Top 5 Ripoff Gimmicks In Wrestling History
Some gimmicks in wrestling have been iconic to the point of being instantly recognizable, such as Ted DiBiase as The Million Dollar Man, Curt Hennig as Mr. Perfect, and Steve Borden as Sting.
But then there are some gimmicks so obvious that they just make you roll your eyes. So with that said, here are the five biggest ripoff gimmicks in wrestling history.
5. Glacier 
Looking to create new characters, with WCW Monday Nitro becoming hot, Eric Bischoff decided to capitalize on the popularity that was Mortal Kombat in the mid-90’s by presenting a Sub-Zero rip-off named Glacier. Ray Lloyd, who played Glacier, had a legitimate martial arts background, and lots of money was put into his entrance, as well as his vignettes, with the tagline “Blood Runs Cold”. Glacier went on to have moderate success, with his most notable feud being with Mortis, the late Chris Kanyon. For the longest time, there was an internet rumor that Rob Van Dam was considered, for the role of Glacier, but Bischoff has since denied this on his 83 Weeks podcast.
4. “Nature Boy” Buddy Landel
During the 80’s, Buddy Landel was widely regarded as one of the better in-ring workers in all of wrestling. Perhaps his best stretch came working for Jim Cornette in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in the mid-90’s. However, Landel had off and on personal demons that he dealt with during his wrestling career. It also didn’t help matters that he portrayed himself as a Ric Flair knockoff, with his Nature Boy persona. Landel passed away in 2015 at the age of 53.
3. The Renegade
WCW presented their first ever Uncensored pay-per view in 1995. The main event would feature Hulk Hogan against Vader in a strap match. With Ric Flair in Vader’s corner, Hogan had teased his “ultimate surprise” that would be on his side. The cryptic message led many fans to believe that Hogan’s mystery surprise was going to be The Ultimate Warrior. WCW had been in negotiations with Jim Hellwig (Warrior), but Hellwig reportedly asked for $2.5 million - a number that WCW would balk at. Plan B would become The Renegade, who was portrayed by Richard Wilson. Before signing with WCW, Wilson had wrestled on the independents in a Tarzan gimmick named Rio, Lord of the Jungle. When Wilson debuted at the Uncensored event as The Renegade, it was blatantly obvious that he was viewed as an Ultimate Warrior ripoff. Wilson’s biggest moment was winning the World Television title against Arn Anderson at the 1995 Great American Bash. However, he was used mainly as a jobber in subsequent years. Going through a deep depression, Wilson would sadly take his own life in 1999.
2. Gillberg
Long-time wrestling jobber Duane Gill is actually known for having two ripoff gimmicks. The first was as a tag team with Barry Hardy as The Toxic Turtles (you can guess who that was copied from), while the other was Gillberg, which of course was a Goldberg parody. During his run as Gillberg in 1998, Gill was the WWF Light Heavyweight champion. Unlike Goldberg, who had the very impressive pyro and smoke entrance, Gillberg’s entrance involved sparklers and fire extinguishers used by arena staffers. The gimmick was entertaining, for what it was in the Attitude Era.
1. The Honky Tonk Man
Prior to joining the WWF, Wayne Farris wrestled for Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling in Calgary as The Honky Tonk Man. The gimmick was clearly an Elvis Presley knockoff. In the WWF, Honky became arguably the most charismatic heel of the 80’s, with his biggest claim being the greatest Intercontinental champion in history. He would continue to use the gimmick in 1994, with WCW. Legendary manager Jimmy Hart would induct Honky into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019.