7 Rookies WWE Hopes Can Evoke Former Stars

NXT's Mandy Rose caused a Twitter stir earlier this month by posting a picture of herself side-by-side with WWE legend Trish Stratus.

The pair look remarkably similar, according to some (and, to be fair, they definitely do in that particular picture), prompting speculation that the 26-year-old - who made her wrestling bow two years ago on Tough Enough - could be about to follow in the footsteps of one of the all-time women's wrestling greats.

Appearance on its own isn't usually enough to take you to the WWE promised land, of course, but it definitely doesn't harm your prospects any to be associated with a icon of yesteryear (unless the association we're talking about here is that of an estranged father and son).

Whilst wrestlers themselves may feel burdened by comparisons to the industry's biggest names, WWE and its commentators never tire in encouraging us to look for parallels between, say, CM Punk and Stone Cold Steve Austin, or Daniel Bryan and Shawn Michaels.

In the case of those two examples, they kind of had a point - although, as we're currently finding out, they can sometimes get it wrong too.

Shots of a stern William Regal staring disapprovingly at Pete Dunne have invited comparisons between NXT's head-honcho and the man who currently holds its largely-forgotten UK Title belt.

But although Regal showed flashes of teeth-grinding intensity towards the latter part of his WWE run, it is comedy - and, specifically, those side-splitting segments as a put-upon commissioner, alongside the likes of Tajiri, Stone Cold, and Vince McMahon - for which he will be most fondly remembered.

Cruiserweight favourite Jack Gallagher, whose British "Gentleman" gimmick closely resembles the one that Regal wore during the Attitude Era's hey-day, perhaps therefore makes for a more appropriate comparison. And while he hasn't been made to kiss anyone's buttocks (yet), the whole flying umbrella thing lands at least as often as it misses.