Former WWE star Hornswoggle has no desire to revisit one of the most iconic aspects of his WWE character, and he recently shared the reasons behind this decision. In an interview with Chris Van Vriette, Dylan Postl, known as Hornswoggle, discussed the unusual creative choices that shaped his silent, Gremlin-inspired persona and why he refuses to go back to that portrayal.
Postl explained that the decision for Hornswoggle never to speak on TV wasn’t his, but a directive from Vince McMahon, who envisioned the character more as a creature than a human.
"It was like, ‘God cares about it, you’re going to live under the ring and just groan.’ I will never groan again in my life," he said.
Although the character became a fan favorite in the late 2000s, Postl has no interest in bringing back the infamous growling noise, even if fans ask for it during appearances.
"I got a cameo where they wanted me to make that Hornswoggle noise without talking. No chance. If I talk, I’m a real human. I can talk now," he added.
For years, Hornswoggle was portrayed as a quiet, chaotic sidekick, more of a fantasy creature than a real person. Postl likened his role to Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, emphasizing it was never meant to feel realistic.
"I’m essentially Gollum, or Sméagol, whatever his name is. Yeah, yeah – Gollum. It’s ‘my precious,’" he joked.
He further explained that the initial concept was simply that he was a strange gremlin living under the ring, making bizarre sounds.
"That was all the character was supposed to be. I was this little gremlin who just lived under the ring," he said.
While grateful for his time in WWE, Hornswoggle is ready to move past that part of his career and focus on new opportunities, viewing complaints about the character as a thing of the past.
Fan Take: This insight into Hornswoggle’s character sheds light on the creative directions that sometimes come directly from WWE’s top brass, not the performers themselves. For WWE fans, it underscores the evolving nature of wrestling personas and hints at the meaningful storytelling potential when wrestlers are allowed to evolve beyond their original gimmicks.
