The Late 90s Were An Odd Time…
Last night was the 35th iteration of what wrestling fans call the “Showcase Of The Immortals”, the “Grandest Stage Of Them All”, and the “Biggest Night In Sports Entertainment” among many other things. Its real name, Wrestlemania.
It’s the biggest event in pro wrestling history and features the best of the best in the sport. But while Wrestlemania may be the showcase of the very best that pro wrestling has to offer, it’s a night that’ll also surely glance over some of the more regrettable moments in pro wrestling history. One of which would be The KISS Demon…
The year was 1999 when WCW (World Championship Wrestling) was hemorrhaging funds like crazy and was in desperate need of something new, something fresh, and something excited. So, it was then that Eric Bischoff, President of WCW, signed a deal with legendary rock band KISS to include a KISS-themed wrestler to the roster.
To close out an episode of WCW Nitro, the aforementioned KISS performed their hit song “God Of Thunder” and to close out that song, the band had the KISS Demon make his way out of a demonic red sculpture. Not even kidding. See for yourself…
All the hype and pyro in the world, and it would only go all downhill from there, sadly. This particular segment resulted in one of the worst-rated Nitros in history. To make matters even worse, Eric Bischoff left the company right after and the Demon’s contractually-mandated push was in serious jeopardy.
He lost more matches than he won and was never given a single title shot. His stint at the KISS Demon didn’t last more than a year and he eventually left the company.
These days the KISS Demon (Dale Torborg) is enjoying a career with the Chicago White Sox as a Roving Strength Trainer and Conditioning Coordinator.
It’s truly a shame that this character could never get off the ground. On paper, he should’ve been a massive success. Wrestling and music crossovers have proven to be successful, and with the massive fanbase of KISS and WCW combined, this had all the potential in the world, but sadly just suffered from poor timing and lackluster gimmicking…