History ActorAllusion / ProfessionalWrestling

* At ''WWE Night of Champions 2012'', during the match between [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-us-h.html WWE United States Heavyweight Champion]] Wrestling/AntonioCesaro (Claudio Castagnoli) and Wrestling/ZackRyder, the camera found a fan holding a sign that read "Kassius Ohno is my Hero," referring to Chris Hero, Castagnoli's Kings of Wrestling tag team partner in Wrestling/RingOfHonor, [=CHIKARA=], Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, and other promotions, who is currently in ''Wrestling/{{WWE NXT}}'' as Kassius Ohno.

* [[Wrestling/UltimateWarrior The Ultimate Warrior]] made his Wrestling/{{WCW}} debut on the August 17, 1998 episode of ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'' by confronting [[Wrestling/HulkHogan "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan]] and cutting a melodramatic promo. Hogan was standing with Wrestling/EricBischoff and the Disciple (Brutus Beefcake.) Warrior pointed to the Disciple and said, "Let's see- this dude must be your barber."

* On the HalloweenEpisode of WWECW, October 30, 2007, Tommy Dreamer dressed as Paul Heyman for his match against Nunzio (formerly [=ECW=]'s Little Guido Maritato, who was dressed as {{Dracula}}), with announcer Joey Styles and commentator Wrestling/{{Tazz}} saying how they sort of recognized who Dreamer was imitating but they couldn't actually say it, as Heyman had left the company in December 2006. Dreamer even hit Nunzio with a cell phone, much like Paul E. had as a manager in the 1980s and 1990s, though, [[TechnologyMarchesOn while technology has greatly improved]], the fact that Dreamer used the kind of small cellular phone we have today instead of one of the big brick kinds from when they were first introduced qualifies as BadassDecay. Apparently, it was [=WWE=]'s idea for Dreamer to dress up as Heyman here, but he did it with no discernible irony, even leading the crowd in an "[=ECW=]" chant.

* The tag team the Heavenly Bodies (Dr. Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray), best known for their work in [[Wrestling/{{SMW}} Smoky Mountain Wrestling]] (and, by extension, WWE because of the working relationship via SMW promoter Jim Cornette, who managed the Bodies in SMW and WWE), had a brief run in Wrestling/{{ECW}} in late 1995 before Prichard went back to WWE to become Bodydonna Zip. After Prichard went back, Joey Styles mentioned that Prichard had "zipped" back, and added, "If you don't get that, you will in about two weeks."

* At ''[=ECW=] When Worlds Collide'', May 14, 1994, the main event was Bobby Eaton and Sabu (w/Paul E. Dangerously [Paul Heyman]) vs. Arn Anderson and Wrestling/TerryFunk. During the match, announcer Joey Styles made a joke about Wrestling/DoinkTheClown in re Eaton and his tag team partners, since Eaton had been teaming with Steve Keirn, the second evil Doink, in [=WCW=] at the time as Bad Attitude.

* On the September 6, 2000 episode of ''[=WCW=] Thunder,'' "Mean" Gene Okerlund interviewed Crowbar prior to his match with Shane Douglas. Crowbar mentioned Douglas' real name of Troy Martin and referred to himself as "Devon." Prior to coming to WCW in late 1999, Crowbar, real name Christopher Ford, had wrestled for various promotions as Devon Storm.

** One time on ''Sunday Night Heat'', Todd Grisham compared Wrestling/{{Kane}} to Dr. Isaac Yankem. (Kane's old gimmick) Todd said to Josh Mathews, "Do you think they could be related?" Josh tries to change the subject by saying "I wasn't going to go there!"

** More infamously was the many non-references from [[Wrestling/JerryLawler Jerry "The King" Lawler]] towards his son, Brian Christopher. Lawler refused to acknowledge any kind of relationship with Christopher out of vanity; as someone trying to portray a suave ladies' man in his prime, he didn't want to appear old enough to have a 25-year-old son (he's 63). His adamant on-air denials became a big open secret, and eventually a RunningGag.

** During his very brief stint on ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackdown WWE SmackDown!]]'', on the July 4, 2008 episode, Wrestling/TripleH guested on MVP (Montel Vontavious Porter)'s [[TalkShowWithFists VIP Lounge]] where he praised Wrestling/{{Edge}} for getting with Wrestling/VickieGuerrero. [[RealitySubtext "Marrying the boss to get ahead in the business? That's brilliant!"]].

