10 Iconic Wrestling Gimmicks You Didn't Know Were STOLEN
1. Sting
The Memphis territory has an uneven history and reception.
Jerry Jarrett was a pioneer of excellent pro wrestling television. His influence is felt all over the very best show-long storylines in WWE Raw's history. He was the first to open the Forbidden Door, and the first (or most famous) table wreckage happened in that territory as part of that fantastic angle involving Randy Savage.
It was also considered a joke territory - Bret Hart famously thought it was a phoney disgrace - as a result of its wacky brawls and lamentable gimmicks.
There was Dirty Rhodes, a portly fellow with bleached blonde hair whose first name was a synonym and last name was the same as Dusty's. That was about as subtle as Jey Uso's acting. There was, incredibly, 'Macho Warrior' Ric Hogan. And there was also the 'Hornet', an insect with the ability to sting, who was Sting's doppelgänger brought into the USWA to take on Brian Christopher by Jerry Lawler. They were upfront about it, at least. Lawler outright told the emerging Ron Oakes that Sting painted his face to build his confidence, so he should just be Sting. The name was terrible.
Hornets can sting, but they're still just - like the McMahon family - sh*t wasps.