Fred Ottman Still Laughs At Shockmaster Gimmick, Jokes The Helmet Is Possessed

Nobody will ever forget the infamous debut of The Shockmaster. The character, played by Fred Ottman, first appeared during a backstage segment at WCW's Clash of the Champions XXIV event in 1993. Unfortunately, when Ottman was due to make his grand entrance through a wall, he tripped over, which caused his glitter-covered helmet to briefly come off. Ottman recently spoke with "Busted Open Radio" and said that he now has fun with The Shockmaster helmet during public appearances. "I have the original helmet at the shows with me, and I have them [the fans], I talk them into it, you know, I say it is possessed," Ottman said. "'You know, if you get too close to it, it's going to put me on.'" 

Ottman disclosed that a fan had traveled from Japan to meet him at WrestleCon during WrestleMania week wearing the full Shockmaster attire and a folding cardboard wall. The 64-year-old thought it was a cool and funny moment. 

Regarding The Shockmaster's debut, Ottman, who previously played Tugboat and Typhoon in WWE, revealed that he was told by the late Dusty Rhodes that he was going to be a mystery opponent and that someone had made a glitter-covered mask to hide his identity. Ottman recalled the infamous "Flair for the Gold" segment at Clash of the Champions XXIV involving Ric Flair, Sting, the late Davey Boy Smith, Sid Vicious, Booker T, and Stevie Ray, and said that there was a supporting board on the wall, which he ended up tumbling over after receiving his cue. Ottman admitted that he's had fun with the gimmick over the years and said that he's encountered a lot of fans with Shockmaster-related items.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit SiriusXM's "Busted Open Radio" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.