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The Attitude Era was all about pushing the envelope, experimenting with new ideas and angles that had never been seen in mainstream wrestling before, complaints from parents groups be damned. Perhaps the best example of the WWE testing the limits came in the year 2000. Having found success with risqué characters, angles, and moments, a new idea was come up with for the somewhat directionless Dennis Knight.
Already a man of many names and gimmicks, the final character of Dennis Knight's WWE career was by far the oddest, and in some ways, the simplest. With a roster packed with a plethora of zany characters, each with their own unique personalities, traits and behaviors, WWE creative asked a fairly basic question about Knight - what if he was naked?
Dennis Knight Portrayed Many Strange Characters During His Career
Dennis Knight has portrayed all kinds of characters across his wrestling career, from the scary, to the strange, to the comedic. After debuting in 1989, Knight joined the USWA in 1991, Jerry Lawler's Memphis-based promotion. There, he was given the gimmick of Leatherface, lifting the character from 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, including the mask, apron, and chainsaw. The character was used as a monster for Lawler to overcome, but he did that perhaps a little too well. Though it is disputed whether Knight was under the mask during the match or one of the other men that portrayed the character, a fireball from Lawler went beyond a simple flash, instead, igniting Leatherface's shirt.
Knight then joined WCW in 1992, competing there as Tex Slazenger. A Clearwater, Florida native, Knight became yet another 'Texas outlaw' character as Slazenger, cowboy hat and all. After two years in WCW, Knight soon joined WWE. Throughout his time in USWA and WCW, Knight had primarily teamed with Mark Canterbury, who had worked under the names 'Master Blaster' and 'Shanghai Pierce' across the two promotions. Once in WWE, they appeared together as pig-farming cousins, The Godwinns.
With Knight as Phinneas I. Godwinn and Canterbury as Henry O. Godwinn (initials P.I.G. and H.O.G. respectively), the two had much more success. Perhaps best remembered for pouring 'slop' over their opponents, the Godwinns also had two reigns with the WWE World Tag Team Championships, appearing on 'The Big Four' pay-per-views and numerous In Your House events. In 1998, they ditched the pig farm and became Southern Justice, the protection for Jeff Jarrett and Tennessee Lee. An injury to Canterbury would cut his career short, leaving Knight on his own, appearing under his real name, until he was abducted and tortured by the Ministry of Darkness.
Now a member of the Ministry, Knight re-appeared as Mideon, a demonic soothsayer for the occult faction. Mideon was mainly used as another body to add bulk to the stable, more armor around The Undertaker for his opponents to battle through. He did hold the WWE European Title, essentially stealing it from Shane McMahon, then dropping it to D'Lo Brown a few weeks later. After the Ministry dissolved, Mideon was largely directionless, until a fateful day in 2000.
Naked Mideon Started Due To A Backstage Prank That Vince McMahon Heard About
As told by Knight in an interview with Gerald Brisco and JBL, the idea of Naked Mideon was sparked from a prank at a WWE event. Knight had just gotten out of the shower when a pair of WWE officials called for some talent for a meet and greet. Seeing a prime opportunity to get a laugh, Knight strapped on his fanny pack (and only his fanny pack), stepped out into the hallway, then asked for directions to the meet and greet.
The story made it to Vince McMahon, who called Knight to his office at RAW. McMahon floated the idea that Knight would go out and streak during a dark segment of the show, and if it got a reaction, then he would do it again at some point during the live show. Running through the crowd in only a tiny thong and fanny pack must have gotten a laugh from the crowd, because as promised, Naked Mideon was soon added to WWE television.
Mideon's Run In WWE Came To An End In 2001
Naked Mideon mainly appeared on WWE programming disrupting the show, running through the arena whilst matches were going on. Mideon's streaks are said to have 'sold out Gorilla', with his coworkers eager to peek through the curtain and watch him streak across the buildings they toured, wearing only a pair of boots, a G-string and his trademark fanny pack that covered all too little.
Naked Mideon didn't do a lot of wrestling, much to the joy of Knight who was getting paid the same for fewer bumps. A tag match on RAW saw him enter to Hulk Hogan's 'Real American' theme as he graced the crowd with his pale form, and a challenge for William Regal's European Title at No Mercy came with the stipulation that he be dressed for the match. Of course, the shirt and the obviously tear-away pants soon came off.
Mideon was released by WWE at the start of 2001, winding down his wrestling career thereafter, before retiring in 2006. Though he wasn't long for this world, Naked Mideon certainly left an impression on the wrestling world, burned into the memory of those who got to see his barely covered figure streak across their TV screens.