* As part of a TakeThat in a promo, Wrestling/MickieJames sarcastically said to [[Wrestling/{{LayCool}} Michelle [=Cool=]]], "you're so clever. Are you smarter than a 5th grader". Michelle made an appearance on the game show ''Series/AreYouSmarterThanAFifthGrader'' and performed abysmally.

* When Wrestling/TripleH saw Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz, he said the Brooklyn Brawler must have been busy that night. Wrestling/SteveLombardi portrays both characters.
* In a promo for his ''Wrestling/{{WrestleMania}} XV'' match with X-Pac (Sean Waltman), [[Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon Shane [=McMahon=]]] said "I'm going to pin you 1,2,3, kid," alluding to the name Waltman had used from 1993-1996.

* In the fourth ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'' movie, 2000's ''Highlander: Engame'', Wrestling/{{Edge}} had a cameo as a highway robber. He's quickly defeated in a sword fight and then taunted with "Looks like you've lost your ''edge'', lad."
* On the December 10, 2007 episode of ''[[Wrestling/{{WWERaw}} Raw]]'', billed as Raw's 15th Anniversary Show, there was a battle royal featuring wrestlers from the past 15 years. During the match, JR and Lawler referred to Skinner (Steve Keirn) as a "fabulous one." Steve Keirn and Stan Lane were known in Memphis, Florida, the Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation, and other territories as Wrestling/TheFabulousOnes from 1982 until 1987, when Jim Crockett Promotions closed down Florida, and manager Wrestling/JimCornette took Lane as Bobby Eaton's partner in the Midnight Express after Dennis Condrey left without any kind of warning.

* The main event of the ''Wrestling/{{WCW}} Fall Brawl 1997'' [=PPV=], September 14, 1997, was the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder NWO]] (Wrestling/KevinNash[=/=]Syxx [Sean Waltman]/Buff Bagwell[=/=]Wrestling/{{Konnan}}) defeating the Four [=Horsemen=] (Wrestling/RicFlair[=/=]Wrestling/ChrisBenoit[=/=]Steve "Mongo" [=McMichael=][=/=]Wrestling/CurtHennig) in [[GimmickMatches War Games]] after Hennig had [[FaceHeelTurn turned heel]] on the Horsemen. The following night on ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', Hennig presented [[Wrestling/HulkHogan "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan]] with Flair's robe. Hogan accepted the robe, saying, "This day has been perfect," alluding to Hennig's Wrestling/{{WWE}} name Mr. Perfect.

* The tag team the Heavenly Bodies (Dr. Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray), best known for their work in [[Wrestling/{{SMW}} Smoky Mountain Wrestling]] (and, by extension, WWE because of the working relationship via SMW promoter Wrestling/JimCornette, who managed the Bodies in SMW and WWE), had a brief run in Wrestling/{{ECW}} in late 1995 before Prichard went back to WWE to become Bodydonna Zip. After Prichard went back, Joey Styles mentioned that Prichard had "zipped" back, and added, "If you don't get that, you will in about two weeks."
* During Wrestling/{{Sabu}}'s final Wrestling/{{WCW}} match, against Disco Inferno on the October 30, 1995 episode of ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', commentator [[Wrestling/BobbyHeenan Bobby "The Brain" Heenan]] said, "Sabu's ''[[Wrestling/{{ECW}} extremely]]'' dangerous, don't take him lightly."
* At ''WWE Night of Champions 2012'', during the match between [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-us-h.html WWE United States Heavyweight Champion]] Wrestling/AntonioCesaro (Claudio Castagnoli) and Wrestling/ZackRyder, the camera found a fan holding a sign that read "Kassius Ohno is my Hero," referring to Chris Hero, Castagnoli's Kings of Wrestling tag team partner in Wrestling/RingOfHonor, Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}}, Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, and other promotions, who is currently in ''Wrestling/{{WWE NXT}}'' as Kassius Ohno.
* On the December 31st, 2012 ''[[Wrestling/{{WWERAW}} Raw]],'', Wrestling/CMPunk, and Wrestling/PaulHeyman cut a promo about Punk's injury where Punk brought out his "doctor," "Dr. Samuel [=DeCero=]," a reference to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_DeCero Sam [=DeCero=]]], the long-time promoter of the Chicago independent promotion [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windy_City_Pro_Wrestling Windy City Pro Wrestling]].

