History Main / GorgeousGeorge

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 gimmick, and with the advent of television became one of the biggest celebrities of the era. UsefulNotes/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 whom THEY have influenced/inspired[[note]]Ali was ''really'' inspired by Wrestling/ClassieFreddieBlassie, who he mistook for Gorgeous George, but that just goes to show how ingrained George was in public consciousness[[/note]]. Subsequent wrestlers took on similar personae, including Johnny B. Badd, Wrestling/{{Rico|Constantino}}, Wrestling/{{Goldust}} (who subverted the trope by [[HeelFaceTurn turning face]]), [[Wrestling/RickMartel "The Model" Rick Martel]], and [[Wrestling/AdrianAdonis "Adorable" Adrian Adonis]].

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 gimmick, and with the advent of television became one of the biggest celebrities of the era. UsefulNotes/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 whom THEY have influenced/inspired. Subsequent wrestlers took on similar personae, including Johnny B. Badd, Wrestling/{{Rico|Constantino}}, Wrestling/{{Goldust}} (who subverted the trope by [[HeelFaceTurn turning face]]), [[Wrestling/RickMartel "The Model" Rick Martel]], and [[Wrestling/AdrianAdonis "Adorable" Adrian Adonis]].

* "[[TheFashionista Golden Chic]]" Calvin Couture constantly reads women's clothing magazines and the Hollywood press as he looks for inspiration for new entrance gear. He dresss like Rhett Titus, with a bow tie around his bare neck, and harasses male opponents in the same manner Titus would harass women. He has a male valet in BC Steel, but he also has a female valet Katie Arquette and considers her the more lovely of the two.

** He was also, as noted by Website/{{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.)

The Gorgeous George has a ''[[MaskedLuchador lucha libre]]'' counterpart in the '''Exotico''', who tends to be even more campy and sexually ambiguous than the American version. The major distinction is that while earlier Exoticos explicitly denied that their ring behavior reflected their real-world personalities, since the 1980s many LGBTQ Exotico wrestlers have embraced their identity publicly and see ''lucha libre'' as a means for moving up in the world.

See also SissyVillain, DepravedHomosexual, DepravedBisexual and PsychoLesbian. Contrast TheFightingNarcissist whose sexuality is rarely questioned and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exótico Exotico]], who are open about their sexuality, be they gay, straight or otherwise and weaponize however uncomfortable it may make people undermine their opponent's ''machismo''.

* ''[[VideoGame/PunchOut Super Punch-Out!!]]'': Heike Kagero, an effeminate boxer on the world circuit with bishonen traits aplenty. He has a slim build, lilac trunks and matching lipstick, long silver hair which he uses as a lethal weapon, and skips back and forth when he knocked you down. Oh, and he gives a NoblewomensLaugh when he win. According to the manual, Kagero was actually trained in kabuki (specifically the balletic arts of Nihon Buyo) before taking up boxing as a means of defending himself.

* Nong Toom was a kathoey (or "ladyboy") Muay Thai kick boxer, who would enter matches wearing make up and even kissing defeated opponents. A trans woman, she eventually used the money made as a kick boxer to get gender reassignment surgery.

* [[HardGay Razor Ramon HG]], could have been considered an example early in his Wrestling/{{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, making him more like an exotico.

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 gimmick, and with the advent of television became one of the biggest celebrities of the era. UsefulNotes/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 whom THEY have influenced/inspired. Subsequent wrestlers took on similar personae, including Johnny B. Badd, Wrestling/{{Rico|Constantino}}, Wrestling/{{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 Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors, 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.

* ''[[VideoGame/PunchOut Super Punch-Out!!]]'': Heike Kagero, a shirtless woman without breasts who boxed. He had a slim build, lilac trunks and matching 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.

* 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. He was not the first ambiguously gay professional wrestler in the USA (at least one, Patrick Lansdowne, had a similar gimmick before him), nor did he begin as one. But when he did his {{face heel turn}} he took effeminacy and flamboyance to levels none had ever seen in professional wrestling, making him largely responsible for TheGimmick as we know it.

* Going back to the 1950s, Ricki Starr was a legitimate ballet dancer, who ended up in professional wrestling. He used ballet for much of his wrestling moves, wore ballet slippers in the ring, and had stereotypical gay mannerisms. For most of his career, he was a {{Face}}. Yes, in the 1950s.

