10 Times Imitation Was Not The Sincerest Form Of Flattery In Wrestling
He's not a Warrior, he's a Renegade...
If imitation wasn't flattering, then why would millions each year dress up on Halloween and pretend to be other people? It's fun, the idea of emulating another person/character and playing someone else for a few hours. Unfortunately, nobody told pro wrestling that imitation was supposed to be a compliment.
Counterfeit clones rarely work in wrestling, that's just a fact of life. Note the italics, though, because Jay Lethal's 'Black Machismo' gimmick in TNA charmed everyone and even led to 'Macho Man' Randy Savage reportedly giving him a call of endorsement. Lethal's success is an exception however, and definitely not a rule.
There are more examples of failed impersonation, parody and downright plagiarism than successes. Quite what these performers and promotions were thinking when they thought throwing on the glad rags or poorly taking jabs at others would draw money is anyone's guess.
Dress up? Time to dress them down, more like...
10. The Meta-Powers
Pop quiz any wrestling punter on the most recognisable wrestler of their youth and chances are Hulk Hogan will crop up a fair few times. Randy Savage may well even be next in line, so imagine fan joy when Hulkamania and Macho Madness joined together to form The Mega-Powers in 1988. That kind of magic could never be replicated.
Trust WWE to try and parody Hogan and Savage with a pair of midcarders they had no other ideas for. Curtis Axel touted 'Axelmania' and former intellectual Damien Sandow was rethought as 'Macho Mandow' for a short period in 2015. Collectively, they were known as The Meta-Powers, although the team did little to add to what had come before.
After WWE severed ties with Hogan in July amidst allegations of racism, the Meta-Powers gimmick was dropped. Thank God for that, because it was hokey at best and insufferable at worst. Just watch SummerSlam '88 for your fix of Mega-Powers goodness instead.