10 BEST Wrestling Rip-Offs
8. Black Machismo (Macho Man Randy Savage)
The was born of some f*cking excellent patter, and it ultimately died the same way.
Jay Lethal's obvious talents were unfortunately getting lost in the X Division shuffle during the heyday for the league in TNA, all until the Kevin Nash-led Paparazzi Productions gave him the opportunity to reveal one of his wonderfully bizarre boy-poppers in front of the cameras.
He did a f*cking amazing Randy Savage. Really, really amazing.
Typically, TNA used the bulk of the league to pad out pay-per-views and television tapings with multi-man matches, so having a guy nailing his version of a pro wrestling icon worked wonders in helping him stand out from the crowd.
It put Lethal on the map like never before, but unfortunately TNA's over-excitement in going all the way with the tribute booted his golden opportunity clean into the sea. Forcing through the Randy/Liz romantic angle with Machismo and So Cal Val, the company booked a SummerSlam '91-adjacent wedding that then led to a feud between Lethal and Sonjay Dutt over Val's affections. It was shlocky sh*t that sucked the charm out of an otherwise-loving tribute to a legend.