10 Times Wrestlers Got Away With Ripping Off WWE

2. The Giant

Undertaker Sting
WWE.com

So much of WCW's output was completely unnecessary.

They didn't need to stock the nWo roster so heavily; drafting in the likes of Brian Adams and The Disciple was subtraction by addition. They didn't need to book eight heels as sentient w*nk socks for Hulk Hogan at Uncensored 1996. They didn't need to book 326 'On A Pole' matches in the span of two years.

They also really didn't need to bill The Giant as the son of André, in yet another continuation of Hulk Hogan's Greatest Hits tour. Paul Wight was a legit giant who, for the first year of his career at least, was a genuine athlete - closer in spirit to the younger, agile André, as opposed to the limited WrestleMania III vintage Hogan so obviously wanted to defeat again.

Besides which, the comparison was self-evident. Everybody was always going to compare The Giant to The Giant. Concocting some fake backstory was as pointless as it was patently phoney. "Hulk - he wears a one-strapped singlet. That singlet is black. He's really, really tall."

"They're still not gonna get it, brother!"

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!