10 Wrestling Storylines Totally Ripped Off From Movies

What does Ric Flair have in common with Rocky Balboa?

It only makes sense that professional wrestling would occasionally (sometimes more than occasionally) borrow from other forms of entertainment and pop culture. After all, the very people who follow the wrestling industry are also commonly huge movie buffs or TV show enthusiasts, so having a little crossover in there can't really be considered a bad thing. Going even further, there are stories and plots from the world of film and television that are simply too good to ignore, ones which would work perfectly within the realms of wrestling or 'sports entertainment'. Pro wrestling is often acclaimed by those who favour it as the greatest form of live entertainment around, mixing everything from live theatre and pyrotechnics, to rock music and combat sports. As this list explores, perhaps due to wrestling being one of the most creatively demanding of industries, there are times when those and such as those in charge deem it necessary to borrow from other forms of entertainment. Perhaps it is the wrestlers themselves who pitched the stories featured here, or maybe it was the creative team who were influenced by a movie or TV show they watched. Hell, maybe some of these are just coincidence, but the similarities are definitely there, creating drama which directly ties in with the silver screen and its smaller counterpart in TV land.
Contributor

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.