Every Tuesday, we take a look at an outlandish character from wrestling’s days gone by. Sometimes laughable, sometimes revolting, but always preposterous, they’re part of what makes pro rasslin’ so great. Ranging from slightly peculiar to downright ludicrous, these are the wrestlers that time has rightly forgotten.
Back before he was best known for his epic run to the ring at WrestleMania 24, Charles Robinson was recognized by WCW fans as Little Naitch. After years as a characterless referee, Robinson began favoring Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen when officiating their matches. This led to him adopting the Little Naitch moniker, a play on Ric Flair’s Nature Boy nickname, and assuming the role of Ric Flair’s sidekick of sorts. This naturally didn’t sit well with the rest of WCW, namely Randy Savage, and led to a match between Robinson and Macho Man’s valet Gorgeous George at Slamboree ’99. At the event, Little Naitch came to the ring wearing a robe similar to those made famous by Flair, “Woooo-ing” and strutting his way down the aisle in the style of the dirtiest player in the game. He even copied Flair’s moves, mannerisms, and illegal tactics in the match. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to defeat the ultra-hot Gorgeous George, who pinned Robinson after emulating Savage’s trademark flying elbow. A week later, Charles Robinson wrestled his second (and last) match on Monday Nitro, seen below. In it, he teamed with his idol Ric Flair to wrestle Randy Savage and Medusa. In a tragic twist, Robinson suffered several cracked vertebrae and a collapsed lung after Macho Man botched his famous diving elbow. And thus, the end of Little Naitch.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Or-Rq-5-ek]
Just saw the article on my run as “Little Nature Boy” and I wanted to say thanks. Good to see that it is still remembered after all of these years.
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