ProfessionalWrestling bookers 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. The archetypal "Gorgeous George" gimmick is an effeminate pretty-boy who, if he's not an [[CreepyCrossdresser outright drag queen]], 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! 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.

See also SissyVillain, DepravedHomosexual, DepravedBisexual and PsychoLesbian. Contrast TheFightingNarcissist whose sexuality is rarely questioned and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exótico Exotico]], who are open about their sexuality, be they gay, straight or otherwise and weaponize however uncomfortable it may make people to undermine their opponent's ''machismo''.

* [[Wrestling/ExoticAdrianStreet "Exotic" Adrian Street]] was, according to many wrestling fans, the best wrestler to ever work this gimmick. Street found exactly the right balance between the antics and having good matches. He even had a "girlfriend", Miss Linda, who played a feminine inversion of the gimmick by dressing in leather and getting physically involved in matches. Despite pushing 70, Street has remained in shape and still uses the gimmick on occasion.

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fics by Creator/AAPessimal, the Tanty Prison in Ankh-Morpork is used as a means of taking all the prison tropes UpToEleven in a Discworld context. One of the most ''popular'' prisoners is called Gorgeous George, known as an amenable fellow who participates in recreational activities such as dressmaking and flower arranging. when an inexperienced officer charged with prisoner morale made the fundamental error of booking a conjuring act to enertain the inmates,[[note]]the performer hypnotised a guard and caused his issue cell keys to vanish, with predictable results[[[/note]] George stepped in at the last minute to don the leotard and spangly tights of the insdisposed Doris and everyone agreed he was a smash-hit. But every so often, gorgeous George reminds people of exactly ''why'' he was imprisoned in the first place...

* Nong Toom was a kathoey (or "ladyboy") Muay Thai kick boxer, who would enter matches wearing make up and even kissing defeated opponents. He eventually used the money made as a kick boxer to get gender reassignment surgery.

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

* 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.

* Nong Toom was a kathoey (or "ladyboy") Muay Thai kick boxer, who would enter matches wearing make up and even kissing defeated opponents. She eventually used the money made as a kick boxer to get gender reassignment surgery.

See also SissyVillain, DepravedHomosexual, DepravedBisexual and PsychoLesbian. Contrast TheFightingNarcissist whose sexuality is rarely questioned and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex%C3%B3tico Exotico]], who are open about their sexuality, be they gay, straight or otherwise and weaponize however uncomfortable it may make people to undermine their opponent's ''machismo''.

See also SissyVillain, DepravedHomosexual, DepravedBisexual and PsychoLesbian. Contrast TheFightingNarcissist whose sexuality is rarely questioned and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex%C3%B3tico Exotico]], who weaponizes this by undermining their opponent's ''machismo''.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex%C3%B3tico Exóticos]] of Lucha Libre are a mixed example; originally they started as this (and even today they're usually treated as heels), but the role was eventually reclaimed by people who were ambiguous about their sexuality or even openly homosexual, and today the butt of the joke is often their opponent's ''machismo'' rather than their own sexuality.

** His half-brother Wrestling/CodyRhodes was supposed to be a [[TheFightingNarcissist different trope]] with his "Dashing" gimmick, but some considered him metrosexual. When he first worked for WWE on ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown!]]'', he gave grooming tips, which varied from the normal (suggestions on bathing frequency and deodorant) to the metro (lip gloss, clear nail polish). When he entered the arena, he turned to one of the screens behind him which acted as a mirror, showing a real-time video of him on the stage. Then Cody became an {{expy}} of Goldust called ''Stardust'', making him unambiguously Gorgeous George (but still ambiguously gay).

See also SissyVillain, DepravedHomosexual, DepravedBisexual and PsychoLesbian. Contrast TheFightingNarcissist whose sexuality is rarely questioned and the Exotico, a professional wrestler who is not ambiguous about their sexuality (be it gay or otherwise) whose fighting style revolves around emasculating their opponents.

* Zhang He in ''Franchise/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.

ProfessionalWrestling bookers 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. The archetypal "Gorgeous George" gimmick is an effeminate pretty-boy who, if he's not an [[CreepyCrossdresser outright drag queen], 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! 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.