10 Famous Wrestling Gimmicks That Were Actually Inherited
9. Suicide
As TNA’s answer to Rey Mysterio, Suicide was originally created as part of the TNA Impact video game by Midway Games in 2008. A fantasy character brought to life, Suicide made his TNA debut in that same year, played by TNA stalwart, Frankie Kazarian.
After weeks of hype and promotion, the character was a hit and the unique presentation and great in-ring skill got over with the fans. However, an injury to Kazarian led TNA to pass the gimmick over to fellow TNA veteran, Christopher Daniels. The hood would subsequently pass between the two throughout its initial run.
The gimmick was quietly retired in 2011 but made it’s return just two years later. Now played by future WWE Cruiserweight Champion TJ Perkins, the Suicide gimmick would develop with a modified costume and name change. Distancing themselves from the negative connotations of the original name, Suicide would be known as Manik for the remainder of Perkins’ run from July 2013 until January 2016.
Suicide in its original form (both in name and look) would return to TNA television in March of 2017. Played by Caleb Konley, the revived character has appeared sporadically since then, usually in multi man scenarios involving the X Division.