If you were a male pro wrestling fan wearing dark make-up and tattered kilts in the mid to late-90s, odds are you were a fan of The Headbangers. A little over a year after WCW launched Nitro on TNT, the arm-swinging, fun-loving, and hard-hitting duo, joined the WWE tag team division. At the time, more colorful names like The Godwins and The Legion of Doom were centerpieces of the division but McMahon’s then-WWF was already on the cusp of moving in a more edgy direction.
As WCW had begun beating WWF Raw in viewership, McMahon was persuaded by names like Vince Russo and Shawn Michaels to take the product in a new direction with more attitude. Enter The Headbangers’ Mosh and Thrasher to WWF’s tag team division. The duo was trained by The Monster Factory owner Larry Sharpe in New Jersey before working for various independent promotions. It was in Smokey Mountain Wrestling they were repackaged as the punk rock tag team, The Headbangers.
After a brief initial run in WWF as The Flying Nuns, yes they were men dressed as Nuns who wrestled, they returned to their The Headbangers persona and quickly started to win over the crowd. At WrestleMania 13 they won a shot at the WWF Tag Team Championships, which they later won at In Your House: Ground Zero in a Fatal 4-Way Match. While they never won the titles again, they were prominently presented until they were both released in late-2000, Mosh, and early-2001, Thrasher.
The duo returned to WWE for a handful of matches in 2016 but have not been seen back on WWE TV since. That may change soon as both Mosh, Chaz Warrington, and Thrasher, Glenn Ruth, have taken to social media to confirm they have signed WWE nostalgia contracts.
“Watch out!” Warrington exclaimed. “It’s been signed!”
“I can finally post this!!” Ruth also cried out. “I’m completely excited and fortunate to have this opportunity! The Headbangers have signed a WWE Nostalgia agreement!! Look for your Headbangers merch coming soon!!! WOW blessed!! Thank you @WWE!!!”
Traditionally nostalgia contracts, or Legends contracts, have allowed former talents to receive royalties from newly produced merchandise. It can also lead to television appearances and other WWE-related opportunities.
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