Wahoo was a legitimately tough guy according to others from that era like Baron Von Raschke and Ray Heenan.
Apparently, Wahoo lost a “loser leaves town” match in one territory. They brought him back the next week in a mask.
The problem was Wahoo didn’t know how to change his style and work differently. He still threw his chops, so, along with his build, all the fans knew it was him in the mask.