20 Wrestling Gimmicks That Got WEIRD Rip-Offs
15. Steve Austin (Shark Boy)
People were so charmed by Shark Boy's uniqueness in the late-1990s that he started to show up on WCW programming during the promotion's death rattle days pre-WWF buyout. He earned a cult-like following for having a memorable look and being tidy between the ropes, and that led to further success during TNA's early run. Shark Boy was on top of the world.
Then he turned into a sharky version of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. How's that for a left turn?
This didn't happen without cause. In 2008, Shark Boy had recovered from several attacks that left him in a kayfabe'd coma. When he snapped out of that, he was 'Stone Cold'. Shark Boy even wore an Austin-style vest and vowed to be Shark Boy 24:7 (a cute play on Austin 3:16, of course). This got over, but it remains one of the most bizarre tributes in wrestling history.
Instead of beer, Sharky downed cans of "Clam Juice" to keep his fighting spirit meter high. Trawl back through the TNA archives and you'll see that 'Stone Cold' Shark Boy teaming with other misfits like Curry Man and Super Eric (Young) actually got some cool reactions from fans in attendance for Impact tapings. Crowds were into this silliness.
The run was never going to last, but it was entertaining. Who could've known that an independent worker who only broke out via sudden media attention on TV shows like 20/20, Shark Week and MTV's True Life would go on to piggy back the biggest star in the industry a decade after Austin's peak?