10 Sneaky Tributes To WWE Greats

10. Kevin Owens (Dusty Rhodes)

Kevin Owens Dusty Rhodes
WWE.com

Six nights before WWE's Money In The Bank 2018 pay-per-view, competitors in each ladder match stood atop the props on Raw arguing about who'd win. Kevin Owens was the only one who decided to do things a little differently, and he used the platform as an excuse to pay homage to a guiding light.

"I've been in two of these ladder matches and it's hard times", he said.

That was a sly little tribute to Dusty Rhodes, and it just so happened to fall on the third anniversary of the legend's death in 2015. After the show was finished, several on Twitter figured out what KO was doing and lavished praise on him for showing his respects to the 'Dream'.

Owens would've worked extensively with Dusty in NXT. His "hard times" line referenced one of Rhodes' finest hours on the mic, and it did so without feeling shoe-horned in. KO found a neat way to hype WWE's gimmick match and honour a fallen hero.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.