10 WCW Stars Who Did WWE Gimmicks First
6. 'The Artist' Prince Iaukea
Despite being excellent at what he does, NXT's Velveteen Dream isn't the first quasi-Prince rip off in pro wrestling history. That honour would go to 'The Artist', or 'The Artist Formerly Known As' Prince Iaukea in WCW. He was going all velveteen long before WWE ever thought of it.
It wasn't as good, to be fair.
Iaukea was turned from a typical islander Cruiserweight into a 'Purple Rain'-inspired heel who acted like he was infinitely better than everyone and wanted them to know it. It had legs, but WCW was in the toilet, and this Prince was consigned to the diminishing Cruiser division anyway.
Today, Dream is an important character in NXT (recent reports notwithstanding) who stands out partly because of his affinity for all things Prince. He's flamboyant, striking and a damn fine performer, but Velveteen is definitely not as original as he first appears.