5 WWE Superstars who were accused of stealing gimmicks

#4 Maxine accused Aksana of using her gimmick in WWE

Karlee Perez, better known as Catrina in Lucha Underground and Maxine in WWE, said in 2014 that her gimmick idea was used by Aksana.

Perez performed as Maxine in FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) and NXT between 2009 and 2012. Aksana also debuted in FCW in 2009 before joining SmackDown in 2011 as Teddy Long’s assistant.

Speaking to Headlocks 2 Headlines, Perez said she originally pitched an idea that would have seen her seduce Long and try to take over SmackDown:

“When I pitched that storyline to the writers and the boss man, I had to cut a promo, I had to have a match and pitch the storyline. Within 24 hours, the very next day, I walk into FCW and I’m sat down and I’m told that I have to change my hair and my entire look. And I ask why, and they said it was too similar to Aksana,” Perez said. [H/T Wrestling Inc.]

Aksana, who previously had bleached blond hair, dyed her hair jet black and started wearing a black catsuit. The following week, she appeared in her first segment with Teddy Long on WWE television. To make matters worse, Perez was asked if she could help her Lithuanian co-worker with her promos.

According to Perez, the other FCW stars “kinda went silent and were just staring” because they knew her gimmick idea had been stolen.