5 wrestling gimmick ripoffs that surprisingly succeeded

The popular New World Order faction of WCWJust because a gimmick has been blatantly ripped off from one that came before, it is no reason why that gimmick can't be successful. In fact, some ripped off gimmicks have been so successful that promoters frequently copy what their competition is doing.

Even some of the most respected wrestlers and angles in pro wrestling history have been ripped off from some something that came before it. The five wrestlers/angles mentioned in this article all fit that category.

This article takes a look at five of the most successful gimmick rip-offs ever in wrestling.

#5 Bullet Club

While they've certainly put their own spin on it, the bullet club is a rip-off of the New World Order angle from the late 90s.

Bullet Club was originally for non-Japanese wrestlers in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. In 2013, Prince Devitt (Finn Balor), Karl Anderson, Tama Tonga, and Bad Luck Fale formed the original incarnation of the stable.

In recent years, Bullet Club has expanded to Ring of Honor and other independent promotions.

Much of what the Bullet Club started doing in NJPW was new for fans of Japanese wrestling. NJPW had traditionally used less interference, gimmick matches, and chicanery than what one would see in WWE.

So when the Bullet Club started utilising the same tactics the New World Order had used, it was considered revolutionary for wrestling in Japan.