority of ...
, Mens Teioh
(born December 16, 1966) is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Men's Teioh (also written MEN's Teioh). The English translation of his ring name, Terry Boy, is a homage to American professional wrestler Terry Funk.
...
and Sho Funaki
(born August 24, 1968) is a Japanese professional wrestler and color commentator signed to WWE, where he is a one-time Cruiserweight Champion and a one-time Hardcore Champion. He currently works for WWE as a Japanese-language play-by-play co ...
) thanks to their enormous individual sizes.
They later started a feud with The Headbangers
The Headbangers are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Mosh (Charles Warrington) and Thrasher (Glenn Ruth). As the name of the team implies, their gimmick is that they are a pair of metalheads, complete with heavy metal related T-sh ...
(Mosh
Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dance, dancing in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal music, heavy metal and punk rock ...
and Thrasher
Thrashers are a New World group of perching bird, passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the family (biology), family Mimidae. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genus, genera.
T ...
), who feigned friendship to attack the group on September 21, 1998. The Oddities scored several victories against them thanks to interventions by Insane Clown Posse, which caused The Headbangers started targeting them specifically. At Judgment Day: In Your House's ''Sunday Night Heat'' tapings in October, the Oddities defeated Los Boricuas
Los Boricuas were a professional wrestling stable that originated in the World Wrestling Federation in the late 1990s. The name was derived from a popular nickname for Puerto Rican people, since all the stable's members were from Puerto Rico. Dif ...
( Jose Estrada, Miguel Pérez, Jr. and Jesus Castillo), but The Headbangers intervened and attacked ICP after the bout. This and similar incidents frustrated the duo, who started blaming the Oddities for their beatdowns. Violent J and Shaggy worked to become active wrestlers in the group, but they also demonstrated too much aggression, causing the disqualification of the group in a rematch against Kai En Tai on October 20 in ''Raw'' when they attacked the referee. Finally, on the November 23 episode of ''Monday Night Raw'', the Insane Clown Posse turned on the Oddities and joined The Headbangers to assault and humiliate their former stable with Mace. The following week, the remaining Oddities returned the attack in and challenged Mosh and Thrasher to a match in Rock Bottom: In Your House, but they were defeated. The group then enlisted the aid of George "The Animal" Steele, who was introduced in a giant gift box to attack the Headbangers by surprise. He was referred by the announcers as the "original Oddity" .[ The same month, however, Vachon became a ]villainess
A villain (also known as a " black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...
aligning herself with Shane McMahon
Shane Brandon McMahon (; born January 15, 1970) is an American businessman and professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a wrestler, producer and minority owner. He is the founder and executive chairman of Idean ...
and abandoned the group to feud over the WWF Women's Championship WWF may refer to:
Non-profit organizations
*World Wide Fund for Nature or World Wildlife Fund, a nature conservation group
*World Water Forum, an international forum for water issues
*Working Women's Forum, a training, trade and credit union in In ...
with Sable.
In 1999, the Oddities began another feud, this time against a coalition between Too Much (Brian Christopher
Brian Christopher Lawler (January 10, 1972 – July 29, 2018) was an American professional wrestler. He is best remembered for his career in the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), where he performed as "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher and Grand M ...
and Scott Taylor) and The Disciples of Apocalypse (8-Ball and Skull), but it was short and unsuccessful. At the Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
in 1999, Golga made a short appearance before being eliminated by Steve Austin
Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...
. Kurrgan also appeared and lasted longer than Golga before being eliminated by Kane. In February 1999, all 4 members of the Oddities were released by the WWF.
Independent circuit (2007–2009)
In August 2007, Giant Silva led an unofficial incarnation of the stable named Odd-It-Tees in National Wrestling Superstars, teaming up with a Golga impersonator named Goal-Duh and being managed by George Steele. They were later joined by The Zombie. The team was short-lived and competed for the last time in 2009.
Members
ImageSize = width:900 height:200
PlotArea = left:170 bottom:60 top:0 right:50
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:05/19/1998 till:02/28/1999
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:Member value:green legend:Member
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:1 start:1999
ScaleMinor = unit:month increment:1 start:05/19/1998
LineData =
at:05/19/1998 color:black layer:back
at:02/28/1999 color:black layer:back
BarData =
bar:Jackyl text:"The Jackyl"
bar:Golga text:"Golga"
bar:Silva text:"Giant Silva"
bar:Luna text:"Luna Vachon"
bar:Kurrgan text:"Kurrgan"
bar:Sable text:"Sable"
bar:Shaggy text:"Shaggy 2 Dope"
bar:ViolentJ text:"Violent J"
bar:Steele text:"George 'the Animal' Steele"
PlotData=
width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Jackyl from:05/19/1998 till:07/14/1998 color: Member
bar:Golga from:05/19/1998 till:02/28/1999 color: Member
bar:Silva from:05/19/1998 till:02/28/1999 color: Member
bar:Luna from:05/19/1998 till:12/28/1998 color: Member
bar:Kurrgan from:06/02/1998 till:02/28/1999 color: Member
bar:Sable from:07/28/1998 till:08/24/1998 color: Member
bar:Shaggy from:08/30/1998 till:11/17/1998 color: Member
bar:ViolentJ from:08/30/1998 till:11/17/1998 color: Member
bar:Steele from:12/14/1998 till:02/28/1999 color: Member
Championships and accomplishments
*Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
This is a list of both active and inactive ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll between ...
** Worst Gimmick (1998)
** Worst Tag Team (1998)
See also
* Dark Carnival (wrestling)
*The Dungeon of Doom
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
* The Menagerie
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oddities
WWE teams and stables