Who was the first to wear "non wrestling attire"

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

I'm sure ECW marks will suggest the likes of Raven, Sandman and Dreamer but were there anyone earlier, in a non-HillBilly gimmick that did not wear wrestling (or any form of competitonal garb which includes martial art styles and such)

 

Steve

[Guest Fook]

IRS pretty much wore a suit in the ring.

[reign 0]

I would have to guess the Booklyn Brawler although that was, like IRS really a good costume and fit the character. The one that really sticks out as being not associated with the character was DDP and his terrible jeans that he wore....he looked like crap and made me not want to watch him.

[Guest OSIcon]

The Sheepherders never really wore wrestling gear from what I can remember. They did the camaflauge pants and tank top deal. That would be around 1985 or even earlier which predates IRS and the Brooklyn Brawler.

 

I'd imagine there are also quite a few other wrestlers around that time and even earlier that didn't wear traditional wrestling gear.....

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

Well I guess there goes the whole "ECW invented the look" thought...

 

Ah well.

 

Maybe it was the "Look at me! I look like I just stumbled out of the audience and I'm here to kick some ass!" style that ECW perfected with Dreamer, Sandman, Raven, ect

 

Steve

[Guest LooneyTune]

Does Haystacks Calhoun count as a hillbilly (I've only seen 1 match of him)? I just think he was a really fat guy.

[spman 0]

One Man Gang never really wore any traditional wrestling gear.

[Guest LooneyTune]

The Moondogs: Wore cut up jeans and what looked like hiking boots(?).

[reign 0]

Most of the guys mentioned so far like Raven and the Bushwackers wore what they wore because it fit the character and made some sense. No they weren't wearing tights but I don't think they needed to because of the character they were playing. Getting back to DDP, he had wrestling attire that really wasn't too bad but then took to those faded,tight guess jeans(they had the little triangle on the back) and I think that it was supposed to mean he was just an average guy like the people but I just never worked for me. Worst use of non wrestling attire I believe.

[Guest LooneyTune]

You should've seen what the bastard wore at Fall Brawl 1995. BLECH! What a nightmare.

[Nighthawk 0]

Does Haystacks Calhoun count as a hillbilly (I've only seen 1 match of him)? I just think he was a really fat guy.

You shitting me? He was THE hillbilly.

[Art Sandusky 0]

His first name is HAYSTACKS, ferchrissakes.

[Epic Reine 0]

Raven's flock never weared any wrestling trunks. They all just wore jean shorts and t-shirts.

 

I never understood why for awhile, Billy Kidman wrestled in a tank top and shorts.

[nl5xsk1 0]

"Big" Bubba Rogers (the future Big Boss Man) wore a suit in the ring when he debuted, and that was '86 or '87.

[Perfxion 0]

Bobby Heenan wins this because in the late 70s/early 80s in the AWA he wore a Weesle suit to the ring to wrestle a match. Hense the nickname for him.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Does Haystacks Calhoun count as a hillbilly (I've only seen 1 match of him)? I just think he was a really fat guy.

You shitting me? He was THE hillbilly.

I just thought he was some really fat guy who could only fit into overalls. Oh well... Bib Bubba gets my official vote now.

[BUTT 0]

The Smoking Gunns wore jeans.

[Slayer 0]

I would say Randy Savage's Electric Cowboy outfit constitutes "non-traditional" wrestling attire

[Guest Frank_Nabbit]

The Sheepherders have been around since at least the late 70's (with Johnathan Boyd as the flag bearer) They had like 20+ years experience when they signed with the WWF in late 88 (According to PWI at least)

 

Kamala in 83 wore his jungle outfit (Predates most of whats been stated)

 

I believe Ricky Starr wrestled in a ballet singlet in the 60's

 

If I actually think a while, I bet I can think of someone from way back who had a non traditional outfit.

[Guest Frank_Nabbit]

One Man Gang never really wore any traditional wrestling gear.

He did in the late 70's. He wore a singlet type outfit. (As OMG and Crusher Broomfield)

[JHawk 0]

I believe Ricky Starr wrestled in a ballet singlet in the 60's

Every tape I've ever seen of Starr had him in trunks, although he did wear ballet slippers or something.

[Epic Reine 0]

What about Test when he first entered the WWE? He wore muscle shirts and leather pants.

[chuck415 0]

So Do I!!!

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Obviously the idea of wearing non-wrestling attire goes back more than just a few years. Thinking the issue over, however, I was surprised that I could not think of any examples from before the 1980s. Big Bubba Rogers and One Man Gang were probably among the first the wear them full time. Sure there are a handful of wrestlers who wore non-wrestling gear for one match, but that hardly counts.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Obviously the idea of wearing non-wrestling attire goes back more than just a few years. Thinking the issue over, however, I was surprised that I could not think of any examples from before the 1980s. Big Bubba Rogers and One Man Gang were probably among the first the wear them full time. Sure there are a handful of wrestlers who wore non-wrestling gear for one match, but that hardly counts.