10 Wrestlers Who Had Their Gimmicks Stolen

By Douglas Scarpa /

8. La Parka

The unofficial Chairman of WCW, La Parka was easily one of the most entertaining cruiserweights in the company. Frequently seen carrying a steel chair, playing air guitar, and dancing to the ring, La Parka was a mysterious masked luchador from Mexico. Sadly, La Parka was never able to attain the WCW Cruiserweight Championship -- a gross miscarriage of justice, if there ever was one. Despite his lack of a title reign, La Parka thoroughly entertained the WCW masses during his four-year run with the company. However, La Parka -- real name, Adolfo Tapia -- ran into some trouble upon his return to Mexico. Tapia had previously competed with the AAA promotion and upon his departure for WCW in 1996, AAA€™s owner, Antonio Pena, assigned the La Parka gimmick to another competitor. Billed as La Parka Jr., the doppelganger was meant as a way to capitalize on Tapia€™s popularity in the United States. Surprisingly, there were no real disputes or issues between Tapia and Pena initially.However, trouble arose when Tapia returned to Mexico and began competing for AAA€™s rival, CMLL. A legal battle ensued, and ultimately, Tapia was forced to change his name. Now dubbed L.A. ParK, standing for La Autentica ParK -- essentially the Original Parka -- Tapia has continued to compete around the world. Furthermore, despite the name change and a subtle mask design change, Tapia continues to employ the same techniques he did at the height of his fame.