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Lacey Evans' use of the Cobra Clutch has caused controversy in recent months. Legendary pro wrestling journalist Bill Apter is the latest person to question why the WWE SmackDown Superstar is using a "rip-off" move from Sgt. Slaughter.
In January, Evans added the submission to her moveset after appearing in an "Operation Cobra Clutch" vignette. Following another spell away from television, the former Marine returned on the June 2 episode of SmackDown with a new military look. The appearance change caused a stir online, with Sgt. Slaughter's daughter accusing the 33-year-old of copying her father.
Apter appeared on the latest edition of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine alongside Mac Davis and Teddy Long. Regarding Evans, the Hall of Fame reporter gave his honest thoughts on the WWE star using a move made famous by Slaughter:
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"I was sort of chuckling a little bit, but at the end part when she did the Cobra Clutch, I was offended because that told everyone that this was sort of a rip-off of what Sgt. Slaughter did," Apter said. "It offended me with the Cobra Clutch. The rest of it didn't bother me at all, but the Cobra Clutch [did]." [4:02 – 4:30]
Davis pointed out that many wrestlers have used a move like the Superkick over the years. However, unlike the Superkick, Apter believes the Cobra Clutch is not something that just anyone can replicate:
"No, nobody owned that [the Superkick]. Cobra Clutch was strictly Sgt. Slaughter." [4:35 – 4:39]
In the video above, the panel discussed what might happen next to Evans if her latest gimmick change fails.
Bill Apter reflects on Lacey Evans' previous WWE persona
In 2022, WWE aired several interviews with Lacey Evans about her military background and tough upbringing. The videos were seemingly created to turn her into a babyface, but it did not take long for fans to boo the long-time villain again.
Bill Apter added that Lacey Evans' last transformation "died" due to fans' negative reaction to the videos:
"They did [reference Evans' military background]. It died, it died, Mac. It didn't work. They had all those vignettes for weeks about her, talking about how much she loved America and all this stuff. It just fell flat on its face." [6:40 – 6:52]
On June 2, Evans lost a Money in the Bank qualifier against Zelina Vega on SmackDown. It was later reported by Wrestle Votes that WWE's higher-ups wanted Sgt. Slaughter to appear in promo packages with Evans, but he reportedly refused.
What do you make of Lacey Evans using the Cobra Clutch? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.
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