5 WWE Superstars who dressed up as fellow wrestlers with hilarious results
WWE has used many tactics to build rivalries over the years. From contract signings, brawls, split-screen interviews and promo battles, different builds have had varying levels of success.
One of the rarer but more inventive feud-building techniques is impersonation. This technique is usually employed by villainous superstars, to great comedic effect and loud reactions.
https://t.co/wkFnAbZPGH
Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but neither the impersonated superstar nor the trolled audience take too kindly to these fake-outs. It is a technique with great success at generating instant heel heat.
Here is a ranking of 5 superstars that impersonated other wrestlers with funny results.
#5: D-Generation X leave the WWE Universe in stitches as Vince and Shane McMahon
#BestRAWMoments DX Posing As Vince Mcmahon And Shane Mcmahon @wwe #Raw1000th http://t.co/pQLXEz6V
D-Generation X and the McMahons were embroiled in a feud on the road to WWE Vengeance 2006. On the June 26 Episode of Monday Night RAW, Vince McMahon's music hit, but instead of the Chairman, out came Triple H.
The Cerebral Assassin sent the crowd into raptures by doing his father-in-law's iconic strut down the entrance ramp. Soon after, Shawn Michaels came out to Shane-O-Mac's theme, doing an over-the-top version of the latter's famous foot shuffle. They proceeded to make non-PG double entendre jokes at their foes' expense.
All the while, the crowd was in stitches. This remains one of the funniest superstar impersonations in company history.
#4: Rated RKO flip the script on WWE veterans D-Generation X
Rated RKO as DX. #Raw699 #wwe06 https://t.co/T17dhJUKLZ
Just a few months after D-Generation X dressed up as the McMahons, the former WWE World Tag Team champions found themselves on the receiving end of the copycat treatment.
Using their opponents' iconic theme, Rated RKO ripped off the DX entrance to hilarious effect. With Edge as HHH (complete with a prosthetic nose) and Randy Orton as Shawn Michaels, they mocked their opponents in multiple ways. Orton feigned back and joint pain in reference to HBK's prior injuries, with Edge spoofing The Game's iconic spit take by pretending to choke on water.
The skit was hilarious in many ways, especially their overblown portrayal of their opponents' mannerisms.
#3: WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler dresses up as the Undertaker
this halloween pls take some time to appreciate when dolph dressed as undertaker and obvs did it way better than the actual undertaker https://t.co/0yLs6Tj9Nm
In 2017, WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler had a gimmick wherein he blamed the fans for not respecting him as much as he deserved. His reaction to this perceived lack of reverence led to a series of appearances where he borrowed other superstars' entrances.
From John Cena and Randy Savage to Naomi, he always got the crowd's hopes up, only to berate them for being more excited to see other competitors than they were to see him.
Perhaps the best of these imitations was when the Showoff came out as The Undertaker. Fans were in awe of The "Deadman" for almost a minute until they noticed that the man in his signature trenchcoat and hat wasn't him.
Ziggler then revealed himself and went on to make fun of the crowd in a moment of brilliant trolling, which is still one of the funniest superstar impersonations in the company.
#2: The Miz transforms into The Rock before WWE WrestleMania 27
The way The Miz came dressed as the Rock was funny. http://t.co/xIbkYLRp
In the early parts of 2011, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson found himself at the center of hostilities between WWE Champion The Miz and his WrestleMania 27 challenger John Cena.
The Brahma Bull was preparing to host that year's Show Of Shows when he started a verbal rivalry with the Cenation leader. This upset The Awesome One, who did not like being treated as an afterthought despite being champion.
On the March 14 episode of RAW, The A-Lister came out to The Great One's theme and attacked the Franchise to send a WrestleMania message. He was greeted with a huge pop, which soon evolved into a smattering of boos when the crowd realized they had been duped.
This was indeed one of the most hilarious moments of superstar impersonation the company has ever produced.
#1: Kevin Owens goes Stone Cold on the Road to WWE WrestleMania 38
"We have @steveaustinBSR at home."
#WWERaw https://t.co/5BezDjYZ5i
The March 21, 2022 edition of WWE Monday Night RAW kicked off with Stone Cold Steve Austin's theme music. The crowd were instantly on their feet, letting out a huge pop in anticipation of the Texas Rattlesnake.
Instead, they got an Austin lookalike who turned out to be his WrestleMania 38 host, Kevin Owens. The Prizefighter, wearing a bald cap, jean shorts, knee braces and an Austin 3:16 T-Shirt, received boos from the entire arena when they realized they had been misled.
Owens then cut a promo on the Rattlesnake and his home state of Texas before the Toughest SOB's music hit again, to another pop. As soon as the fans realized they had been fooled twice, they rained even louder boos on the former Universal Champion. He then proceeded to make fun of them before asking a crew member for a beer and handing him a stunner.
It was a hilarious moment that had the entire industry talking for days.