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Most WWE superstars grew up watching wrestling, and many have shown how their favorite stars have influenced their craft in the ring. Many WWE superstars have been very open about their childhood wrestling idols, and a few have even paid homage to them with ring gear and even used their finishing moves.
Some WWE superstars have been lucky enough to meet their childhood wrestling idols. There are even a very fortunate handful of performers who have become friends with their childhood heroes, and have come face-to-face with them in a wrestling ring in dream matches.
Here are 10 WWE superstars and their childhood wrestling idols.
#10 Ember Moon - The Hurricane
Ember Moon is a WWE superstar best known for her unique look and dazzling finisher, The Eclipse, which Booker T helped her to perfect. The star has recently moved back to NXT after recovering from injury.
In a 2019 interview, Moon discussed her childhood as a wrestling fan, commenting on her adoration for many WWE superstars including Lita, Victoria, Kurt Angle and Trish Stratus.
However, Moon claimed that a huge moment that she remembers watching as a youngster was when The Hurricane choke-slammed The Rock. She said:
"One of my favorite things that I remember watching was The Rock versus Hurricane, when Hurricane finally choke slammed The Rock and I remember we just jumped for joy when that happened. It was great."
#9 Daniel Bryan - William Regal
Daniel Bryan is currently a WWE SmackDown superstar, and has influenced many during his own lengthy career. In a 2009 interview, Bryan discussed his influences, and claimed that current NXT General Manager William Regal was an idol of his.
During his WWE career, Bryan has had many opportunities to work alongside Regal. Unlike some WWE superstars, Bryan has been able to work with a star who has had a huge influence on his career, which can often be a rare occurance.
#8 Carmella - Miss Elizabeth
Carmella has recently returned to WWE screens, and has debuted a new villain persona, dubbing herself "untouchable". The former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion has often cited Miss Elizabeth as one of her biggest childhood idols.
Growing up in a wrestling household, the star has commented on how she used to dress up as Miss Elizabeth when she was a little girl and would pretend to be her favorite star.
It is unsurprising that Carmella has often shown her glamourous side during her WWE career, something that Miss Elizabeth was well-known for during her days at the side of Randy Savage.
#7 Liv Morgan - Lita
Liv Morgan grew up wrestling her four older brothers in the backyard of their home, and has often cited Lita as her childhood idol. During a WWE interview, the star claimed:
"I always pretended to be Lita. All the Divas were so glamourous and girly, and I was such a tomboy and didn't have nice clothes. When I saw Lita come out in baggy pants and sneakers, wrestling the boys, I thought that she was the coolest thing ever."
It is evident by Liv Morgan's unique persona and look that Lita had some influence over her in her WWE career. In her early NXT days, Morgan even had a pretty tomboy-ish look, complete with baggy pants that felt like a modernized take on Lita.
Lita was a gamechanger for women in WWE, and her influence is still felt today.
#6 Kevin Owens - Owen Hart
Kevin Owens is a huge fan of fellow Canadian Owen Hart, so much so that he named his son after the superstar. Owens has even shared that his WWE ring name was inspired by his childhood idol, who sadly passed away in 1999.
Owen Hart has been a major influence in the wrestling career of Kevin Owens, and the star has even discussed him being a part of his pre-match routine to this day. In a 2017 interview he said:
"I don’t have many particular beliefs, but I do believe in people who we’ve lost. I’ll speak to Owen Hart; he was a big influence on me as a young wrestler, and when he passed, I felt a great sense of loss. Ever since then I just talk to Owen Hart before every match and I ask him to be with me and make sure I don’t get hurt."
The former WWE Universal Champion has often cited the inspiration that Owen Hart has had on his life both in and out of the ring, and he even shares a birthday with his favorite WWE superstar.
#5 Dolph Ziggler - Shawn Michaels
It is evident by the in-ring demeanor of current SmackDown superstar Dolph Ziggler that he has taken inspiration from WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. The superstar has even adopted the finishing move of the The Heartbreak kid, making Sweet Chin Music his own.
Ziggler has often said that Michaels and Ric Flair were two of his favorite wrestlers growing up, and the influence that they have had on his in-ring persona is undeniable.
Dolph Ziggler has also discussed how Michaels' ability to sell in the ring influenced him to work hard on this important skill himself when he was wrestling in Ohio Valley Wrestling.
#4 Sasha Banks - Eddie Guerrero
Sasha Banks has spoken openly on multiple occasions about how Eddie Guerrero inspired her as a youngster and has been a WWE superstar who has kept his memory alive, most notably through her adoption of Guerrero's famous frog splash as a finishing move.
Banks has also revealed in the recent WWE Untold about herself and Bayley that their recent storyline was indeed inspired by the relationship between Guererro and Rey Mysterio.
Sasha Banks has also established a friendship with Guerrero's widow Vickie, who has gifted her a pair of Eddie's tights. The current WWE SmackDown Women's Champion has revealed that she was present for the tribute show to Eddie Guerrero following his tragic death in 2005, when Banks was a teenager.
#3 Bayley - Macho Man Randy Savage
Former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion Bayley grew up idolizing many WWE superstars, including John Cena and the Hardy Boyz. A star that stood out for Bayley however, was Macho Man Randy Savage.
In an interview, Bayley discussed being intrigued by the star's persona and look. His tasselled sleeves even influenced Bayley's look as a babyface, which she emulated until her heel turn in late 2019.
Before cutting of her hair and adopting a more villainous persona, Bayley used to wear a Macho Man inspired jacket for her ring entrance, and even adopted the flying elbow as a finisher in homage to her childhood favorite.
#2 Becky Lynch - Lita and Mick Foley
Just like Becky Lynch, Lita was a game-changer for the women of WWE, and was known for her unique look and high-flying style in the ring. In interviews, Lynch has often discussed how she saw herself in the star when growing up, as she was a tomboy herself. Even in her WWE 24 documentary, Lynch dressed in a similar style to Lita when learning how to wrestle with Finn Balor as a fifteen-year-old.
Lynch has even been fortunate to share a ring with Lita in the first-ever women's Royal Rumble in 2018.
Lynch has also cited Mick Foley as her childhood inspiration on multiple occasions. The pair appear to be firm friends in present-day, often sending each other heartfelt messages on social media. Lynch and Foley have also taken part in multiple WWE segments together.
#1 Roman Reigns - Bret Hart
Roman Reigns may be an inspiration to many today, but growing up, he has cited his main inspiration to be none other than Bret Hart, even though he came from a wrestling family and had many stars to look up to at home. During an interview with Yahoo, the current WWE Universal Champion discussed how he admired Hart's look when watching WWE as a child. He said:
“Every time he’d come out with that leather jacket and give his sunglasses away to a kid in the crowd, I used to dream about being that kid. That hair, all that gear. To this day I still think he has kickass gear. He seemed like a standup guy. A really nice dude. He is a very cool dude.”