* At ''Wrestling/{{ECW}} When Worlds Collide'', May 14, 1994, the main event was Bobby Eaton and Sabu (w/[[Wrestling/PaulHeyman Paul E. Dangerously]]) vs. Arn Anderson and Wrestling/TerryFunk. During the match, announcer Wrestling/JoeyStyles made a joke about Wrestling/DoinkTheClown in re Eaton and his tag team partners, since Eaton had been teaming with Steve Keirn, the second evil Doink, in Wrestling/{{WCW}} at the time as Bad Attitude.

* On the May 2, 1999 episode of ''[[{{BShow}} Sunday Night Heat]]'', while Al Snow and [[Wrestling/BobHolly Hardcore Holly]] were feuding over the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-hc.html WWE Hardcore Title]], Al rode out on a toy car, a combined ActorAllusion and TakeThat in reference to Holly's previous [[TheGimmick gimmick]], {{NASCAR}} driver Sparky Thurman Plugg (later renamed "Sparkplug" Bob Holly).
* Wrestling/JimRoss sometimes referred to [[Wrestling/DGenerationX "Road Dogg" Jesse Jammes]] as "'Bullet' Bob Armstrong's little boy." Road Dogg, real name Brian Gerard James, is indeed the son of southern wrestling legend "Bullet" Bob Armstrong, though he never acknowledged it in character in WWE.
* During the ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1995'' match between the Bodydonnas (Skip [Wrestling/ChrisCandido][=/=]Rad Radford [Louie Spicolli][=/=]Dr. Tom Prichard[=/=]The 1-2-3 Kid [Sean Waltman]) and the Underdogs (Marty Jannetty[=/=]Wrestling/BarryHorowitz[=/=]Wrestling/BobHolly[=/=]Hakushi), Marty hit the Rocker Dropper on Skip, prompting commentator [[Wrestling/CurtHennig Mr. Perfect]] to say, "That'll break a neck." On December 11, 1990, the Rockers (Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and Marty Jannetty) defeated the team of the Genius (Lanny Poffo) and Charles Austin in a match in Tampa, Florida where Austin suffered a broken neck due to setting up for the Rocker Dropper incorrectly, trying to do a forward roll instead of the correct face-first bump. Jannetty quickly rolled Austin over and Shawn came off the top with a fistdrop for the pin. The match was taped, but never televised. Doctors at the time thought Austin might be paralyzed from the neck down for life. By 1994, he had regained some feeling in his arms and legs and was able to move around on crutches. He later sued WWE, Michaels and Jannetty for $3.8 million. On April 29, 1994, a Hillsborough County, FL jury awarded Austin $26.7 million, ruling that Titan Sports (WWE's official parent company) was 90% responsible, Jannetty was 5% responsible and that Austin himself was 5% responsible.
* Multiple references to [[Wrestling/{{Raven}} Scott "Raven" Levy]]'s past gimmicks were made in Wrestling/{{ECW}} in 1995.
** On the December 14, 1998 episode of ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', Wrestling/{{Kanyon}} said that [=Raven=] had grown up as a spoiled rich trust fund baby in Palm Beach, FL. Scott Levy was known in the Global Wrestling Federation for a time as "The Palm Beach Heartthrob" Scott Anthony.
* On the September 6, 2000 episode of ''Wrestling/{{WCW}} Thunder,'' "Mean" Gene Okerlund interviewed Crowbar prior to his match with Shane Douglas. Crowbar mentioned Douglas' real name of Troy Martin and referred to himself as "Devon." Prior to coming to WCW in late 1999, Crowbar, real name Christopher Ford, had wrestled for various promotions as Devon Storm.
* During the Horace Boulder-Juventud Guerrera match on the May 21, 1998 episode of ''Wrestling/{{WCW}} Thunder'', Lodi could be seen holding a sign that read "Horace- The Real Man of the Family." This is a combined Actor Allusion and TakeThat, since Horace is Wrestling/HulkHogan's nephew, although this was not acknowledged until he joined the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder NWO]] and renamed himself "Horace Hogan" on the October 26th ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', as it suggested that Hulk Hogan was not a "real man."

* Commentator Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield will mention Hardcore Holly when Wrestling/CodyRhodes, Holly's former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Championship]] partner back in 2007-2008, uses Holly's Alabama Slam finisher.
* In her match against Tori at ''[=WrestleMania=] XV'' {{Sable}} went ballistic when Tori went after her face. One year ago at the previous Mania, Sable's opponent Luna had been warned against disfiguring Sable in any way behind the scenes.
* In one of his raps before his Survivor Series 2003 match, John Cena suggested trading his partners for "a one night stand with Sable". The opposing team was captained by BrockLesnar - Sable's husband in real life.

