Watch: Derrick Lewis does iconic WWE gesture after taking his shorts off in viral UFC 291 moment
UFC and WWE might be under the same owners right now, but seeing a Mixed Martial Artist pull off a WWE gesture inside the Octagon was pleasantly surprising. The extremely popular Derrick Lewis recently gave fans another post-fight moment to cherish, and he's now getting a lot of attention for his antics at UFC 291.
"The Black Beast" knocked out Marcos Rogério de Lima in the first round by rocking his opponent with an unexpected flying knee out of nowhere. The TKO victory marked the end of a three-fight losing streak for Derrick Lewis, who celebrated epically by first taking his shorts off, which he's done in the past.
Lewis then turned towards the camera and did the "DX chop" thrice as the commentators and the fans in the arena collectively lost their minds.
Derrick Lewis is one of the most popular names in UFC's Heavyweight division, and fans love him because of how unpredictable he is in post-fight interviews. Lewis already has a long list of hilarious moments, but the pro wrestling-inspired shenanigans would surely rank among his best.
Check out what he did right here:
Thoughts on the form, @TripleH? pic.twitter.com/123wX06ooC
Who did the popular DX gesture first in WWE?
A generation of professional wrestling fans grew up using the D-Generation X gesture to playfully taunt others. It's been ages since the Triple H-led DX was an active faction, yet the 'crotch chop' pops up regularly, with Rhea Ripley using it at recent WWE Live events.
As evident from UFC 291, athletes from outside pro wrestling also dish out the gesture, leaving fans to wonder who came up with it in the first place.
During an interview in September last year, Shawn Michaels revealed that X-Pac (aka Sean Waltman) introduced the crotch chop, which the group initially used to tease each other before it caught on with the crowd.
"The first place I remember seeing it was Sean Waltman, who was then known as 1-2-3 Kid and later X-Pac, doing it over in the UK," Shawn Michaels said. "Then all of a sudden, we were doing it as a group, to each other, kind of thinking it was funny." (H/T New York Post)
During an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Shawn Michaels recently revealed why many main roster stars were returning to NXT, and you can read all about it here.