History Main / GorgeousGeorge

ProfessionalWrestling writers are known to use every dirty trick in the book to make a {{heel}} hated, and Gorgeous George is one of the most basic tricks there is. Gorgeous George is an effeminate pretty-boy who, if he's not an [[VillainousCrossdresser outright cross-dresser]], at least dresses, looks, and acts very androgynous. He wears sequined robes and feather boas, he keeps his hair perfectly coiffed, his nails perfectly manicured, and if somebody hits him in the face, watch out! Needless to say, this is all designed to exploit the wrestling fans' [[UnfortunateImplications homophobia]]; by presenting an effete image, coupled with the standard heel tactics of lying and cheating, he inflames the anger of the crowd. Gorgeous George never outright says that he's gay - it's [[AmbiguouslyGay constantly implied and hinted at]], but if he actually ''admitted'' it, it wouldn't be Gorgeous George anymore.

* Pigtail wearing Lazarus who was in NWA Wild Side, who did lap dances for the security guards. His finisher was called the Brittney Spear, a spear that would end with him on top in the missionary position.

The original Gorgeous George was Wrestling/GeorgeWagner, who began wrestling in the 1930s, making this trope OlderThanTelevision. Wagner became popular in the wrestling circuit for his outrageous character, and with the advent of television became one of the biggest celebrities of the era. Wrestling/MuhammadAli and Music/JamesBrown both credited Wagner as part of their inspiration for their own flamboyant behavior, and it may require two separate wikis to list everyone who THEY have influenced/inspired. Subsequent wrestlers took on similar personae, including Johnny B. Badd, Rico, Goldust (who subverted the trope by [[HeelFaceTurn turning face]]), [[Wrestling/RickMartel "The Model" Rick Martel]], and "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.

* In his days as a wrestler, before becoming the manager of the Wrestling/RoadWarriors, Paul Ellering dabbled in this trope. He had a massively muscular physique back in the days when this was a rarity in pro wrestling, and he showed it off at all opportunities. He also had long curly blonde hair and a gaudy robe. He never really acted effeminate, but he did sometimes offer to let his opponent feel his muscles.

The original Gorgeous George was George Wagner, who began wrestling in the 1930s, making this trope OlderThanTelevision. Wagner became popular in the wrestling circuit for his outrageous character, and with the advent of television became one of the biggest celebrities of the era. MuhammadAli and Music/JamesBrown both credited Wagner as part of their inspiration for their own flamboyant behavior, and it may require two separate wikis to list everyone who THEY have influenced/inspired. Subsequent wrestlers took on similar personae, including Johnny B. Badd, Rico, Goldust (who subverted the trope by [[HeelFaceTurn turning face]]), [[Wrestling/RickMartel "The Model" Rick Martel]], and "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.

* Of course, the {{Trope Namer|s}}, [[Wrestling/GeorgeWagner Gorgeous George]] himself, who was incidentally one of the biggest draws of the 1930s and 40s and often credited for turning wrestling into a national spectacle.

* {{CMLL}} had the cross dressing Exotico Estrella de Fuego

[[quoteright:330:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gg1_7514_1811.jpg]]

** Ventura may have worn feather boas and other flamboyant attire, but his gimmick was more of a tough hippie, inspired by "Superstar" Billy Graham.

* Too Cool, Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2-Hotty, were originally known as Too Much. "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher and "Too Hot" Scott Taylor. The duo never really got pushed or over and they were taken off TV in under a year and then repackaged as Too Cool and teamed up with Rikishi. Word is that the gay marriage angle that Billy and Chuck went through was originally intended for them.

* Subversion: Buddy Rogers imitated Gorgeous George's mannerisms, bleached hair and robes but put off audiences more with pure arrogance and obviously false claims prowess and pedigree than ambiguous homosexuality. His successor Ric Flair looks even more like George by incorporating feather boas but is even more [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday non homosexual.]]

The original Gorgeous George was George Wagner, who began wrestling in the 1930s, making this trope OlderThanTelevision. Wagner became popular in the wrestling circuit for his outrageous character, and with the advent of television became one of the biggest celebrities of the era. MuhammadAli and Music/JamesBrown both credited Wagner as part of their inspiration for their own flamboyant behavior, and it may require two separate wikis to list everyone who THEY have influenced/inspired. Subsequent wrestlers took on similar personae, including Johnny B. Badd, Rico, Goldust (who subverted the trope by [[HeelFaceTurn turning face]]), "The Model" Rick Martel, and "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.

