10 Times Wrestlers Got Away With Ripping Off WWE

7. Brad Armstrong

Buzzkill WCW
WWE Network

In 2000-era WCW, just above the bemused commentary, bored crowd conversations, and the flesh-on-flesh fapping of Vince Russo getting off on himself, a familiar noise swelled in the mix. It sounded a bit like the southern-fried twang distortion of Jim Johnston's 'Oh, You Didn't Know?' - only the last, major key note was just off enough to enter pathetic soundalike territory.

The theme heralded the arrival of Buzz Kill - sorry, 'that B-U-Double-Z' - a man who, with a slight proto-CJ Parker hippie modification, was very much a Road Dogg ripoff - an odd act to plagiarise, given that his popularity was very much on the wane. In addition to the almost-literal note for note plagiarism, there was a note of pure sadness to this, for Brad Armstrong ripped off his own brother. It wasn't even a case of a kid wanting to emulate his cooler, older sibling; Brad was older, and clearly performed the schtick under much duress.

The tale of Brad Armstrong was a sad one; a real mechanical talent in pre-nWo WCW undercards, he never did find the act to match his evident talents.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!