Charles Wright Files Trademarks For These Past Gimmicks

Former WWE star Charles Wright, better known at various times throughout his career as The Godfather and Papa Shango, is now seeking control over his past personas. 

According to two filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Wright filed trademarks on both of those previous gimmicks over the last week.

The "Attitude Era" star is set to appear on tonight's 30th-anniversary edition of "WWE Raw," which is also scheduled to include Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Diamond Dallas Page, and many others. Wright underwent a successful hip surgery just last month, so it seems unlikely he'll find himself engaged in any physical action tonight.

Before being slated for tonight's "Raw," Wright last appeared on WWE programming for the Undertaker's retirement ceremony at WWE Survivor Series 2020. Wright, who is known to be a close friend of "The Dead Man," appeared alongside WWE stars such as Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels, and Ric Flair to bid Undertaker farewell as he officially retired from in-ring action.

Wright wrestled as the voodoo-themed Papa Shango for several years in the early 1990s, subsequently taking on several other gimmicks, such as Kama in the Nation of Domination. Starting in 1998, Wright finally settled in as The Godfather – a pimp character who was accompanied to the ring by scantily-clad women referred to as "hos," which is an exaggeration of Wright's real-life profession as a Las Vegas strip club owner. While WWE's TV-PG guidelines would seemingly tame a Godfather appearance on "Raw," it's impossible to say what the company has planned for the character.