5 wrestling characters that were reportedly inspired by movies
WWE is not shy when it comes to lifting storylines and angles from Hollywood. In fact, some of the most successful wrestling angles and gimmicks of all time have been borrowed from the movies.
WCW used to do this more than WWE does today. The Atlanta-based company even incorporated fictional movie characters into their wrestling angles from time to time. Robocop once formed a tag-team with Sting and Chucky from "Child's Play" once cut a promo on Rick Steiner. Not to mention the various "Spin the Wheel Make a Deal" type movie vignettes the company aired.
To be fair, nearly every wrestling promotion has been influenced by movies to some degree. Some promotions have been better than others at it, however. Here are 5 examples of wrestling characters that were inspired by movies.
#5 Paul Burchill (Pirates of the Carribean)
In 2006, Disney released Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest, the sequel to the first movie in the franchise which had been released in 2003.
WWE wished to take advantage of the popularity of Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow character by dressing Paul Burchill up to look like a pirate the same year. His character dramatically even swung from a rope during his entrance in the same way a pirate would swing onto a boarded ship.
Some claim Vince McMahon had no knowledge of the Pirates of the Carribean film or Johnny Depp's character when this gimmick was in use. However, it's clear somebody involved with writing it did, as the similarities are a little too much to be a coincidence.
Needless to say, the character only lasted a few months.