Professional wrestlers are either made or broken by their gimmicks and how well they are able to pull them off. Through the years, there have been some legendary wrestlers who have failed because the gimmick they were burdened with just did not allow them to showcase the best of their abilities.
Think Rocky Maivia before he was The Rock, The Ringmaster before he was Stone Cold Steve Austin, or more recently, Husky Harris before he was Bray Wyatt. The failed personas of these three great sports entertainers is a testament to the importance of a gimmick.
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Now, that we know how important it is, where do wrestlers and creative teams get their material to make memorable gimmicks? Their own minds? Sometimes. But, other times, they use real life people as the basis to form compelling characters.
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Some of the most famous wrestling characters of all time have been based on real life people, after all. So, without any further ado, here are the top 5 WWE gimmicks based on real people:
#1 John Morrison based on Jim Morrison
John Morrison is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most athletically gifted Superstars to ever step foot into a WWE ring. His high-flying style was a joy to behold and just seeing him execute the Starship Pain is enough to convince you that he is the real deal.
Despite a good run until then, rebranding from Johnny Nitro from the tag team MNM to John Morrison was what helped the now Lucha Underground star to suddenly get over with the crowd.
A large part of this was due to the way he was able to emulate the behaviour of Jim Morrison, the legendary singer of The Doors, around whom John based his character. From the looks to the fashion to the way he spoke, the man now known as Johnny Mundo was a recreation of the rockstar.
Unfortunately, he would soon be asked to stop being similar to Jim Morrison, and this eventual led to his slide down the card and eventual release from the company. It was probably the best thing to happen to him, though, as he is now a megastar on the indy scene with his Johnny Mundo character.
#2 Stone Cold Steve Austin based on Ice Man Killer Richard Kuklinski
Like I mentioned above, Steve Austin was enduring a torrid time in the WWE under his Ringmaster gimmick which didn’t resonate with the crowd. Instead, he decided to switch things up and pitched the idea of emulating serial killers to creative.
Initially a terrifying thought, the WWE soon changed their tune when they saw what Austin had in mind. Having studied Ice Man Killer Richard Kuklinski – a serial killer who killed his victims by freezing them to death – he came up with the idea for the character Stone Cold Steve Austin.
He committed to the cause fully by even shaving his head and growing a goatee to look more like the notorious criminal.
Debuting as a cold, remorseless heel, it wouldn’t be until the legendary main event against Bret Hart and his following babyface turn, that the gimmick would take on a life of its own as a beer drinking, ass kicking, redneck.
#3 Bray Wyatt based on Charles Manson
When Husky Harris debuted as part of The Nexus, no one really paid him much attention, as he was just seen as one of Wade Barrett’s cronies. But, it was after he was written off WWE’s main roster programming and went back to developmental that a new gimmick emerged. One that would get over with the fans instantly.
When Bray Wyatt and The Wyatt Family made the jump over from NXT to the main roster, people could not stop talking about the similarities of the leader of the family and two very particular characters.
The first, Max Cady from the film Cape Fear, and the second, real life serial killer, Charles Manson, who is still in prison today. Wyatt and Manson’s mannerisms are eerily similar and even the way the former WWE Champion talks is extremely similar to the infamous criminal.
#4 Rob Van Dam based on Jean Claude van Damme
Rob Van Dam has always been an immensely popular character and even had a legit shot at superstardom until he was caught violating the WWE’s Wellness Policy and in possession of a large amount of cannabis. His career as a main eventer was done for after that.
To anyone who has seen RVD, the similarities between him and action movie star Jean-Claude van Damme are enormous. The two have similar sounding names, they look quite similar, and they both have a martial arts base for their offence.
It is clear as daylight to anyone who has seen the two men that Rob Van Dam is very much a ripoff of the manliest man to have hit Hollywood in the 1990s. Ironic that RVD’s theme goes “One of a Kind.”
#5 Honky Tonk Man based on Elvis Presley
This is one of the most obvious instances of gimmicks based on real people of all time. Honky Tonk Man looked like Elvis Presley, spoke like Presley, named his moves after Presley, and was genuinely one of the most despised heels in the company.
Playing the role of a true coward, he was an incredibly successful WWE Intercontinental Champion despite his obvious lack of technical brilliance. It was all about the way he used his character to play his role to perfection that made the Elvis-wannabe such a hit during his run with the then-WWF.
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