* Of course, the [[TropeNamers Trope Namer]], Gorgeous George himself, who was incidentally one of the biggest draws of the 1930s and 40s and often credited for turning wrestling into a national spectacle.

** His half-brother Wrestling/CodyRhodes is supposed to be a [[TheFightingNarcissist different trope]] with his current gimmick, but some consider him metrosexual. It comes from each week on Smackdown!, he gives grooming tips, which vary from the normal (suggestions on bathing frequency and deodorant) to the metro (lip gloss, clear nail polish). When he enters the arena, he turns to one of the screens behind him which acts as a mirror, showing a real-time video of him on the stage.

* Wrestling/ShawnMichaels had shades of this during his 1990s heel runs. He was a flamboyantly dressed, stripping narcissist who pranced around in front of a mirror and came out to a theme song called "Sexy Boy" and once posed for ''Playgirl''. He also had TONS of HoYay with heel sidekicks Wrestling/KevinNash and Wrestling/TripleH. Parts of his heel runs subverted this, however, by having him hang around with Sensational Sherri or Creator/JennyMcCarthy. His face runs tended to downplay the vanity and the HoYay (unless Wrestling/TripleH was around), but still pretty much ran with the trope.

-->-- '''[[Characters/WCWNWA Johnny B. Badd]]''', Wrestling/{{WCW}}

-->-- '''Johnny B. Badd''', Wrestling/{{WCW}}

* Wrestling/ShawnMichaels had shades of this during his 1990s heel runs. He was a flamboyantly dressed, stripping narcissist who pranced around in front of a mirror and came out to a theme song called "Sexy Boy" and once posed for ''Playgirl''. He also had TONS of HoYay with heel sidekicks Wrestling/KevinNash and Wrestling/TripleH. Parts of his heel runs subverted this, however, by having him hang around with Sensational Sherri or JennyMcCarthy. His face runs tended to downplay the vanity and the HoYay (unless Wrestling/TripleH was around), but still pretty much ran with the trope.

* Billy and Chuck also had Rico, their "stylist". After the breakup of Billy and Chuck, Rico started trying to imitate Adrian Street's version of the gimmick, complete with a valet named Miss Jackie. After moving to ''Smackdown'' in 2004 and teaming with Charlie Haas, Rico turned face and became popular for his antics. He once kissed Bubba Ray Dudley on the lips to a massive pop from the crowd.

* One of the characters in ''Franchise/HeroesOfMightAndMagic IV'' was a pirate named Pete Girly after his long blond hair. He was very vain about his appearance, especially the hair. Of course, the first person who called him "Pete Girly" ended up dead - he started wearing the nickname with pride later.

The original Gorgeous George was George Wagner, who began wrestling in the 1930s, making this trope OlderThanTelevision. Wagner became popular in the wrestling circuit for his outrageous character, and with the advent of television became one of the biggest celebrities of the era. MuhammedAli and Music/JamesBrown both credited Wagner as part of their inspiration for their own flamboyant behavior, and it may require two separate wikis to list everyone who THEY have influenced/inspired. Subsequent wrestlers took on similar personae, including Johnny B. Badd, Rico, Goldust (who subverted the trope by [[HeelFaceTurn turning face]]), "The Model" Rick Martel, and "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.

The original Gorgeous George was George Wagner, who began wrestling in the 1930s, making this trope OlderThanTelevision. Wagner became popular in the wrestling circuit for his outrageous character, and with the advent of television became one of the biggest celebrities of the era. Muhammed Ali and Music/JamesBrown both credited Wagner as part of their inspiration for their own flamboyant behavior, and it may require two separate wikis to list everyone who THEY have influenced. Subsequent wrestlers took on similar personae, including Johnny B. Badd, Rico, Goldust (who subverted the trope by [[HeelFaceTurn turning face]]), "The Model" Rick Martel, and "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.

[[caption-width-right:330:[[TropeMaker I feel pretty, oh so pretty]].]]

