10 Times Imitation Was Not The Sincerest Form Of Flattery In Wrestling

2. Renegade

WCW knew exactly what they were doing when Hulk Hogan teased a long-haired man sporting tassles as the 'Ultimate Surprise' right before Uncensored 1995. The whole thing was a ploy to make fans think of The Ultimate Warrior, a man WCW bosses were frantically trying to sign. When Warrior wanted too much money (according to Tony Schiavone's podcast), attention turned elsewhere.

Common sense would have dictated a complete change of tack, but this is WCW we're talking about.

Slapping some face paint and tassles on a wrestler named Rick Wilson, the company introduced 'The Renegade' to the world. Sadly for all concerned, people felt insulted by the tease and could see Renegade for the Warrior rip-off that he was.

WCW would eventually get their man and sign Warrior in 1998, long after the stench of The Renegade had faded. However, for a good few years the promotion shamelessly hurled Renegade out there as though he was on par with top names like Hogan, Randy Savage and Ric Flair. He wasn't, but Wilson also wasn't helped by the shoddy imposter gimmick he was forced to play.