10 Wrestlers Who Hated Parodies Of Their Work

9. Vince McMahon

Kevin Nash Arn
AEW

Brodie Lee eventually nailed the Mr. McMahon impersonation.

In the early, experimental phase, between March and April 2020, he played it with a straight menace. He ate steak with a silent glare, reduced his Dark Order charges to nervous wrecks with his sinister body language, and blasted them for sneezing in his presence. The idea was tremendous for Lee's Exalted One character - latter period McMahon was infamous, and reviled, for making timid geeks out of his roster of anti-stars - but the execution was lacking until the dynamic evolved on Being The Elite.

He all but saved that fading show by reinventing the parody as a gasket-blowing psychopath throwing terrifying, hilarious tantrums at the eager, unwitting idiots that surrounded him. It was glorious; there was no bigger heel in wrestling than Vince, and Brodie had made the bit wildly entertaining. Lee told WrestlingInc that it was never intended to be a full-blown parody but there were "definitely a couple of jabs his way". He wanted it to fold in more of his identity, and by summer, it did; Lee's mischievous wit was unmistakable.

WWE, naturally, were none too pleased; reports emerged from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio that some - he didn't name names - were upset by the parody.

Lee was rather happy with that, telling WrestlingInc that "the thought of little old me affecting someone there, that's okay with me."

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!