"The Boogeyman has incredible charisma and presence. He's going to make a lot of money...Some people say the gimmick sounds strange, but it's not... Believe me...On paper you'd think The Undertaker's gimmick wouldn't work - but you see the reaction he gets and [Boogeyman] is the same." - Al Snow You've probably all made your minds up about The Boogeyman. I know I have. I have decided that he has the potential to be great! I'm serious.

I first realised this while speaking to someone compiling a list of wrestlers' hometowns. He asked me where The Boogeyman came from. 'This shouldn't be hard,' I thought. After checking a few websites, I had found nothing. I decided to do a little research into the man behind the boogey, Marty Wright. What I discovered was... not a lot. We know his name, we know his age, and we know he tried out for Tough Enough, was cut due to age, and subsequently received a WWE developmental contract. It has been rumoured he has a history of 'psychological problems' and 'bodily assault', and may or may not have been in prison. Other than that - zip. Zilch. Nada. For all we know, this guy could ACTUALLY BE THE BOOGEYMAN.

Again, I'm serious.

Traditionally, the Boogeyman has no specific appearance. It is shapeless much of the time. In some stories, it can even change shape. Who's to say that this 'Marty Wright' is not merely a disguise employed by The Boogeyman" Scoff if you will, but it's not impossible. Just how DID a man who was too old for Tough Enough end up getting a developmental deal and a spot on SmackDown in just one year, especially this year when the likes of the Dudley Boyz, Matt Hardy, Rhino and Charlie Haas lost their jobs" "Charisma" and "presence" according to Al Snow. Just what does that mean" How come the victor of said Tough Enough, Daniel Puder, was released within ten months of winning" How about Jim Cornette - his contract terminated as a direct result of The Boogeyman" And then there's that report of the house show called off due to Boogeyman's entrance. It may just be coincidence, but bad things seem to follow this man - if he is indeed a man - around. Think about it.

But let's forget my paranoid conspiracies. What's the best way to portray The Boogeyman on SmackDown" Stating he is the real Boogeyman is not a wise move ... there are few that will believe it (even if it's true). Maybe he really is Marty Wright playing a character, and The Boogeyman is just one of Palmer Canon's ways to annoy Theodore Long. Canon's allusions to The Boogeyman's cancelled TV show hint at this. Perhaps one week, Boogeyman will creep Long out, and Long will leave the room. Canon could then enter, and he and Marty Wright will have a good old laugh about it. All very tongue-in-cheek, but not probable. The most likely, and possibly best, idea for Boogeyman is this; He is not The Boogeyman. He is Marty Wright, a delusional man who thinks, nay, is CONVINCED, he is The Boogeyman. This idea has been implied with the premise of the cancelled show, which in turn raises more questions as to the nature of the character. What kind of show was it" A documentary series, following this guy who truly believes he is the Boogeyman" A reality show" Maybe the show was a drama, horror, fantasy or even comedy series, and Marty Wright is an actor (as insinuated above). If so, Wright and Canon are certainly in on the joke. Could Theodore Long be in the know too" It's a possibility; Long's a friendly guy, but he knows enough about wrestling to realise that if someone has a problem with the authority, it equals ratings. And what about those Juniors frightened by Boogeyman a couple of weeks back" Surely they don't think he's the real Boogeyman" Of course, he's a physically imposing presence, scary even, but on SmackDown, with the likes of Batista and the Legion of Doom walking around, would he warrant the fear seen in the faces (or rather on the masks) of these Juniors" It seems a little far-fetched. However, when you take into account the fact that the Juniors, like the Boogeyman, were brought to SmackDown under the New Talent Initiative, could they be in allegiance with the Boogeyman" Part of the cancelled show, perhaps"

Laugh if you like, but there's a hell of a lot of intrigue hand-in-hand with this character. WWE could go a number of ways in terms of revealing just who the Boogeyman is. But maybe, just maybe, the best method is not to. Leave a little mystique there. Don't tell us his true nature. If we never find out, we keep guessing. In other words, we keep watching the show. Hell, it works for 'Lost'.

