Who portrayed Festus in WWE? Debut, feuds and more explored 

Festus may not ring a bell for some WWE fans. The Corn-Fed Colossus who dropped Kane with a chokeslam had his character forgotten by the time the audience, as well as the promotion, understood what to make of it.

NJPW megastar Andrew Hankinson played the role of Festus from 2006 to 2009. He debuted as Impostor Kane and even defeated The Big Red Machine on Vengeance Day. The character was eventually repackaged in 2007 as 'Festus Dalton' alongside his partner, Jesse Dalton (Roy Gordy). Dalton Boys were a thing in May but got scrapped a couple of months later.

Jesse and Festus' team stayed for two years in WWE. They ran roughshod on SmackDown in mid-2008 but got stopped by then-tag team champions The Miz and John Morrison. Perhaps, the biggest achievement of Festus in WWE was going into a world championship match against The Undertaker in April 2009, but that, too, ended in defeat.

Following his loss to The Phenom, Andrew Hankinson was repackaged again. This time, he became a member of CM Punk's Straight Edge Society as Doc Gallows. As part of the storyline, Punk disclosed that the Straight Edge Society helped Gallows regain his true form with its anti-addiction ways.

Now a member of The Bullet Club, Andrew Hankinson transitioned from a spider-loving character in Deep South Wrestling to a brawny brute in WWE. He was formerly known as 'The Freakin' Deacon in DSW, a nickname given because of his friendship with a spider named Willow. Former WWE star Melissa often played his manager and valet.

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Andrew Hankinson, now known as Doc Gallows, gave more insight about his Festus character in WWE

During an appearance on the Stone Cold Steve Austin podcast, Gallows revealed the origins of his previous character in WWE. He claimed that Vince McMahon took inspiration from an angry high school kid for the gimmick, a role purely based on rage rather than anything psychological.

The Bullet Club star also added that McMahon wanted him to perfect "the face" in order to make his persona stand out from the rest. It did, though, as no amount of cringe could surpass that.

Andrew Hankinson found his footing in WWE and NJPW when he started teaming with Carl Anderson. Dubbed The Good Brothers, the duo have gained legendary status over the years and returned to WWE in October last year after a sensational run in IMPACT Wrestling.