10 Storylines WWE Blatantly STOLE From Other Promotions
WWE is the recognised global leader in sports entertainment. Accept no imitations. Erm...
As the old saying goes, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". However, when you think about it, whoever first said that was probably trying to get out of paying copyright fees. Sometimes, imitation is just theft.
WWE have been victims of intellectual larceny throughout history. TNA tried to make Eric Young into Daniel Bryan, Vince Russo copied plenty of his own homework during his stint in WCW, and good luck trying to find any independent federation that hasn't got its own version of the Royal Rumble - or even WCW or AEW.
Before you reach for the tissues, though, remember that WWE has done it's own share of pilfering. As well as borrowing gimmicks from other promotions, the biggest game in town has also lifted entire storylines from their rivals.
Sometimes they're subtle about their actions, other times they make no effort at all to hide their crimes. All they did was change a few names and hope nobody would notice.
There's nothing new under the sun, but you can decide for yourselves if these examples are good-spirited or malicious. Given the nature of the internet, it'll probably be the latter.
10. Seth Rollins - Double Champ
At SummerSlam 2015, WWE Champion Seth Rollins took on United States Champion John Cena in a 'Winner Takes All' affair. With a little help from Jon Stewart - yes, the comedian - Rollins won the day and left the show with both belts in his possession.
Just two months prior, something suspiciously similar happened in Ring of Honor. Their Best in the World show was headlined by World Champion Jay Briscoe taking on TV champ Jay Lethal. In this instance, the midcard champion emerged victorious, becoming a double champion and proving once and for all that he was the superior Jay.
While double champions had existed before, the timing of WWE's decision to put both belts on Rollins raised plenty of eyebrows. It didn't help that The Visionary was a former ROH star in his own right.
Rollins only kept the US belt for another month before losing it back to John Cena. As for Lethal, he was a double champ until October, when he dropped the TV title to Roderick Strong. Rollins lost his World title via injury in November, while Lethal stayed on top of the mountain for well over a year.