There are numerous ways pro wrestlers can distinguish themselves from the competition, some of which have become common signifiers when people imagine pro wrestlers. While some wear masks or opt for unique ring gear, others choose to paint their faces. With some of the earliest examples occurring in the 1970s, face paint became an increasingly popular way to make a wrestler appear wild, fearsome, or otherwise striking.
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Over the years, there have been a number of iconic wrestlers who have worn face paint. But rather than make this a popularity contest, let’s rank these legends and active competitors according to how good they were in the ring, including wrestlers from WWE and beyond.
10 The Ultimate Warrior
While his legacy involves a harsh lesson in not letting success go to one’s head (along with some severely problematic statements), it’s important to remember that at one point The Ultimate Warrior was slated to take Hulk Hogan’s place as the top babyface of WWE.
Warrior had a couple of great matches during his career — including his bout with Hogan — but few would classify him as a great wrestler himself. His energy and charisma was inarguable, but Warrior was notoriously limited in the ring.
9 Jeff Hardy
When it comes to face paint, few put as much effort as Jeff Hardy. Not initially known for wearing face paint, in the late 2000s Hardy adopted the practice as a singles wrestler, decorating his face with unique, intricate designs including fake eyes painted over his eyeballs.
As a wrestler, Hardy’s also great, though his most innovative work was done as a tag team specialist alongside his brother Matt. That said, some may write off Hardy’s in-ring work as glorified stunt work due to the number of insane high-risk spots he’s pulled off.
8 Dustin Rhodes
The year 1995 saw Dustin Rhodes — the son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes — jump ship to WWE, where he was given a gimmick as the provocative, androgynous film critic (?) known as Goldust. With a full bodysuit and a completely painted face, Goldust was certainly one of the most unique face-painted wrestlers of all time. But is he a good wrestler?
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Many second-generation stars have failed to live up to their accomplished parents, and Rhodes, while he’s never held a major World Title, remains a remarkably solid wrestler. Even as an aging veteran, there have been times in the past decade that Rhodes — as Dustin Rhodes or as Goldust — has seemed like a better in-ring performer than he did during his prime.
7 The Road Warriors
For most fans, Hawk and Animal — known collectively as The Road Warriors or The Legion of Doom — are a package deal. After all, their primary focus was in the tag team division, so why bother evaluating them separately?
At their peak, The Road Warriors were one of the best tag teams in the world. Not technical wizards by any stretch, The Road Warriors relied on brute force and powerhouse maneuvers, with the face paint simply adding on to make them seem like the most intimidating wrestlers out there.
6 Aja Kong
A Japanese legend and one of two ‘90s joshi stars Western fans are likely to know by name, Aja Kong made her in-ring debut in 1986 and still wrestles today, subverting the usual joshi wrestler look by being a big lady with face paint. Her size made her unique and her face paint made her scary, but Aja Kong also has a reputation as an incredible in-ring competitor.
For most fans, Kong’s best matches happened in All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling in the 1990s, where she wrecked countless smaller opponents with devastating power moves.
5 Sting
The Ultimate Warrior’s former tag team partner Sting proved to be the better wrestler of the two. Moreover, he not only had the more iconic face paint, but had two different instances of iconic designs: first his pure babyface “Surfer” era followed by his “Crow” look that he introduced in the late 1990s and still wears today.
When it comes to top babyfaces of the 1990s, Sting counts as one of the better in-ring workers — one that other beloved legends like Mick Foley loved to wrestle.
4 Finn Balor
During his pre-WWE run, Prince Devitt started to gain a reputation for painting his body to look like comic book characters like Venom or The Joker for big matches. Upon arriving in WWE in 2014 the now-renamed Finn Balor incorporated the paint into his gimmick, using it to signify an alternate persona named The Demon.
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As an in-ring performer, Balor showed that he was more than just a cool gimmick, as his mix of high-flying and stiff strikes made for some great matches in his NXT days.
3 Bull Nakano
Along with Aja Kong, Bull Nakano is the other ‘90s joshi legend a Western fan is likely to name-check. Wrestling from 1983 to 1997, Nakano’s famous look is one of the most striking in wrestling, with tall dyed hair and face paint usually consisting of blue vein-like lines all over her face.
During her time, Bull Nakano proved to be a trailblazer in women’s wrestling, putting on GOAT matches in the aforementioned AJW and even holding the WWE Women’s Championship at one point.
2 Asuka
Over the years, Asuka has worn a variety of face paint designs, from ones as simple as a black line across her face to a full-on clown look. However, ask any fan, and they’ll tell you that the face paint is secondary to her most notable characteristic, that being her in-ring work. A beloved in-ring worker even before she signed to WWE, Asuka’s known for her stiff strikes and submission work.
She’s such a cut above the rest (regardless of gender) that her record undefeated streak from 2015 to 2018 was totally deserved, and probably could have continued to this day.
1 The Great Muta
When it comes to Japanese men who have worn face paint, there’s none more famous than Keiji Mutoh, otherwise known as The Great Muta. Using poison mist to illegally incapacitate his opponents, Muta was a persona Mutoh started using in WCW in the late 1980s but ended up bringing to Japan with him for big matches.
As an in-ring competitor, Keiji Mutoh was one of the foundational talents of 1990s New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship four times during his career, which ended in 2023 after nearly four decades.