* At ''Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} King of Trios 2009'', Night 1, March 27, 2009, the [=UnStable=] (Vin Gerard/STIGMA/Colin Delaney) were scheduled to face the Cold Front (Al Snow[=/=]Wrestling/{{Glacier}}[=/=]Iceberg), but Iceberg wasn't there, so they brought out a hat to draw the name of a replacement. The names Shinobi, Avatar and Leif Cassidy were all mentioned, which were all alter egos of Al Snow.

* Commentator Wrestling/JohnBradshawLayfield will mention Hardcore Holly when Wrestling/CodyRhodes, Holly's former [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-world-t.html WWE World Tag Team Championship]] partner back in 2007-2008, uses Holly's Alabama Slam finisher.

* As part of a TakeThat in a promo, Mickie James sarcastically said to [[Wrestling/{{LayCool}} Michelle [=Cool=]]], "you're so clever. Are you smarter than a 5th grader". Michelle made an appearance on the game show ''Series/AreYouSmarterThanAFifthGrader'' and performed abysmally.

* On the HalloweenEpisode of WWECW, October 30, 2007, Tommy Dreamer dressed as Wrestling/PaulHeyman for his match against Nunzio (formerly [=ECW=]'s Little Guido Maritato, who was dressed as {{Dracula}}), with announcer Joey Styles and commentator Wrestling/{{Tazz}} saying how they sort of recognized who Dreamer was imitating but they couldn't actually say it, as Heyman had left the company in December 2006. Dreamer even hit Nunzio with a cell phone, much like Paul E. had as a manager in the 1980s and 1990s, though, [[TechnologyMarchesOn while technology has greatly improved]], the fact that Dreamer used the kind of small cellular phone we have today instead of one of the big brick kinds from when they were first introduced qualifies as BadassDecay. Apparently, it was [=WWE=]'s idea for Dreamer to dress up as Heyman here, but he did it with no discernible irony, even leading the crowd in an "[=ECW=]" chant.

* [[WildSamoan Ekmo (better known as Umaga)]], who had last been seen in WWE as Jamal of the tag team Three Minute Warning, showed up in Major League Wrestling in Florida to team with his cousin [[WildSamoan Samu]] as the Samoan Island Tribe in a successful [[GimmickMatches Falls Count Anywhere]] match against Monsta Mack and B-Boy at ''MLW Summer Apocalypse'', August 22, 2003. On ''MLW Underground TV'', announcer Wrestling/JoeyStyles said that he made an impact and that it took him less than three minutes to do it.

* When Wrestling/TripleH saw Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz, he said the Brooklyn Brawler must have been busy that night. [[Characters/WWERockNWrestling Steve Lombardi portrays both characters]].

* During the ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1995'' match between the Bodydonnas (Skip [Chris Candido][=/=]Rad Radford [Louie Spicolli][=/=]Dr. Tom Prichard[=/=]The 1-2-3 Kid [Sean Waltman]) and the Underdogs (Marty Jannetty[=/=]Wrestling/BarryHorowitz[=/=]Wrestling/BobHolly[=/=]Hakushi), Marty hit the Rocker Dropper on Skip, prompting commentator [[Wrestling/CurtHennig Mr. Perfect]] to say, "That'll break a neck." On December 11, 1990, the Rockers (Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and Marty Jannetty) defeated the team of the Genius (Lanny Poffo) and Charles Austin in a match in Tampa, Florida where Austin suffered a broken neck due to setting up for the Rocker Dropper incorrectly, trying to do a forward roll instead of the correct face-first bump. Jannetty quickly rolled Austin over and Shawn came off the top with a fistdrop for the pin. The match was taped, but never televised. Doctors at the time thought Austin might be paralyzed from the neck down for life. By 1994, he had regained some feeling in his arms and legs and was able to move around on crutches. He later sued WWE, Michaels and Jannetty for $3.8 million. On April 29, 1994, a Hillsborough County, FL jury awarded Austin $26.7 million, ruling that Titan Sports (WWE's official parent company) was 90% responsible, Jannetty was 5% responsible and that Austin himself was 5% responsible.

