Charles Wright portrayed several characters during his WWE career, including Sir Charles, Papa Shango, Kama Mustafa, and eventually The Godfather. While each role had its place in WWE history, Wright says his time as The Godfather was the most meaningful period of his career.
During a recent interview with Rewind Recap Relive, Wright explained that he was deeply connected to the character and was having the most fun of his career portraying The Godfather on WWE programming.
“I was a mark for the Godfather. The Godfather was me. So, I was my biggest mark. So when they took the Godfather away… Believe me, Vince fought for me till the end, but things were changing… they put me in the Right to Censor.”
Wright admitted that once the character was removed, he considered leaving the company. Financially, he said he was in a comfortable position thanks to outside business ventures, including a Las Vegas strip club he co-owned.
“Vince told me, I’m like, ‘Well, finish me up.’ He’s like, ‘Charles, wait a minute.’ I’m like, ‘Vince, come on, bro. At this point in my life, financially, I’m cool. I have other things. I had a strip club in Vegas called Cheetah. I was one of the owners of that. I’ve always had that. So, it wasn’t about the money at that point. I wanted to go out as the Godfather.”
Instead of letting him leave, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon convinced Wright to stay a little longer and placed him in the Right to Censor faction. Wright eventually teamed with Bull Buchanan and even captured the WWE Tag Team Championship.
“So, I finished up and did some stuff with him. Vince, being the Joker that he was, dropped the tag team belts on me and Bull [Buchanan]. We beat the Hardy Boyz, and that kept me there even longer. I said, ‘As soon as we drop these belts, I’m gone.’ At that point, wrestling was fun for me. I was having such a good time as the Godfather that I didn’t want to do it anymore.”
Wright wrestled his final WWE match in 2002 on Velocity before stepping away from full-time competition. Despite that, he revealed that WWE has continued to reach out to him over the years.
“Dude, they never let me go. I’m not trying to blow steam up my own ass, but I’m just telling you, they never let me go. I never asked to come back. They would always call me.”
He explained that he often turned down potential storylines because he did not want to return to the demanding travel schedule wrestlers once maintained.
“They would call me with angles, and I’m like, ‘I’m not doing that.’ But mind you, financially, I had money coming in. So it was easy for me to say no. I’m like, ‘No, I’m not going on the road. I’m not getting hit over the head with chairs and tables.’ Back then, man, you were wrestling 300 days a year. It’s not like it is now.”
During the interview, Wright also spoke about his long friendship with The Undertaker, revealing that they first met in 1987.
“I met him in 1987. Right away, we became really good friends, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
He joked that his win-loss record against The Undertaker was not impressive, noting that he only managed to defeat him once in a handicap match.
“I don’t have a good record against The Undertaker. There are a lot of characters. But I tell people I’ve been put in caskets as Papa Shango [and] Kama. I’ve been beaten up as Godfather [and] Kama Mustafa. I’ve wrestled that man under five or six different gimmicks, and I beat him one time in a handicap match.”
Wright also recalled how that victory came together.
“I came back to be Papa Shango. They made me Kama Mustafa. Just as soon as I get to TV, they’re like, ‘Hey, change of plans.’ Me and Ron Simmons had a match. That’s the first time I met Ron Simmons, who’s a great friend of mine now. They say, ‘You and Ron Simmons are going to wrestle Undertaker, and you’re going to go over with a finish.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ That’s how that happened.”
The Godfather Talks WWE Career, Undertaker, More
WA on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wrestlingattitude/
WA on Facebook (Women's Wrestling) - https://www.facebook.com/WrestlingDivas/
WA on X/Twitter - https://x.com/wa_wrestling
WA on Instagram (Women's Wrestling) - https://www.instagram.com/wa_wrestlingattitude/
WA on Google News - https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMJf3owsw2oG8Aw
WA on Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/wrestlingattitude.bsky.social
