WWE Hall Of Famer The Godfather On How Much Of His Personality Was In Character

For a guy who credits himself with portraying eight different characters during his professional wrestling career, Charles Wright connects most closely with The Godfather — and he doesn't hesitate for a second to make that distinction. Appearing on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," Wright, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016, laid out how very simple it was for him to get behind the Godfather character and why it stands above any other gimmick in his career.

"The best thing for me is Godfather because Godfather is me," Wright said. While the character was over the top, outlandish, perfect for The Attitude Era, and very likely impossible to portray today, Wright said it was simply him exerting his true personality and having fun with a gimmick that was, ironically, suggested by his wife. "Being a pimp [is beside] the point. It was so nice to be able to just be you."

While some other characters he portrayed were defiant (Kama), violent (Kama Mustafa), and spooky (Papa Shango), The Godfather let Wright be himself and enjoy wrestling for the number one reason he wanted to be involved in it in the first place — to have fun. "I [have fun] all the time," he said. "I don't act hard. I don't act mean. I try to be funny. And I just enjoy life now which has made me a better person. The pinnacle for me was being The Godfather and being able to be myself on TV." 

Along with the freedom of just portraying an elevated version of his true personality, Wright says the company let him express himself freely as well, knowing that the audience was looking for the same fun that he was. "I was never scripted," he said. "I had carte blanche. Is that crazy? They just wanted me to entertain them.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.