10 Modern Wrestlers Who Embody The Spirit Of Classic Superstars

Not everyone on this list is going to embody that old school pro wrestling spirit in a positive light, and that's pretty much the case here. When Rusev first hit the scene, it seemed pretty clear he was going to be content doing his best imitation of The Iron Sheik. But it somehow managed to work.

His blatant disrespect of anything attached to American iconography coupled with his brutishness in the ring seemed destined to propel him into the upper echelon for heels.; there's nothing American wrestling fans love more than getting to boo a foreigner who hates their country.

The vaguely communist foreign heel gimmick might be a little stale - and his use of the Sheik's Camel Clutch as a finisher only helps emphasize this - but if there's one thing WWE knows, it's that it can ring plenty of heat out of some good ol' fashioned jingoism.

To be fair, Rusev is an incredible performer and a good storyteller, so it's not really a surprise that he's still a popular heel despite his overly simplistic characterization.