Tattoos have come to hold great significance in the mainstream as a form of self-expression and self-identification.
Wrestling, especially, seems to have become a hotbed of tattooed professionals. Among all spheres of work that exist, pro wrestling tends to attract the free-willed, self-expressing crop of individuals.
Ranging from important dates to self-likening oneself to superheroes, wrestlers within and without WWE have decorated their bodies with some of the most unforgettable tattoos. A lot of these tattoos are unforgettable because they become synonymous with a wrestler. While a few others stick in the mind's eye as a sore thumb.
Big, small, colorful, or monochrome, what eventually matters most is the satisfaction of the person donning the tattoos. However, for a variety of reasons ranging from size, position, choice of design, or a combination of all, a few wrestler tattoos come across as bad decisions. Leaning heavily on subjective perception, here is our take on the worst tattoos that wrestlers perhaps regret. These tattoos simply look hideous to us! They're so bad we're betting these wrestlers regret getting them.
10 Batista
Batista is not known to make too many debatable decisions. He is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a decorated sports entertainer.
The same, however, cannot be said of one particular tattoo choice - the sun-shaped design around his belly button. Those familiar with Batista's first run in WWE will instantly remember The Animal with that tattoo, outlining the circular depression on his stomach.
It was a rather strange choice at the time. And one assumes somewhere between the multiple looks into the mirror over the years is when better sense prevailed as Batista has since covered this tattoo up with more designs around his washboard abs.
9 Tyson Tomko
Tyson Tomko had a brief run in WWE where he played Christian's kayfabe enforcer, debuting to assist the latter in a match against Chris Jericho.
Tomko mainly essayed the role of a "problem solver" and would sporadically wrestle matches in WWE, before moving to New Japan Pro Wrestling.
It is during this time that the WWE Universe got a view of Tomko's tattoos on his upper torso. Starting from his neck right down to his arms via his shoulders, Tyson Tomko inked himself rather unremarkably. The overload of tribal stripes is very generic and dull. Further, it does not add any personality to his character either.
8 Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens is among the most charming wrestlers of his generation.
Right from his time in the independent circuit to the mountain peak of WWE, Owens is a very believable character with extremely heightened in-ring storytelling ability, both on the microphone and as a wrestler.
KO's consistent performances translate from his inner conviction towards every gimmick he portrays. The same conviction, however, was not displayed in the tattoo choice on his right arm. That is perhaps the reason he has since surrounded and inked over it with more tattoos.
Back when Owens made his main roster debut, he had a tattoo of a bull's face on the upper portion of his right arm. Similar to The Rock's Brahma Bull tattoo, Owens had the symbol representing his star sign, Taurus.
7 Hulk Hogan
It would not be incorrect to state that Hulk Hogan has made some dubious decisions in his public life. And his "Immortal" tattoo seems to be on that list of choices.
For the longest time, The Hulkster did not have any tattoos. Thus, plenty of eyebrows were raised when he revealed the back tattoo of one of his famous nicknames. The same was also the name of the faction he was a part of in 2011 during his run with Impact Wrestling. However, it would be a stretch to imagine that the former TNA wrestling stable has any influence on Hogan's decision.
Visually, the tattoo is supremely unimpressive with a very generic font that is large and clunky. It also looks rather dull with no design elements on any of the letters. Thankfully, Hogan does not take off his top too often these days.
6 Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes seems to have taken the 'wear your heart on your sleeve' adage very seriously. He wears a self-expression tattoo on his neck.
In all fairness to Cody, he has always been the 'all-in' kind of person. Supremely passionate and wholeheartedly expressive, the second-generation superstar loves smashing archetypes.
His tattoo, thus very naturally, garnered substantial media attention. A crowned skull with wings bathed in the colors of the American flag representing his nickname The American Nightmare, Cody did not hold back with this inking.
The placement, though, is slightly questionable. Having a tattoo so close to the face is a bit jarring given its rarity. The colors are also a bit too bright for his skin tone, and for a position so prominent on camera, he may have been better advised to opt for a more understated route. Those could, however, very well be the exact reasons Cody did choose to go ahead with what he has. The American Nightmare may prefer the loud nature of his tattoo.
