10 Famous Wrestling Gimmicks That Ripped Off Real People

7. Johnny B. Badd (Little Richard)

It's been said that the character of 'Johnny B. Badd' was a Dusty Rhodes creation. Debuting in WCW during the early-1990's, Marc Mero began as little more than enhancement talent. Upon meeting the man, Rhodes apparently felt he bore more than a passing resemblance to the rock n' roll singer, Little Richard. Solely due to this, a gimmick was born. Influenced by the Chuck Berry song, 'Johnny B. Goode', Mero transformed into Badd. At first, the character was a heel who was more than a little effeminate. Mero put his all into the role, eventually turning babyface and becoming a popular figure on the WCW mid card. The gimmick ran up until 1996, when Mero left the company to join the WWF. Routinely, announcers referred to Badd as 'Tutti Frutti', which is a Little Richard song. In addition, Mero spoke in a style similar to the singer during promos. Rhodes had instructed Mero to study a lot of the musician's performances and interviews. Mimicking him as best he could, Marc Mero did have some success, winning the WCW Television Title 3 times.