In the meantime, let's go with the most popular theory - a man who believes beyond any doubt that he is The Boogeyman. This has a lot of promise. In his first SmackDown appearance, Boogeyman smashed a clock over his head. Should hurt, right" Nope, he's The Boogeyman, things like that don't hurt him. How would this translate to the ring" Guy's a wrestler; he's gonna have to step into the squared circle sooner or later. Now consider his age and lack of experience. It doesn't bode well. But remember the clock. No cry of pain, just laughter. Didn't hurt, because he's the Boogeyman! This indicates a couple of different wrestling styles he could utilise. Before taking any of this options into consideration, however, take note of the fact that no opponent could, in honesty, take this guy seriously. After all, why would they" They're wrestling a guy who thinks he's the Boogeyman, how much more stupid can you get" Underestimating would be an understatement. An easy win, right" Well, maybe not.

One style Boogeyman could use would be brawling. If you think you're the Boogeyman, chain wrestling and scientific technical mastery is hardly going to be in the equation. Strikes, chokes and similar attacks would make far more sense. He wouldn't fight pretty, taking the opponent by surprise, unrelenting, with constant fists to every part of the body. This could work in the long term - Boogeyman may not have a match every week, but when he does, he lets the fists fly until he is disqualified. That way, the opponent isn't beaten by a guy who thinks he's the Boogeyman, and Boogeyman doesn't have to keep up a winning streak. He just likes to hurt people, beating them 1-2-3 doesn't matter.

How about hardcore" Granted, that style isn't too common in WWE at the present time, but Boogeyman could be an interesting new representative for it. If the ref's down, or the match is No DQ (let's go with the latter and say Palmer Canon changes the rules for Boogeyman's matches. What is the link with those two" Did Canon get the network to move Boogeyman from his own cancelled show to SmackDown because he owes Boogeyman something" Do they have a history" See, the mystery keeps unravelling!) Boogeyman - or his opponent - goes for a foreign object. For example, let's say his opponent grabs a chair. They're both on the outside, and the opponent nails a swift chairshot to the gut. In any other case, you'd expect doubling over, maybe falling to the ground. Hell, no. This is The Boogeyman we're talking about! A chair to the gut" That can't hurt him, he's the damn Boogeyman! He might, in response to this action, swipe the chair from the surprised opponent's hands, and hit HIMSELF in the head with it several times! He could then drop the chair, and do that maniacal laugh we see from him in backstage segments. The opponent's surprise becomes near-shock, and opens up an important strategic point; if a guy does that to himself and just laughs about it, without showing any effects of pain or hurt, how in the blue hell do you beat him"

He also requires a finishing move. As we all know, there are few things more annoying than a wrestler with no discernible established finisher. I have a feeling that Boogeyman's has already been determined. It's common knowledge that the Boogeyman legend, so to speak, centres around the idea of sleep. On SmackDown, what has Boogeyman been reciting" Nursery rhymes, which are used as an aid for getting young children to sleep. So what should the Boogeyman's finisher be" A sleeper hold. Before you object, it's not as crazy as it sounds. Simple, 'basic' moves are currently in the midst of a renaissance. Chris Masters' Masterlock is merely a more powerful variant of the full nelson. The airplane spin is one of Bryan Danielson's most devastating moves. It doesn't have to be flashy or especially dangerous to be effective. Why not give Boogeyman a variation of the humble sleeper to end his matches" Effectively cutting off his opponent's air supply until they pass out, or go to sleep. Naturally, he has an impressive physique (ostensibly, that's a major reason for his getting a WWE deal, if in fact he did not work his Boogeymagic as theorised above) so his power advantage could be utilised here too.