-->-- '''Johnny B. Badd''', {{WCW}}

The original GorgeousGeorge was George Wagner, who began wrestling in the 1930s, making this trope OlderThanTelevision. Wagner became popular in the wrestling circuit for his outrageous character, and with the advent of television became one of the biggest celebrities of the era. Muhammed Ali and James Brown both credited Wagner as part of their inspiration for their own flamboyant behavior. Subsequent wrestlers took on similar personae, including Johnny B. Badd, Rico, Goldust (who subverted the trope by [[HeelFaceTurn turning face]]), "The Model" Rick Martel, and "Adorable" Adrian Adonis.

* Wrestling/ShawnMichaels had shades of this during his 1990s heel runs. He was a flamboyantly dressed, stripping narcissist who pranced around in front of a mirror and came out to a theme song called "Sexy Boy" and once posed for Playgirl. He also had TONS of HoYay with heel sidekicks Wrestling/KevinNash and Wrestling/TripleH. Parts of his heel runs subverted this, however, by having him hang around with Sensational Sherri or JennyMcCarthy. His face runs tended to downplay the vanity and the HoYay (unless Wrestling/TripleH was around), but still pretty much ran with the trope.

** He was also, as noted by Wrestlecrap, an extremely stiff (har har) worker, which he also used if anyone mocked him in bars (the old days of {{Kayfabe}} and all that.)

* Long before the West Hollywood Blondes, Wrestling/{{WCW}} had Johnny B. Badd, one of the earliest face examples of this trope. Then again, possibly the only reason he was a face was because he was a NoCelebritiesWereHarmed version of Little Richard.

* ''{{Snatch}}'' has a character ''called'' Gorgeous George, but he's a boxer and is [[IronicNickname far from being either effeminate or gorgeous]].

* [[TheKingOfFighters Ash Crimson]], ''[[VillainProtagonist Ash Crimson]]'', '''''[[SmugSnake ASH CRIMSON]]'''''. At the moment you're reading this, at least one person on the planet is bashing the series solely because of his existence.
* ''[[PunchOut Super Punch-Out!!]]'' had Heike Kagero, a shirtless woman without breasts who boxed. He had a slim build, lilac trunks, lipstick, long silver hair which he used as a lethal weapon, and he used to skip back and forth when he knocked you down. He also punched in an effeminate manner -- It was just very, very painful. Oh, and he [[NoblewomansLaugh laughed in a high-pitched cooing tone]] when he won. As far as can be told Kagero was actually trained in kabuki before taking up boxing as a means of defending himself. Based on his mannerisms, he was most likely an ''onnagata'' -- meaning that he played female characters.

* Valtome from ''FireEmblem 10'' (''Radiant Dawn''). Wears makeup, has perfectly done nails, flirts with Zelgius and some interesting desires concerning Elincia.
* One of the characters in ''HeroesOfMightAndMagic IV'' was a pirate named Pete Girly after his long blond hair. He was very vain about his appearance, especially the hair. Of course, the first person who called him "Pete Girly" ended up dead - he started wearing the nickname with pride later.
* Zhang He in ''DynastyWarriors'', who gets campier and campier with every installment in the series, and has a seriously badass moveset. Whether he's a Heel or a Face depends on your interpretation of the Wei kingdom, which has traditionally gotten the HistoricalVillainUpgrade.

* Mocked in a WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes cartoon with "Ravishing Ronald -- the original De-natured Boy", a timid, mincing wrestler who kept his long blond hair in a net and bobby pins. In an odd inversion, Ronald appeared to be a {{Face}}; it was his opponent, The Crusher, who was the {{Heel}} (and thus, the subsequent target of BugsBunny's wrath).
* ''{{Futurama}}'': In the episode "Raging Bender", after Bender is successfully established as the tough "Bender the Offender", he's forced to become an [[CharacterExaggeration exaggeration]] of this trope -- "The Gender Bender" -- as part of a FaceHeelTurn, in order to build up another rising star.
* In ''{{WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons}}'' episode "Gorgeous Grandpa", Abe reveals that he used to wrestle as Gorgeous Godfrey. Mr. Burns, who was Godfrey's biggest fan, convinces him to fight again, which leads Bart to emulate him. [[spoiler:Abe feels bad about this and makes a HeelFaceTurn as [[AbrahamLincoln Honest Abe]].]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]
* One ChappellesShow skit had a gay version of the world, including an entire gay boxing ring named Friday Night Sissy Fights.

* Razor Ramon HG, could have been considered an example early in his HUSTLE career, besides the fact he was always a {{face}} but he eventually became so popular that the FanNickname Hard Gay stuck and the ambiguous elements were totally abandoned.