5 Perry Saturn
A tattoo that involves ink on the face rarely comes across well. The decision of having the face as a tattoo location in itself makes for a rather disastrous start. This Perry Saturn decision, thus, seems like a rather baffling exercise.
And Saturn revealed in a 2013 interview what prompted him to get that Mike Tyson-esque tattoo across the right side of his face, creeping up his skull. He admitted to not being sober at the time and making a decision he may otherwise have not.
To be fair, the placement of this tattoo is so bizarre that even the best of designs would not have been able to salvage the situation. And this design is certainly not the best.
There's more than one lesson to take from this incident.
4 Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar's chest sword is a rather odd tattoo.
It is unique that a sword tattoo starting from the stomach would point toward one's neck. That uniqueness, though, does not translate to spectacular, or visually appealing. In all honesty, it is a very passable tattoo, made strange by its rather noticeable placement.
Lesnar would later reveal the reason for getting this tattoo. In his book titled Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival, The Beast Incarnate mentioned getting the tattoo shortly after his first WWE run ended, and that the two events were related.
At the time, there was a lawsuit between WWE and Brock Lesnar regarding the latter's non-competition following his release from Vince McMahon's company. The former UFC and WWE world champion likened that situation to a sword to his throat. As an act of defiance, he decided to get himself inked.
3 Bron Breakker
Bron Breakker has gone on record saying that his tattoo is a tribute to Bill Goldberg.
The NXT prodigy has a tribal design tattoo on the upper portion of his left arm, similar to that of the iconic Goldberg. He also revealed in an interview that he regrets having the tattoo and was 18 years old when he decided to get inked.
While Breakker's tattoo is not a replica of Goldberg's, it bears enough resemblance to be likened to the one who took the wrestling world by storm with his undefeated streak.
Albeit generic, the tattoo is not necessarily a bad-looking one, especially in comparison to some others on this list. However, if the person with it has a sense of regret in retrospect, there is not much else to say. Breakker's resentment perhaps stems from the fact that in self-likening himself to a legend, he is left with a chance of losing his identity.
Regardless, the youngster is well on his way to forging a successful career in his own right.
2 Paige
Paige is such a superstar of women's wrestling and despite her many unfortunate setbacks, has gone on to establish a highly successful career in wrestling.
She started in the business very young and made a name for herself by being her unique self. Paige's WWE run and feud with AJ Lee will always be remembered by fans as a refreshing break from what was going on in the division at the time.
And the current AEW star was key to the Women's Revolution as well, becoming a central figure in elevating the division with the likes of NXT graduates: Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair.
By historic wrestling standards and also compared to her contemporaries, Paige was scripting history in WWE at a very tender age.
Thus, one can completely understand her frustration and at the same time barely fathom what she must have been going through after her forced retirement due to medical conditions. That period in her life is when she decided to get a pair of tattoos on either hand. On her left hand, she decided to etch the words "Get Bit" and her right hand had two words including "Talk" and profanity.
Whether in rebellion or inspired by other motivations, Paige spoke in retrospect about getting the tattoos removed because of her wish to explore movie opportunities.
1 The Undertaker
The Undertaker really did cut the branch he was sitting on with this tattoo. Mark Callaway had the name of his then-wife "Sara" inked near his throat. While the motivation behind the gesture is heartening, there are perhaps smarter and less obvious ways of expressing love.
Undertaker would soon find out that what must have been an excruciating exercise in the first place was about to get worse. The pair divorced and Undertaker went on to get married to Michelle McCool.
After his divorce, The Deadman would have the "Sara" tattoo removed, with a generic chain design around his neck replacing the name of his ex-wife.
Not among The Undertaker's smartest decisions, this set of circumstances comes with an important life lesson. If you have to get a tattoo, do not get it done in haste, think well about what you want and be extremely mindful of where you want it.