5 AEW Wrestlers and Their WCW Counterparts
Not since the Monday Night Wars has a company like AEW managed to directly rival the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, WWE.
Though WCW and WWE's lengthy ratings war was drawn out over the years, AEW's impact on the wrestling community clearly resembles that of WWE's old rival, WCW.
AEW is known for offering a distinct, alternative program to the family-friendly WWE, similar to the kind of programming WCW offered wrestling fans worldwide. Although WWE, then in the midst of their Attitude Era, was far from the family-friendly company it is today.
Ironically enough, some All Elite wrestlers even bear a striking resemblance to former WCW talent.
In terms of wrestling styles, promo skills, or gimmicks, here are five All Elite wrestlers who closely resemble WCW performers.
#5.AEW's FTR and WCW's The Brain Busters
FTR's entire gimmick is essentially a callback to the classic, old-school style of wrestling popularized by 1970s'/80s' era tag teams. A key influence on FTR's style can easily be seen in the form of The Brain Busters, composed of Arn Anderson and FTR's current manager, Tully Blanchard.
Wrestling in the NWA and later in the WWF, The Brain Busters were known for being the founding members of the Four Horsemen.
A tag team that has won gold in several companies, Anderson and Blanchard were praised for pioneering the early wrestling styles of tag team matches.
The inspiration for their simple yet effective mat-based wrestling style influenced virtually every team that followed, none more so than their modern-day equivalent FTR.
Abandoning the high-flying tag team styles of their competitors, FTR's hard-hitting wrestling style harkens back to The Brain Buster's.
Even their roles in MJF's Pinnacle seem to directly parallel The Brain Buster's position in the classic Four Horsemen lineup.