#4. Honky Tonk Man / Elvis Presley
The Honky Tonk Man made his television debut for WWE in September 1986, and fans immediately saw that his gimmick was inspired by one of the most inspirational musicians of all time, Elvis Presley.
He won the WWE Intercontinental Championship during his initial run and held it for 454 days before losing it to The Ultimate Warrior at the 1988 SummerSlam. He is still the longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion of all time.
This WWE Hall of Famer was inspired by The King of Rock and Roll
Digging deep into his gimmick, even his profile page on WWE.com states how he resembled Elvis:
“Though he may have resembled one of the most famous musicians of all time, The Honky Tonk Man would be the first person to tell you that Elvis Presley couldn’t shine his shoes, both in the ring and in the recording studio.”
The WWE Superstar spoke in detail about how Elvis inspired his wrestling gimmick in an interview with Great North Wrestling.
The Honky Tonk Man was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019, and it’s no secret that his Elvis character helped his overall wrestling persona shine out in WWE and elsewhere.