Koko B. Ware & 8 Other Wrestlers Who Used Animals As Part Of Their Entrance
A great entrance is as crucial to creating a huge wrestling superstar as a great finisher or great ring attire. For as long as entrances have become a prominent part of wrestling, over-the-top additions to wrestling entrances have also become commonplace. Cars and pyro are staples of a wrestler's entrance but so are animals from various families of the animal kingdom.
RELATED: 10 Things About Pro Wrestling We Love As Adults (But Not As Children)
Parrots, tigers, and bears have all been used by different superstars as part of their entrance. This list will examine 10 wrestlers from promotions like WWE and WCW who at one time or another used an animal as part of their wrestling entrance.
9 Koko B. Ware - "Frankie" The Parrot
Koko B. Ware is a WWE Hall of Famer who's best remembered for putting over a ton of talent and also his pet parrot, Frankie. His time in the Golden Era didn't include a ton of accolades, and he was also a part of a forgotten tag team with Owen Hart.
Frankie was Koko B. Ware's actual pet, and he was the one who suggested his usage to Vince McMahon. He was a beloved aspect of Koko's entrance and sadly passed away in 2002.
8 Jake "The Snake" Roberts - "Damien" The Snake
There are few animals in the history of wrestling as well known as Jake Roberts' snake. Just as WWE was growing to prominence among televised audiences, Jake Roberts was elevating what wrestling could be by injecting reality into the product.
He entered the ring with real pythons. In one famous segment, a snake actually bit "Macho Man" Randy Savage. In an era where wrestlers were fairly generic, Jake entering the ring with his snake bag always helped him shine bright.
7 Scott Steiner - Tiger
Scott Hall rose to prominence at WCW as one-half of the Steiner Brothers. Although the two were arguably the best tag team in the history of WCW, when Scott Steiner went solo he was far more over the top and way over with WCW audiences.
There were few bounds for "Big Poppa Pump" and his entrances were often over the top. During one famous segment on an episode of Nitro, Scott Steiner even entered the ring with a full-grown tiger. He once explained his reason for the entrance by saying it was "cool."
6 The Undertaker - Vulture
Few entrances in the history of wrestling are as iconic as The Undertaker's. The Deadman very famously brought a dark ambiance to the ring before he enters taking off his hat and rolling his eyes to the back of his head. His over-the-top entrances date back to his early days in the WWE.
RELATED: 10 Best Finishers Of WWE's Golden Era
WrestleMania 9 is oftentimes remembered as one of the worst matches of Taker's famous undefeated streak. He entered the ring during the day and was accompanied by a vulture that was placed on the right side of his body just to give an ominous appeal to The Deadman.
5 Bobby Heenan - Camel
Although he didn't wrestle at WrestleMania 9, Bobby Heenan had one of the most memorable entrances at the event. He entered the Las Vegas, Nevada outdoor event riding backward on a camel.
It is remembered as one of the funniest moments in the history of WrestleMania, but it wasn't the last time a wrestler arrived on a camel.
4 Torrie Wilson - "Chloe" The Dog
Torrie Wilson was a part of both WWE and WCW. Many Ruthless Aggression Era fans will remember that Torrie was once accompanied to the ring by a cute dog named, Chloe.
RELATED: WWE: 10 Things You Completely Forgot Happened In The 2000s
Torrie was a part of some strange storylines during her time at the company. The WWE Hall of Famer retired from wrestling in 2008 due to injury. Her former entrance partner passed away in 2020.
3 The British Bulldogs - "Matilda" The Bulldog
Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith were real-life cousins who formed a team known as The British Bulldogs. The pair eventually became WWE Tag Team Champions, but there were plenty of issues outside the ring.
Along with being great technical wrestlers, they were known for their pet bulldog "Matilda." Not only was she an entrance partner with the team, but she would also accompany the two during promo segments.
2 Big Josh - Grizzly Bears
The first SuperBrawl featured a main event between Ric Flair and Tatsumi Fujinami. Earlier in the evening, Big Josh entered the ring with two grizzly bears before his match with Black Bart.
The entrance move was an attempt to get Big Josh over with fans. It did little to move the needle for Josh, and he would eventually become one of the Doinks at the WWE.
1 Matt Riddle - Camel
Crown Jewel has become one of the biggest WWE Premium Live Events. Although it's a more restricted event, some wrestlers have taken the chance to have an over-the-top entrance.
At the 2021 event, Matt Riddle entered his tag match with Randy Orton on top of a camel. Riddle is no stranger to funny moments and his arrival received a good pop from the audience.
