Top 5 WWE gimmicks based on real people
Professional wrestlers are either made or broken by their gimmicks and how well they are able to pull them off. Through the years, there have been some legendary wrestlers who have failed because the gimmick they were burdened with just did not allow them to showcase the best of their abilities.
Think Rocky Maivia before he was The Rock, The Ringmaster before he was Stone Cold Steve Austin, or more recently, Husky Harris before he was Bray Wyatt. The failed personas of these three great sports entertainers is a testament to the importance of a gimmick.
Now, that we know how important it is, where do wrestlers and creative teams get their material to make memorable gimmicks? Their own minds? Sometimes. But, other times, they use real life people as the basis to form compelling characters.
Some of the most famous wrestling characters of all time have been based on real life people, after all. So, without any further ado, here are the top 5 WWE gimmicks based on real people:
#1 John Morrison based on Jim Morrison
John Morrison is without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most athletically gifted Superstars to ever step foot into a WWE ring. His high-flying style was a joy to behold and just seeing him execute the Starship Pain is enough to convince you that he is the real deal.
Despite a good run until then, rebranding from Johnny Nitro from the tag team MNM to John Morrison was what helped the now Lucha Underground star to suddenly get over with the crowd.
A large part of this was due to the way he was able to emulate the behaviour of Jim Morrison, the legendary singer of The Doors, around whom John based his character. From the looks to the fashion to the way he spoke, the man now known as Johnny Mundo was a recreation of the rockstar.
Unfortunately, he would soon be asked to stop being similar to Jim Morrison, and this eventual led to his slide down the card and eventual release from the company. It was probably the best thing to happen to him, though, as he is now a megastar on the indy scene with his Johnny Mundo character.