Sports entertainment has over time, seen many legends come and go. Every legend inspires a whole new generation to follow in his/her footsteps. But sometimes the inspiration can be a little too much. To the point when one wrestler becomes a carbon copy of another. We look at the top 10 ‘inspired’ gimmicks in sports entertainment history. Inspiration or plagiarization...you decide.
10: Waylon Mercy/Bray Wyatt
Before we were introduced to the ‘Eater of Worlds’, the WWF was haunted by a man who spoke at a low volume, had the tattoo of a dagger on his forehead and scared the living daylights of wrestling fans. Bray Wyatt, a big fan of Waylon Mercy, was given his gimmick by his idol who attended the WWE Performance center during Bray’s time there. Wyatt took the Waylon Mercy character, added his own spin to it, and wears a Hawaiian shirt to showcase to the WWE universe, that evil walks among us all.
9. Mick Foley/Dean Ambrose
This connection is far more obvious since we all saw Mick Foley pass the torch (or should I say the barbed wire clad baseball bat) to Dean Ambrose before his Wrestlemania match with Brock Lesnar. While Ambrose is not as renowned for his dangerous spots as Foley is, one wonders how he would have fared during the Attitude Era, and during the time of hardcore wrestling. One thing’s for sure...both these lunatics have given us some of the most entertaining wrestling moments.
8: The Ascension/Road Warriors
One of them is a tag team that many consider the greatest ever. The other is one that has never managed to break out of the lower midcard of the WWE. Similar look, but very, very different career paths. We hope that the Ascension manages to rise to similar heights as the Road Warriors someday, or even their former NXT glory.
7. Goldberg/Ryback
Bill Goldberg was the biggest star that WCW ever had. Ryback may not have exactly the same level of success, but with his ‘Feed Me More’ gimmick, he was definitely making waves in the WWE. However his in-ring work left much to be desired, and the crowd would chant ‘borrringg’ (though there was a marked improvement in his later run) in the same tone as the classic ‘Goldberg' chant. Both have quit the company on bad terms, Will either of them return? Only time will tell.
6: Rey Mysterio/Kalisto
No, we do not just mean the luchador masks only. Rey Mysterio and Kalisto have far more in common. Their small build and high flying style often do not sit well with Vince McMahon’s idea of ‘stars’, and while both were given championship pushes...neither really ‘worked’ in the long run. However, we must confess that each time either of them steps through the ropes, it's a treat for wrestling fans, especially those who like their action at full throttle. Will Kalisto become an all-time legend like Mysterio? Only time will tell.
5: Daniel Bryan/Sami Zayn
While the similarities between Daniel Bryan and Sami Zayn aren’t as obvious as the other names on the list, both of them are crowd favourites and phenomenal in-ring workers who've been booked as underdogs for most of their career. They keep losing until they pick up the big win much to the pleasure of the crowd. While Daniel Bryan managed to shine in the land of the giants and pick up a victory at Wrestlemania, we hope that Zayn too can follow in his footsteps.
4. Giant Gonzales/ The Great Khali
From two of the smallest wrestlers in history, we move to the two largest ones. The Undertaker has traditionally faced giants in classic contests, and Giant Gonzales who made his in-ring debut in Royal Rumble 1993 was one of them. Years later, another giant called The Great Khali would emerge from India, to challenge the Deadman. Truth be told, neither of the two was any good in the ring and their careers were short lived. But the sheer spectacle of their build and presence still lives on.
3: Shawn Michaels/ Dolph Ziggler
Shawn Michaels is considered the best in-ring performer of all time, and hence there's little wonder why he’s imitated by all asunder. But Dolph Ziggler (who also incorporates elements of Billy Gunn’s gimmick in his own), takes his idol worship to the next level. So much so, that Michaels has gone on record asking him to do his own thing, however flattering it is. All said and done, Ziggler is a good wrestler and a crowd favourite, so it's all good, we suppose when he tunes up the band for the superkick.
2: Team Angle/American Alpha
Ever since American Alpha burst onto the scene, comparisons with Team Angle have been rampant. So much so, that the NXT universe sings ‘Gable’ to the tune of Angle’s infamous ‘You Suck’ chants. Angle himself is full of praise for Jordan and Gable and admires their in-ring skills. Will we ever see an angle (no pun intended) between them? Only time will tell.
1: The Four Horsemen/ Evolution
Much like Ziggler with Shawn Michaels, Triple H makes no bones about being a total mark for Ric Flair. As someone who’d grown up watching his idol in The Four Horsemen, Triple H wanted to start his own variation of the heel stable. And thus, Evolution was born! To its credit, unlike The Four Horsemen, it has had few variations in core members over time and wasn't diluted like The Four Horsemen became in the late 90s with new members like Benoit, Malenko and Steve ‘Mongo’ McMichael.
