6 WWE Superstars who were inspired by movie characters
WWE requires its superstars to play some unique characters in the ring to entertain the fans. Over the years, these characters have helped superstars become household names.
Some WWE Superstars such as The Undertaker and Kane have played such iconic characters on screen that many fans expect them to act the same way behind the scenes. Meanwhile, some have taken inspiration from pop culture for the gimmicks.
WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura has shaped his character around Michael Jackson, while John Morrison has picked up aspects of his gimmick from Jim Morrison. Similarly, many current and former WWE Superstars worked hard to mold their gimmicks around famous movie characters.
With that being said, take a look at the six WWE Superstars who were inspired by movie characters.
#6. Paul Burchill's WWE gimmick was modeled around Jack Sparrow
He became @WWE's most infamous pirate, but what's Paul Burchill up to now? trib.al/n5K2wm2 #WhereARRRRTheyNow? http://t.co/bHkWYkezKE
Former WWE Superstar Paul Burchill came to the US with big dreams before being called up to the main roster. The British superstar debuted as a henchman for William Regal and slowly got over with the crowd.
Soon after, Vince McMahon decided to give Burchill a massive character change in WWE. According to Burchill, the WWE Chairman asked him to dress up as a pirate and embrace his ancestry.
“I went to Mr. McMahon and he said, ‘You’re going to be a pirate, like from ‘Pirates of the Caribbean. I said, ‘OK, so you want me to be like Keith Richards?’ He said, ‘Yes, but dressed like a pirate! You couldn’t just go to the store and find pirate stuff like now, where it’s everywhere. My wife literally spent the whole week on the phone with museums and every kind of store getting all this stuff for me to be a pirate,” Burchill recalled.
2006: #SmackDown - 'Pirate' Paul Burchill makes his first appearance backstage at SmackDown #WWE http://t.co/3XtpZ16ezD
The Captain Jack Sparrow-inspired look didn't help the WWE Superstar even though he had the perfect entrance to make it work. A botched entrance severely injured his knee, and he had to take a lot of time off from the ring.
Many believe the gimmick killed Paul Burchill's career. However, he decided to walk out of the wrestling industry even though he loved his character.