But let us not forget Boogeyman's references to nightmares. Sure, he'll have put his opponent to sleep, but where do we go from there" He has a sense of being very cryptic and, well, creepy. For this I will draw on a story in E. T. A. Hoffmann's 'Nachtstücken,' namely the story of The Sand-Man. Now, what do you think of when you see the name 'Sand-Man'" Either the thing that sprinkles sand over children to help them sleep, or the five-time ECW Champion, I'll bet. Hoffmann's Sand-Man is neither. The following is a passage from the story:

'He's a wicked man who comes when children won't go to bed, and throws handfuls of sand in their eyes so that they jump out of their heads all bleeding. Then he puts the eyes in a sack and carries them off to the half-moon to feed his children. They sit up there in their nest, and their beaks are hooked like owls' beaks, and they use them to peck up naughty boys' and girls' eyes with.'

"Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream" it ain't. But how does this translate to the Boogeyman" In Hoffmann's story, the Sand-Man can be seen as a little like a boogeyman, but it's the part about the sand-throwing I'm interested in. This could be adapted for Boogeyman in WWE. Let's say he's having trouble with an opponent, or he has just won a match via his sleeper hold. Boogeyman goes to the outside, and picks up a bag with sand inside. He throws a handful in his opponent's face. Maybe they look away first, but the next time we see them, they're bleeding from the eyes. Boogeyman laughs like the crazy creature he is and leaves them in the ring, screaming in pain with blood pouring down their face. Now imagine you're a kid watching WWE at home. Seeing that happen would be scary as hell! It's a little like the bloodbaths The Brood used to have, and it adds another layer to The Boogeyman. To go a little more 'out there' with this, I'll refer back to the allusion of a connection between Boogeyman and the Juniors. They can't be comedy wrestlers forever. Maybe some are henchmen, or minions, for the Boogeyman, following him to the ring looking creepy. They hand Boogeyman the bag of sand, he throws it in the opponent's face and the blood begins to flow. The minions climb into the ring and start scratching wildly at the victim's face while Boogeyman stands over them, laughing that hideous laugh.

You'll notice that I have delved a little into the realm of the supernatural. But honestly, with a character like The Boogeyman, how could I not" However, there is a problem with the introduction of paranormal elements to Boogeyman. That problem would be the Undertaker. You can't have TWO men doing all that freaky lightning-and-fire-and-things-of-that-nature stuff every Friday night. Of course, it's not really a problem right now as Undertaker is missing, presumed dead (or deader), and neither are really full time wrestlers. But what would happen if they were to meet in a match" The build up would be nothing short of epic, with each doing the best to get into the other's head. Undertaker is master of the mind games, but is there anything in his repertoire of tricks that would faze a guy who thinks that he is The Boogeyman" He wouldn't be intimidated. He'd probably find it all quite amusing. On the other side of it, Boogeyman freaking out the Undertaker would be next to impossible. Nothing Boogeyman could do would daunt the Dead Man. Not only has he seen it all before, he's probably done it all too. Just picture it - Undertaker brings out the flaming symbols. Boogeyman laughs and smashes something heavy over his head. Undertaker stares intently and makes the ring levitate. Boogeyman is not fazed and produces torrential rain in the arena. Undertaker looks up and lightning flashes, setting things on fire. Boogeyman laughs again and makes a full-blown thunderstorm, complete with explosions. Like a really expensive game of one-upmanship. Like I said, epic! As for the match...the internet would hate it, and I mean they would loathe it with a passion. But for the common fan / Undertaker fanatic (I'm one of the latter), it'd be like WrestleMania XIV all over again. Only not as good because the guys involved would both be in their forties. But that shouldn't matter, because this match probably wouldn't require too much athleticism. As I've discussed, not a lot is going to be able to hurt the Boogeyman due to his complete conviction that he is in fact the Boogeyman, and Undertaker's pretty much impervious to pain anyway. It would be a true case of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object, with each man pulling out all sorts of moves and weapons to take the other guy out. I have no idea who would win, I am clueless as to who else would want to see it, but tell me the time and place, and I'll be watching!

As you can see, the possibilities of what can be done with Boogeyman are nearly infinite, if the character is handled correctly. So before you judge the character negatively and decide he's the worst thing that's ever happened in wrestling ever, take a moment to think about it, because he really could provide some great entertainment. And if you still don't think so ... he'll be coming to get you!!!

by Langdon Beck --- [View Langdon Beck's Column Index]..