10 Great Wrestlers And Their Terrible Impersonators

Some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. To them I say ... "Gillberg."

Coming up with a successful gimmick is like trying to trap lightning in a bottle. Predicting what persona will get over and what will flop, what will be etched in wrestling iconography and what will linger like a bad smell, is incredibly difficult. When pushing a superstar, management may never be able to tell if they've got the next Hulk Hogan, or the next Curtis Axel on their hands. Sometimes it's just easier to dress one as the other. Gimmick infringement is one thing, but in the annals of wrestling history, there've been a number of cases when superstars have, for one reason or another, started impersonating other wrestlers under orders from Creative. Sometimes, management are trying to stick it to stars in other promotions, sometimes they're trying to give a younger superstar the rub that being associated with a more iconic star will give them, sometimes they've just run out of ideas. More often than not it's the last one, and the results aren't pretty. These are the acts that have tried their hardest to carry off the mannerisms of bigger, better stars, but have found the association more of an anchor around their legs than an elevation in status.
Content Producer
Content Producer

Adam is a sports writer, comedian and actor, currently living in London.