8 Times Wrestlers Faced Themselves
They say you can be your own worst enemy. Especially when you end up chokeslamming yourself.
Around Royal Rumble time earlier this year, there were jokes about Roman Reigns winning the Universal Championship from Kevin Owens, then going on to win the Rumble as Vince McMahon cackled with orgasmic glee and booked Roman vs. Roman at Wrestlemania as the main event.
But that's not as farfetched as it seems. On multiple occasions, in both WWE and other companies, wrestlers stepped into the squared circle, only to face a very familiar-looking opponent.
It's a classic trope. From Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to Link's battles with Dark Link in The Legend of Zelda, from Bizarro Superman to Scott Pilgrim, confronting the darkest version of yourself can make for grand, immersive storytelling.
Of course, we're not talking about Gillberg vs. Goldberg here. Although it was a very funny visual to see those two in the ring together, no one would ever confuse one for the other. That's about as unlikely as a RAW audience actually enjoying a showdown between The New Day and The Old Day. That's a guaranteed stinker.
These matches, on the other hand, are all about pride and identity (and, occasionally, chicanery). And the storylines involved, the build-up to each solipsistic showdown, often resulted in unforgettable television.
Today, we're going down the rabbit hole and getting lost in the maze of mirrors as we count down 8 Times Wrestlers Faced Themselves.
8. La Parka
Most American fans were introduced to the skeleton-themed luchador La Parka in WCW as a member of the stacked cruiserweight division.
What most fans probably don't know is that while La Parka wrestled in WCW and elsewhere, down South in AAA, owner Antonio Pena claimed ownership of the La Parka gimmick, and promoted his own La Parka.
An interpromotional battle ensued over the La Parka character's use in AAA and WCW, leading to a battle between the new AAA-branded La Parka and the original, who had dubbed himself L.A. Park in the meantime. (L.A. Park was short for La Auténtica Park, or "The Original Park.")
The two masked men battled over the name, but the original soon triumphed at Triplemania XVIII.
But for reasons that remain unclear, that result was thrown out, and L.A. Park would only rarely use the La Parka gimmick in the future.