* During the ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1995'' match between the Bodydonnas (Skip [Chris Candido][=/=]Rad Radford [Louie Spicolli][=/=]Dr. Tom Prichard[=/=]The 1-2-3 Kid [Sean Waltman]) and the Underdogs (Marty Jannetty/Barry Horowitz[=/=]Wrestling/BobHolly[=/=]Hakushi), Marty hit the Rocker Dropper on Skip, prompting commentator [[Wrestling/CurtHennig Mr. Perfect]] to say, "That'll break a neck." On December 11, 1990, the Rockers (Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and Marty Jannetty) defeated the team of the Genius (Lanny Poffo) and Charles Austin in a match in Tampa, Florida where Austin suffered a broken neck due to setting up for the Rocker Dropper incorrectly, trying to do a forward roll instead of the correct face-first bump. Jannetty quickly rolled Austin over and Shawn came off the top with a fistdrop for the pin. The match was taped, but never televised. Doctors at the time thought Austin might be paralyzed from the neck down for life. By 1994, he had regained some feeling in his arms and legs and was able to move around on crutches. He later sued WWE, Michaels and Jannetty for $3.8 million. On April 29, 1994, a Hillsborough County, FL jury awarded Austin $26.7 million, ruling that Titan Sports (WWE's official parent company) was 90% responsible, Jannetty was 5% responsible and that Austin himself was 5% responsible.

*** In a similar vein, Lawler once seemed extremely happy when the Honky Tonk Man showed up on the January 12, 1998 Raw. Announcer Wrestling/JimRoss eventually said, "What are you, his cousin?" Lawler and Honky are actually cousins.

* When Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon's real life pregnancy was revealed on the air, Wrestling/TripleH (who was divorced from Stephanie in {{Kayfabe}} but was and is still married to her in RealLife) began gushingly speculating on what a stud the father must be.

* The main event of the ''Wrestling/{{WCW}} Fall Brawl 1997'' [=PPV=], September 14, 1997 was the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder NWO]] (Wrestling/KevinNash[=/=]Syxx [Sean Waltman]/Buff Bagwell[=/=]Wrestling/{{Konnan}}) defeating the Four [=Horsemen=] (Wrestling/RicFlair[=/=]Wrestling/ChrisBenoit[=/=]Steve "Mongo" [=McMichael=][=/=]Wrestling/CurtHennig) in [[GimmickMatches War Games]] after Hennig had [[FaceHeelTurn turned heel]] on the Horsemen. The following night on ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', Hennig presented [[Wrestling/HulkHogan "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan]] with Flair's robe. Hogan accepted the robe, saying, "This day has been perfect," alluding to Hennig's Wrestling/{{WWE}} name Mr. Perfect.

* During Wrestling/{{Sabu}}'s final Wrestling/{{WCW}} match, against Disco Inferno on the October 30, 1995 episode of ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', commentator [[Wrestling/BobbyHeenan Bobby "The Brain" Heenan]] said, "Sabu's [[Wrestling/{{ECW}} extremely]] dangerous, don't take him lightly."

* On the HalloweenEpisode of WWECW, October 30, 2007, Tommy Dreamer dressed as Wrestling/PaulHeyman for his match against Nunzio (formerly [=ECW=]'s Little Guido Maritato, who was dressed as a [[VampireTropes vampire]]), with announcer Joey Styles and commentator Wrestling/{{Tazz}} saying how they sort of recognized who Dreamer was imitating but they couldn't actually say it, as Heyman had left the company in December 2006. Dreamer even hit Nunzio with a cell phone, much like Paul E. had as a manager in the 1980s and 1990s, though, [[TechnologyMarchesOn while technology has greatly improved]], the fact that Dreamer used the kind of small cellular phone we have today instead of one of the big brick kinds from when they were first introduced qualifies as BadassDecay. Apparently, it was [=WWE=]'s idea for Dreamer to dress up as Heyman here, but he did it with no discernible irony, even leading the crowd in an "[=ECW=]" chant.

* During the ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 1995'' match between the Bodydonnas (Skip [Chris Candido]/Rad Radford [Louie Spicolli]/Dr. Tom Prichard/The 1-2-3 Kid [Sean Waltman]) and the Underdogs (Marty Jannetty/Barry Horowitz[=/=]Wrestling/BobHolly[=/=]Hakushi), Marty hit the Rocker Dropper on Skip, prompting commentator [[Wrestling/CurtHennig Mr. Perfect]] to say, "That'll break a neck." On December 11, 1990, the Rockers (Wrestling/ShawnMichaels and Marty Jannetty) defeated the team of the Genius (Lanny Poffo) and Charles Austin in a match in Tampa, Florida where Austin suffered a broken neck due to setting up for the Rocker Dropper incorrectly, trying to do a forward roll instead of the correct face-first bump. Jannetty quickly rolled Austin over and Shawn came off the top with a fistdrop for the pin. The match was taped, but never televised. Doctors at the time thought Austin might be paralyzed from the neck down for life. By 1994, he had regained some feeling in his arms and legs and was able to move around on crutches. He later sued WWE, Michaels and Jannetty for $3.8 million. On April 29, 1994, a Hillsborough County, FL jury awarded Austin $26.7 million, ruling that Titan Sports (WWE's official parent company) was 90% responsible, Jannetty was 5% responsible and that Austin himself was 5% responsible.

