8 Movie Characters That Should Be WWE Gimmicks
5. Clubber Lang, Rocky III
Forgive me, but this selection may be a little biased. Im a sucker for most anything that involves Mr. T. The A-Team star is no stranger to the world of professional wrestling as he appeared alongside Hulk Hogan at the first WrestleMania and then went on to engage in a boxing feud with Roddy Piper. Im sure I dont need to go into vast detail about the premise of Rocky III. It was the third installment of Stallones Rocky franchise, Rocky was an underdog world champion boxer, and Clubber Lang received the distinction of being the first man not named Apollo Creed to fight in the climax of a Rocky film.
Why It Should Be a Gimmick: Desire
The genius thing about Clubber Lang is that Clubber Lang pretty much just was Mr. T with boxing gloves on. Hes big, strong, intimidating, and scary before he even bothers to open his mouth and go off about how much hes going to pity you. What Im trying to say is, Mr. T should have been a WWE gimmick.
Clubber Lang is the pinnacle story of the chip-on-the-shoulder, urban fighter who clawed his way out of unfortunate circumstances to stake a claim in the world title picture. He talks a big game and walks a big game, and why? Because hes far hungrier than you are at this point in your life. See, Clubber is rough and tumble, but hes also suffering from an inferiority complex. Hes been held back to the point where all he knows is being held back, so hes constantly striving for more.
In Rocky III, Rocky himself was established as the champion and became comfortable with his status at the top of the food chain. Clubber, in response to that, absolutely despised Rocky for settling into the lifestyle of the successful boxer and abandoning his impoverished roots. Lang became the necessary foil to right Rockys ship. Which, in terms of the WWE, Lang would be the character that could shake the structure of the show from the foundation to the top. Imagine a character so inflicted with spite and so heavy-handed that he could captivate with a few, intense words and then physically dominate his opponent to back it up. Theres a presence to Clubber that made him a standout in the Rocky franchise and its a presence that could be well utilized on WWE programming.