10 Surprising Wrestling Inspirations
9. Jerry Lynn (Randy 'The Ram' Robinson)
Such is wrestling's cruelty as an industry towards anybody past their widely accepted peak, Jerry Lynn was considered something of a relic by 2009.
This, despite the fact that it was less than a decade after his ECW zenith which marks it as approximately half the time consistently pushed WWE star Randy Orton has been doing the same six things.
Regardless, he was chosen as the weathered pro-du-jour by Ring Of Honor to carry their World Heavyweight Championship following the enormous success of the critically acclaimed Darren Aronofsky flick The Wrestler. With existing champion Nigel McGuinness needing a break from the physically demanding contests that had defined his time with the organisation, Lynn's 71 day run mimicked the silver screen last chance story that had captivated audiences either side of the pro wrestling divide.
A relatively short run for the company at the time, Lynn's improbable ascent never outstayed its welcome thanks to canny booking of the tenured pro on top. His second life as an AEW coach feels richly deserved from all that saw him work - a life mostly lived outside of WWE shouldn't automatically equal a life lived outside wrestling at large.