Known for his high-flying kicks and flexibility, Belgian actor Jean-Claude Van Damme is trained in kickboxing, taekwondo, and kung fu. As a teen, he won the European Professional Karate Association's middleweight championship. Hoping to use his unique skillset to become the next big thing in Hollywood, he moved to Los Angeles in the '80s. Today, Van Damme is regarded as one of the best action stars of all time.
His impact extends beyond the world of cinema. He inspired the ring name for one of my favorite professional wrestlers, WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam, whose look and high-flying maneuvers were identical to those of the "Timecop" star, so much so that I actually thought they were brothers. In a 2021 episode of "WWE Icons," the wrestler explained the effect the actor had on his career:
"When I'm down in Florida in '91 and '92, [wrestler-turned-promoter] Ron Slinker is running the [professional wrestling studio] Tampa Sportatorium.
His impact extends beyond the world of cinema. He inspired the ring name for one of my favorite professional wrestlers, WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam, whose look and high-flying maneuvers were identical to those of the "Timecop" star, so much so that I actually thought they were brothers. In a 2021 episode of "WWE Icons," the wrestler explained the effect the actor had on his career:
"When I'm down in Florida in '91 and '92, [wrestler-turned-promoter] Ron Slinker is running the [professional wrestling studio] Tampa Sportatorium.
- 10/1/2022
- by J. Gabriel Ware
- Slash Film
Oscar Wilde once said that “Life imitating art is far more common than art imitating life”. And by kicking off an online article with an Oscar Wilde quote, my Pretentious-Internet bonus points just hit 9000, and I now have enough hipster tokens to get that t-shirt of a cat wearing thick-rimmed glasses and a big moustache. Now that I’m suitably clad, on with the show!
In all seriousness, wrestlers and gimmicks go back to the dawn of the industry. Some of them were obvious, like Sgt Slaughter, who was American and therefore good, the Iron Sheik, who was Arabic and therefore bad, and Andre the Giant, who was a giant (the clue’s in the name) Then there was the more subtle gimmick, which was no less effective at drawing crowds. One example is Abdullah the Butcher, who would always be searched for foreign objects before a match because every...
In all seriousness, wrestlers and gimmicks go back to the dawn of the industry. Some of them were obvious, like Sgt Slaughter, who was American and therefore good, the Iron Sheik, who was Arabic and therefore bad, and Andre the Giant, who was a giant (the clue’s in the name) Then there was the more subtle gimmick, which was no less effective at drawing crowds. One example is Abdullah the Butcher, who would always be searched for foreign objects before a match because every...
- 2/14/2014
- by Marzi
- Obsessed with Film
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