Brian Damage
A gimmick is something that is intended to hook the attention of fans to a wrestler. They may be outrageous or steeped more in reality, whatever the case may be…some have succeeded and many others have failed. The Gimmick Table takes a look at the origins of some of your favorite and not so favorite gimmicks of professional wrestlers.
Today we browse the gimmick of The Mariner (Furface)
On July 4, 1990, Ed Leslie suffered horrific facial injuries due to a parasailing accident in Florida. A woman’s knees flew full speed into Leslie’s face, shattering every bone in his face and jaw. Ed Leslie spent 16 hours in surgery to save his life. He would receive numerous titanium plates, screws and steel facial webbing to reconstruct his face.
In January of 1991, Ed Leslie wanted to return to the ring, despite doctors warnings that any wrong move could end his life. The WWF had designed an outfit for Leslie that included a mesh mask with fur attached to the head, arms and feet. Underneath the mesh mask, Leslie wore a protective mask that was reportedly designed by NASA. At a TV taping in Huntsville, Alabama…Leslie appeared and did several run ins saving babyface wrestlers against heels like Rick ‘The Model’ Martel, Earthquake and Power and Glory. Leslie would do two more television tapings after that.
He would continue to do post match run ins against Earthquake, the Orient Express, Dino Bravo and the Warlord. By the third taping, the WWF had ditched the fur outfit and gave Leslie a traditional full face mask and chest protector. Those appearances were aired on TV. The run ins wearing fur were not. Internally, Ed Leslie was named ‘The Mariner’ although his name was never officially made on TV. It was rumored the choices were between that and ‘The Avenger’, but chose the Mariner as to not face any legal action from Marvel comics. When photos of Ed Leslie in the fur costume appeared, he was unofficially nicknamed ‘Furface.’
Despite, Leslie’s various run ins at three separate television tapings, it was his own choice not to continue with the gimmick feeling he wasn’t ready physically to continue. Ed Leslie would remain on the sidelines until Wrestlemania 9 in April of 1993…when he returned under his previous gimmick of Brutus Beefcake.
To Browse other entries of the Gimmick Table…Please Click Here.
Luke
I seriously doubt Vince cared about Beefer enough to buy him a NASA design. Although I’m willing to believe he cared about him enough to tell him it was a NASA design…
177613735
You may be right. Then again, he was Hogan’s best buddy and to add to that, any wrong move could have legitimately killed him.
David Fullam
Wasn’t even his worst gimmick.