10 Times WWE Ripped Off WCW And Nobody Noticed

8. Velveteen Dream Is ‘The Artist’

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WWE

In 2017, formerly mild-mannered Tough Enough entrant Patrick strutted into view as the dazzling Velveteen Dream. The gimmick was obviously inspired by pop star extraordinaire Prince, and it earned rave reviews over the next couple of years.

Nobody spared a thought for poor old Prince Iaukea.

'The Artist' was pro wrestling's original Prince imitation. He pranced around on WCW television (often with his valet Paisley), but didn't really get over - it turned out that fans watching in 2000 weren't ready for some Prince action to (purple) rain down on their pro wrestling. WWE had more success approx 17 years later.

You won't hear many wrestling enthusiasts pointing to WCW when they talk about Dream though. The fact that Velveteen is a second attempt at Prince-related magic is lost on most, and it's not like WWE will acknowledge that those fools over in 'Dubya-C-Dubya' came up with the idea first.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.