5 WWE Superstars whose characters were inspired by real people

#1. Velveteen Dream / Prince

The Purple Rainmaker

The longest-reigning WWE NXT North American Champion of all time The Velveteen Dream is one of the hottest young prospects in WWE.

At just 20 years old, Dream was selected as a contestant for the sixth season of the WWE reality television program WWE Tough Enough in 2015, but was eliminated early on. Thankfully for WWE, they saw potential in him and signed the young guy to a WWE contract later that year.

Dream’s character was fresh and unique, allowing him to immediately get a lot of attention when he began a rivalry against Aleister Black in 2017. It was evident that his character was inspired by none-other-than one of the greatest musicians that ever lived, Prince.

Prince inspired everyone, including WWE Superstars

In an interview with WWE, Dream said the following about Prince’s influence on his life and character when after he was asked about his unique appearance:

“Prince played a big influence on my style. When I was 10 years old, my stepdad [took me to a Prince concert and] put me on the stage with him and I danced a little bit until the bodyguard took me off. As I exited the stage, I spotted the finest ensemble of backup dancers I had ever seen in my life. This is where I immediately felt his influence — the absolute control he had over this group and the beautiful women that always surrounded him.”

The Velveteen Dream’s finisher known as the ‘Purple Rainmaker’ is also named after Prince’s hit sixth music album called ‘Purple Rain’. This shows just how much influence Prince has had one the WWE Superstar.