10 Brilliant Wrestling Moments Clearly Inspired By Iconic Movies

In 2006, Paul Burchill and William Regal told network representative Palmer Canon they no longer wished to be a tag team. During the discussion, Burchill mentioned how his family lineage reached back to the pirate Blackbeard. At this moment, a chunk of the WWE Universe knew what would ensue in terms of his character.

While fans might have imagined a pirate wrestler influenced by the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, they might have never guessed what a blatant rip-off of Jack Sparrow Burchill would become, including entering via rope and staggering on his way to the ring.

Despite borrowing almost every last swashbuckling detail of Johnny Depp's character, Burchill still received a fairly warm response from the WWE Universe. Nevertheless, his new scallywag of a persona didn't last long.

Burchill was written off TV when Mark Henry beat the pirate out of him. Rumor had Vince McMahon never saw the Pirates of the Caribbean films before the character was pitched. Once he figured things out, he immediately wanted to ditch the gimmick (hard to imagine Disney being too happy, savvy?).

Although a success in the British wrestling circuit, the pirate gig did nothing to help Burchill become a top star in WWE. After leaving the world of sports entertainment, Burchill went on to become a fireman. He still accepts wrestling bookings from time to time, but it would be difficult for most fans to recognize his current look.