10 Early Gimmicks From Famous Wrestlers You Won't Believe

5. Matt Jackson

Gunther WWE
AEW

To illustrate the extent to which Vince McMahon killed tag team wrestling in the early 20th century, Matt and Nick Jackson had no plans of forming a tag team when they made their start in the business.

Two real brothers with inherent, instant chemistry who idolised the Hardy Boyz and mimicked their spots in a backyard ring at a preposterously early age did not want to form a tag team because there was, at the time, next to no point.

It was only when a sensible promoter flung them together did they realise their potential as a unit on the nascent SoCal indie scene.

Prior to that, ironically - since Rob Van Dam buried the Young Bucks for allegedly refusing to seek his advice and shake his hand - Matt Jackson took on the persona 'Mr. Instant Replay' as a tribute. The 'Mr.' prefix was inspired by RVD's 'Mr. Monday Night' gimmick, and Matt, never short of confidence - to what was a detriment to and later the making of his career - referred to himself as 'Instant Replay' because his sequences were so blistering that they demanded to be watched again and again.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!