5 WWE Superstars who were inspired by famous musicians

There has always been a close connection between professional wrestling and popular music.

Dating as far back as the Rock 'n Wrestling Connection in the 1980s, music and WWE have been a close pairing, with some of the biggest artists of all time lending their skills to the promotion.

From classical, well, classics like the Macho Man's Pomp and Circumstance, to the intense ballad of Ronda Rousey's Bad Reputation, there has been a plethora of different musical tastes in WWE.

But sometimes, not only will a Superstar get a sweet entrance theme, but they will even be inspired by famous musicians.

This inspiration can come in many forms, as Superstars may copy the look, the mannerisms, or even the voice of some of the biggest artists in music history.

Here are five WWE Superstars who found inspiration for their gimmicks by famous musicians.

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5: John Morrison - Jim Morrison

Nitro changed his name to John Morrison after capturing the ECW World Championship in 2007.

When Johnny Nitro captured the vacant ECW World Championship at Vengeance 2007, change was in the air.

And weeks after capturing the gold, the former Intercontinental Champ and Tough Enough star debuted a new look, which bore a striking resemblance to The Door's Jim Morrison.

With a shorter, fluffier hair-do that resembled Jim, Nitro would develop an accent (that would later be dropped), and changed his name to John Morrison.

Even after dropping the accent, the comparison was still there, as Morrison's entrance, complete with ornate jackets and his hair billowing in slow motion, only made the Superstar seem more like the iconic rock-star.

No longer in WWE, Morrison now competes as Johnny Impact in Impact Wrestling, where he is the current World Champion for the promotion.

4: Velveteen Dream - Prince

The Dream has come a long way from being Patrick Clark in Tough Enough.

One of the most popular stars in NXT today, the Dream has come a long way over the past few years.

First seen on the 2015 edition of Tough Enough, Patrick Clark impressed those in the company as well as fans with his genuine love for wrestling.

Despite coming up short, Clark would receive a WWE contract, and after an early trial period, now competes as the Velveteen Dream.

Embracing Prince's mannerisms and speech patterns, Dream is clearly a rip on the legendary star, who sadly passed away on April 21, 2016.

Now as NXT North American Champion, Dream is seen as one of the brand's most successful stars, with his bizarre mannerisms and unique offence (including his Purple Rainmaker finisher), rightly gaining the Superstar a legion of highly loyal fans.

3: 3-Count - N*Sync

The self-proclaimed boyband icons reunited at WrestleCade in 2014 to give a live performance for the crowd.

Though WWE fans may remember Shane Helms as The Hurricane and Shannon Moore as the first follower of Mattitude, the pair were doing big things before being signed by Vince McMahon.

In 1999, the duo were part of WCW, and alongside Evan Karagias, made 3-Count, a brilliantly named team that parodied popular boy bands of the time like N*Sync and the Backstreet Boys.

In fact, the entrance song of the trio, performed by 3-Count themselves, even referenced these much more successful bands, showing that WCW knew exactly what they were doing by parodying these hit bands.

Though the team were never destined for huge success, they did have some, as all three men held the WCW Hardcore Championship at one point in time, defending the gold under the Freebird rule.

2: Johnny B. Badd - Little Richard

Badd's flamboyant nature and costumes mimicked the real Little Richard.

Though his name may be a play on the iconic Chuck Berry song Johnny B. Goode, the look and career of Johnny B. Badd is closely linked to the Little Richard.

Appearing in WCW, Badd was a solid mid-carder, and imitated Richard's flamboyant look, even leaving little kiss stickers on his opponents after matches.

A multiple time champion in the Atlanta-based promotion, Badd would have lengthy feuds with some of the company's biggest stars, including future WCW World Champion and Hall of Famer, DDP.

After years under the character, Badd would leave WCW to join the WWF in early 1996.

Debuting at WrestleMania 12 as the Wildman Marc Mero, Badd would come to the aid of his real-life wife at the time Sable, who was being harangued backstage by a young Triple H.

1: Shinsuke Nakamura - Michael Jackson

Nakamura has said himself that he is inspired by the King of Pop.

When Shinsuke Nakamura made his WWE debut in NXT in 2016, fans were hooked.

Despite being a huge star in Japan, many of the WWE Universe had never seen him before and were instantly drawn to his charisma, offence and unique style.

And with his interesting costumes and body gyrations, many fans have even compared the WWE's resident rockstar to the king of Pop Michael Jackson.

To be fair, the former NXT and United States Champion has said that he is inspired by the late singer, saying in an ESPN interview:

"He looked like a martial arts master so I tried to steal body movement from him; that’s why I imitate Michael Jackson a little bit."

One of WWE's most talented stars today, Nakamura is hopefully poised for much more gold down the line.