10 Wrestling Parodies That Became Real

7. Billionaire Ted's Wrasslin' War Room

Parody Real HBK
WWE

In 1996, Vince McMahon, shook by the inexorable rise of WCW Monday Nitro, parodied the (his) perception of WCW as an ugly, artless ultra-capitalistic venture.

This was hypocritical; Vince accused Turner of buying established properties with his obscene wealth, which is precisely how the WWF expanded in the early 1980s. It was also nonsensical. They were the same guy.

This Ted guy's got a boat named Sexy Bitch, which he probably named after his daughter, he idolises Martin Luther King, and he likes toilet humour.

I hate him!

Built on a foundation of utter bullsh*t, the whole thing collapsed on itself - USA Network head Kay Koplovitz realised that this was a counterproductive vendetta, and Cedric Alexander'd the whole deal - and Vince McMahon soon swam in it.

Hulk Hogan was too old in the 1990s. But in the 2000s, when he was older still, that was OK! Hogan, because Vince was always Ted Turner, just not as successful and horribly bitter in 1996, captured the WWF Championship in 2002. Christ pal, everybody knows that steroid-riddled dinosaur + eight years = Babe Ruth!

Even now, because Vince was always Ted Turner, Vince continues to flaunt that wealth by purchasing talent and presenting them more or less as is.

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!