1. Paul Burchill. Savvy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3OgsenRobI The most blatant attempt at latching on to a movies popularity, ironically, was by a wrestler who most people might not remember. A native Englishman by the name of Paul Burchill. Originally debuted in 2005, he was paired with William Regal as a tag team for a while. But in early 2006, he entered into a storyline where he'd traced his ancestry to Blackbeard, and began feuding with his former partner using a pirate gimmick. Billed as residing in the Virgin Islands (that'd be a hell of a commute to make every week) he would swing down from the stage on a rope, dressed head to toe like a Jack Sparrow knockoff, carrying a goddamn sword. And while it was met with positive response by the fans, it must be reminded that the gimmick was in 2006, the same year that the second Pirates Of The Caribbean film came out to slightly mixed reviews compared to the first film, and the franchise would only go downhill from there. So this was attempting to jump on the bandwagon so late that the band completed its world tour and sold their van to a scrapheap. But I digress...
Eventually, someone realised that, though popular, the pirate gimmick was a bit daft (Vince had apparently never heard of the franchise, and wasn't keen on the character. He really needs to watch more films) so Burchill was jobbed out to Mark Henry later that year, and wasn't seen onscreen again until 2008 with a kayfabe sister and an implied incest angle, and that pretty much spelled the death knell for his career. He was a talented wrestler who deserved better than these stupid, stupid gimmicks So there's 8 gimmicks ripped from the world of cinema. Can you think of any more? Let me know!