6 Hilariously Random Ways Wrestlers Got Their Gimmicks

4

Justin Credible Started As The Portuguese Man O’ War Simply Because He Could Speak Portuguese

PJ Polaco has spent most of his career as Justin Credible, a … uh … a really good nickname. Yep. But everyone has to start somewhere, and when Polaco was first working out for WWE, Vince found out he was Portugese. Assuming being Portuguese meant he loved soccer, the creative team started developing a character named Aldo Montoya, a soccer pro who was going to come out and kick soccer balls into the crowd. Am I reading this right? Kick soccer balls into the crowd? “Had a great time at the wrestling, honey, and check it out! Free soccer ball!”

Continue Reading Below

Advertisement

There was one problem: Polaco hated soccer. “But Chris,” you ask, confused. “He hated soccer? But he speaks Portuguese!” I know, it’s weird, right? Almost like an entire nation of people can have more than one opinion. So the creative team put their best minds on the job, desperately searching for another Portuguese thing. Finally, their eureka moment came: the fearsome jellyfish with “war” in its name! So in what sounds like one of the most half-assed moves in character development history, Polaco became Aldo Montoya, the Portuguese Man O’ War. 

NOAA

The animal so badass that its other name is … “bluebottle.”

Continue Reading Below

Advertisement

Now, this was the ’90s. The era of radical and xtreme. “Portuguese Man O’ War” is exactly the kind of name some coke-addled exec would think would appeal to kids. It’s not the worst name. But still … it’s a jellyfish, man. A deadly one, sure, but a jellyfish. The gimmick lasted three years before he jumped ship to ECW and Justin Credible was born. Which, again, is a great wrestling name. Incisive, clever, it’s a pun … just pure poetry, Justin Credible.