‘Rasslin’ has produced many memorable heels, like Roddy Piper, who became so popular that fans applauded them. Although they never really turned “good,” they did get to fight on the side of justice in some story lines.
Kevin Sullivan wasn’t that kind of baddie. Once he turned heel in the 1980s, he was dark and twisted, face-painted, and bad to the bone. He would film ominous promos in the desert or in a swamp, he would lean into evil iconography like skulls and snakes and fire, and he would use gibberish to call on bizarre supernatural entities.
My favorite Kevin Sullivan story line was when Kevin needed to reach deep into his occult powers to defeat some difficult opponents. He went to the beach, muttered some incantations, and before our very eyes he conjured a new partner, The Purple Haze, who arose in the Atlantic Ocean from the very depths of hell (or the dark side of the moon … or something).
Of course this “demon” looked just like Sullivan’s usual partner, “Maniac” Mark Lewin, but that was probably just a coincidence.
Despite all the resources of the dark arts at his beck and call, and despite conjuring an all-powerful immortal demon as his partner, Kevin still got his ass kicked regularly by the Road Warriors.
Just goes to show that Satan isn’t what he used to be.
There is an excellent and very thorough obit here.