10 Iconic Wrestling Gimmicks You Didn't Know Were STOLEN

7. The Rock

The Undertaker and... some guy
The Hannibal TV

While Kevin Nash believes that LA Knight is a "blatant" Rock "rip-off", expressing as much on a recent episode of his podcast, it's not quite fair.

There are obvious similarities between the two performers, but LA Knight sets himself apart by going a bit more nuts, losing his composure and being electrified by himself. That element of his character was...borrowed from Ric Flair, yes, but Rock himself borrowed from Flair with his rhyme-heavy promo style and catchphrases. There's nothing new under the sun, etc.

For an actual blatant Rock rip-off, see 'The Rock JR', who sought to go viral on the Canadian indie circuit in the mid-2010s.

This isn't subtle - The Rock is in the guy's name - but it is very, very stupid.

He does everything the Rock does - flicks his tongue out, lowers his sunglasses, says the exact same things - except poorly. This doesn't seem to be a bit; the guy just...does the Rock's act, but not very well.

Now, he calls himself The Rock JR. Note the upper case 'R'. You'd think he thinks that his name is The Rock junior, but he actually says The Rock JR."

Does he...does he not know that 'Jr' is short for "junior"? Because that is as funny as hell if so. Or, is he combining The Rock and Jim Ross?

Both do have a taste for poontang pie.

Contributor
Contributor

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!