10 Most Shameless Wrestling Ripoffs Ever

9. Ryback

Ultimate Warrior Renegade
WWE

Ripped Off: Goldberg

It could be argued that Ryback was a Goldberg ripoff for the duration of his WWE run, being as he was a big beefy bald man who ran through opponents in quick, dominant fashion with his simple moveset, and a limited destroyer who never cut lengthy promos and relied only on a couple of notable catchphrases ("feed me more!"/"you're next!").

The former Skip Sheffield was presented almost identically to the way Goldberg had run through WCW from day one. A jobber-squashing spree saw him build a lengthy streak, with the muscleman often overcoming several overmatched goobers at once, before he moved onto sterner competition and ultimately faltered. The build was nowhere near as effective and Ryback was undermined from the moment he first crept into the WWE Championship picture, but the parallels were evident.

February 2016 saw Ryback's act become the ripoff to end all other ripoffs. He unveiled new ring attire ripped straight from Goldberg's wardrobe that month, with black trunks, kneepads, and boots, along with gloves/wrist protectors that may as well have been Bill's hand-me-downs. Never before had Ryberg been so inseparable from Goldberg.

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.