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Brothers in Paint: 10 best face painted wrestlers of all time

Road Warriors, Ultimate Warrior, and Modern Day Warrior
Road Warriors, Ultimate Warrior, and Modern Day Warrior

Face paint has been going on for a long time in human history. Early Celtic warriors painted their faces blue to frighten enemies. Roman Gladiators were thought to have worn face paint to make their features stand out to fans high in the upper decks of the arena.

But of course, no one mastered the art of face paint quite like Native American tribes. Most likely, the idea for painting faces in wrestling came from this tradition.

Cherokee war paint.
Cherokee war paint.

Let's take a look at ten of the most famous wrestlers to paint their visages.


#10 "The Exotic One" Adrian Street

Adrian Street threatened the masculinity of fans in the 1970s and 80s.
Adrian Street threatened the masculinity of fans in the 1970s and 80s.

Though he started his career as a brawler, Adrian Street discovered that he could bring massive amounts of heat on himself by engaging in gender-bending shenanigans.

After he started painting his face and acting effeminate, Street became a much bigger draw. He pushed the envelope further, sometimes kissing or tickling his foes to avoid defeat.

But Adrian Street is not credited with being the first face painted wrestler. For that, let's move on to the next slide.

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