5 WWE Superstars who were accused of stealing gimmicks

WWE Superstars cannot become top names in Vince McMahon’s company based on in-ring talent alone. To connect with audiences around the world, WWE’s men and women have to create entertaining characters that fans can really invest in.

Bryan Danielson (f.k.a. Daniel Bryan), for example, is widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers of the last two decades. But would he have achieved the success he did in WWE without his “Yes! Movement” gimmick and impressive promo skills? Probably not.

While some WWE characters are created by writers, many superstars come up with their own ideas for their on-screen personas. Occasionally, problems can occur when a superstar undergoes a transformation, especially when another wrestler deems their new gimmick to be similar to theirs.

In this article, let’s take a look at five WWE Superstars who were accused of stealing gimmicks:

#5 Wolfie D accused John Cena of using his gimmick in WWE

🎤 https://t.co/EsOYrZXaMS

Former WWE Superstar Wolfie D believes John Cena’s Doctor of Thuganomics character was too similar to the rapper gimmick he had in the 1990s.

Wolfie D, one half of the PG-13 tag team, used to rap his way to the ring during his spell with The Nation of Domination.

In an interview with Monte & The Pharaoh, the former Nation member claimed Cena’s character was a “complete rip-off” of PG-13.

“I agree with that [John Cena being WWE’s last truly great superstar]. I just have a personal bias to it because that guy right there standing behind you with the shorts and the tennis shoes and all that, I was the first guy to do that gimmick. I think that John Cena is a complete rip-off of PG-13, Wolfie D, whatever you wanna say,” he said.

Before it was @JohnCena's time, he was all about Basic Thuganomics! #WordLife po.st/eYzQlt https://t.co/ujAFq1PAoi

Wolfie D worked alongside J.C. Ice (a.k.a. James Dundee) in PG-13. The two men appeared in WWE between 1995 and 1997 before having a short spell with WCW in 1999 and 2000.