10 Times WWE Bastardised Wrestling Royalty

10. Dusty Rhodes

Rhodes was one of the most popular babyface headliners in the territory era because he was the consummate avatar for the common man. Heavyset and dripping with charisma, the vaunted "hard times" promo from his Mid-Atlantic days remains one of wrestling's most enduring because its universal, timeless theme was delivered with frighteningly realistic conviction.

Rhodes however was bastardised before he even set foot in the doors of Titan Towers - the entire character of Akeem, a white man appropriating what was perceived as African culture, was conceived as a rib at Rhodes' expense. Rhodes' speech affectations were the source of much amusement to the WWF.

He was literally not a good fit for the Federation, who valued superhuman muscle men over his flabby like, whose "belly was just a little big". So, to slot him into the DayGlo environment, Rhodes was infamously dressed up in black and yellow polka dotted garb and saddled with Sapphire, a comedic caricature of a valet. The act had a midcard flavour - and that's where Rhodes would remain.

The term Flanderisation explains the phenomenon of a television character slowly becoming consumed entirely by one overarching trait. It was named after The Simpsons' Ned - but the practise existed well before Homer's next door neighbour was first rendered.