Similar to a mask, face paint is another popular way of taking a gimmick to a new level. Face paint has been part of professional wrestling for years, as numerous wrestlers from different eras have used it. While it's not widely used as before in today's more reality based product, wrestlers still use it every now and then.
When it comes to the use of face painting, some wrestlers got it over because it added a flair to their gimmicks. On the other hand, there were also failed attempts with face painting, as awful designs or using it when it didn't really fit their gimmick had detrimental effects on the whole persona.
10 Amazing: Finn Balor
Regrettably, Finn Balor stopped using his popular face paint two years ago. Using the red and black face paint, the Demon Balor character immensely got over, which was a reason Finn Balor's alter ago was unbeaten on the main roster. It went further than just the face paint, as The Demon had a full-body paint, making the character even more mesmerizing.
Since moving back to NXT, Balor has turned into a Prince, and he is yet to use the Demon gimmick. Nonetheless, the fans will be hoping to see him in the demon version again in the future.
9 Wasn't Amazing: Asuka
Asuka is one of the successful names in the women's division today, having won all the active women's titles to become a Grand Slam Champion. Earlier, Asuka had a straight line paint on her face, which looked great on her as a babyface. She, however, changed it in 2019, right after turning heel. Even when turned into a babyface once again, she kept using it.
Perhaps inspired by using the green mist, she uses green face paint right under her eyes and lip. The look just doesn't suit her as a babyface.
8 Amazing: Drew McIntyre ( Fastlane 2021)
Drew McIntyre doesn't normally wear face paint, but he did it once at 2021 Fastlane. McIntyre faced Sheamus in a No Hold Barred match. While the match was outstanding, McIntyre's unique face paint was another thing that caught fans' eyes.
Besides wearing the signature kilt and carrying the sword during the entrance, McIntyre had blue and white face paint, which truly made him look like Braveheart while entering the ring. With a cool look like that, of course McIntyre ended up winning the match.
7 Wasn't Amazing: Phantasio
Phantasio was a wrestler who wrestled in WWE in the mid 1990s. Making his debut with the character, Phantasio wore face paint which was supposed to fit his magician gimmick. The black and white face paint looked identical to a mime mask.
Phantasio didn't wrestle beyond a handful of matches in WWE. The facepaint was terrible, not only for being a copy of a mime mask but also for the similarity with Sting's face paint at that time, as he was one of the top stars of WCW.
6 Amazing: The Boogeyman
When fans think about The Boogeyman, they not only remember him for eating worms but also for the terrifying black and red face paint. The way Boogeyman portrayed the character, it seemed like he was born with the face paint.
The Boogeyman didn't win any title in WWE, but he was one of the most memorable characters in WWE (for better or for worse), who took things to a new level.
5 Wasn't Amazing: The Stalker Or Barry Windham
Barry Windham had two different stints in WWE, one in the late 1980s and another one in the mid-1990s. Both of his stints in WWE were far from the highlight of his career, as he was more of a noteworthy name in WCW and NWA. During his second WWE tenure, he played a character called The Stalker.
While the total gimmick was a failure, his face paint made it even worse. He had a blonde mustache, but his face was painted green, yellow, and black colors, making him look ridiculous.
4 Amazing: The Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimate Warrior was one of the first wrestlers who wore face paint. In fact, the former WWE Champion was a primary reason why the concept of face paint got popular in professional wrestling.
Warrior wasn't a great wrestler, but his look and energy in the ring helped him get over. Along with his impressive physique, he had worn tassels on his biceps and every night, he had face paint. The colorful and amazing design of Warrior's face paint made him look like a superhero in the squared circle.
3 Wasn't Amazing: Bull Nakano
In the 1990s, women's wrestlers were hardly recognized because the industry was totally male dominated. Bull Nakano, the Japanese women's wrestler, made a mark for herself in WWE while having perhaps the biggest women's feud at the time, with Alundra Blayze. They had some incredible matches, and Nakano even won the WWE Women's Championship.
As a heel, her look was unique at that time. She had long hair but her hair was shaved on both sides. She had a veiny face paint on the one side of her face, which looked strange.
2 Amazing: Sting
Sting was certainly the wrestler who made face paint emblematic in the 1990s. Right after the start of his wrestling career, Sting started sporting face paint, first as "Surfer Sting", but the iconic black and white face paint in WCW was one of the reasons why his dark and vigilante persona became so popular.
Everything was iconic about the crow version of Sting, whether it was the baseball bat, the black coat, the Scorpion Death Drop, the Stinger Splash, or the black and white face paint. Sting kept that signature paint through much of his run in WCW, TNA, WWE and even AEW.
1 Wasn't Amazing: The Blue Meanie
The Blue Meanie was the part of the Blue World Order or bWo, which was a parody stable of WCW's nWo. They wrestled in ECW and had a run of a couple of years. It was a parody group, and bWo's The Blue Meanie's face paint looked awful, perhaps purposely, since he was meant to be a comedic character.
He had a mohawk hairstyle and dark face paint all around his eyes. Moreover, his half t-shirt and jeans shorts ring attire made him look even more ridiculous.