* During the Horace Boulder-Juventud Guerrera match on the May 21, 1998 episode of ''Wrestling/{{WCW}} Thunder'', Lodi could be seen holding a sign that read "Horace- The Real Man of the Family." This is a combined Actor Allusion and TakeThat, since Horace is Wrestling/HulkHogan's nephew, although this was not acknowledged until he joined the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder NWO]] and renamed himself "Horace Hogan" on the October 26th ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', as it suggested that Hulk Hogan was not a "real man."

* The tag team the Heavenly Bodies (Dr. Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray), best known for their work in Smoky Mountain Wrestling (and, by extension, WWE because of the working relationship via SMW promoter Wrestling/JimCornette, who managed the Bodies in SMW and WWE), had a brief run in Wrestling/{{ECW}} in late 1995 before Prichard went back to WWE to become Bodydonna Zip. After Prichard went back, Joey Styles mentioned that Prichard had "zipped" back, and added, "If you don't get that, you will in about two weeks."

*** In a similar vein, Lawler once seemed extremely happy when The Honky Tonk Man showed up on the January 12, 1998 Raw. Announcer Wrestling/JimRoss eventually said, "What are you, his cousin?" Lawler and Honky are actually cousins.

* As part of a TakeThat in a promo, Mickie James sarcastically said to [[Wrestling/{{LayCool}} Michelle McCool]], "you're so clever. Are you smarter than a 5th grader". Michelle made an appearance on the game show ''Series/AreYouSmarterThanAFifthGrader'' and performed abysmally.

* On an episode of '''Monday Night Raw'' a couple of years back, Chavo Guerrero was chasing Hornswoggle backstage and opened the door to a dressing room, expecting to find the midget inside - only to get smacked in the face by a swinging paint can on a string. Someone then emerged from the dressing room, and it turned out to be...Macaulay Culkin. (If you have to ask why that's funny, you should see [[Film/HomeAlone this movie]].)

* On the December 10, 2007 episode of [[Wrestling/{{WWERaw}} Raw]], billed as Raw's 15th Anniversary Show, there was a battle royal featuring wrestlers from the past 15 years. During the match, JR and Lawler referred to Skinner (Steve Keirn) as a "fabulous one." Steve Keirn and Stan Lane were known in Memphis, Florida, the Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation, and other territories as Wrestling/TheFabulousOnes from 1982 until 1987, when Jim Crockett Promotions closed down Florida, and manager Wrestling/JimCornette took Lane as Bobby Eaton's partner in the Midnight Express after Dennis Condrey left without any kind of warning.
* At Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} King of Trios 2009, Night 1, March 27, 2009, the [=UnStable=] (Vin Gerard/STIGMA/Colin Delaney) were scheduled to face the Cold Front (Al Snow[=/=]Wrestling/{{Glacier}}[=/=]Iceberg), but Iceberg wasn't there, so they brought out a hat to draw the name of a replacement. The names Shinobi, Avatar and Leif Cassidy were all mentioned, which were all alter egos of Al Snow.

* The main event of the Wrestling/{{WCW}} Fall Brawl 1997 PPV, September 14, 1997 was the [[Wrestling/NewWorldOrder NWO]] (Wrestling/KevinNash[=/=]Syxx [Sean Waltman]/Buff Bagwell[=/=]Wrestling/{{Konnan}}) defeating the Four [=Horsemen=] (Wrestling/RicFlair[=/=]Wrestling/ChrisBenoit[=/=]Steve "Mongo" [=McMichael=][=/=]Wrestling/CurtHennig) in [[GimmickMatches War Games]] after Hennig had [[FaceHeelTurn turned heel]] on the Horsemen. The following night on ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', Hennig presented [[Wrestling/HulkHogan "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan]] with Flair's robe. Hogan accepted the robe, saying, "This day has been perfect," alluding to Hennig's Wrestling/{{WWE}} name Mr. Perfect.
* [[WildSamoan Ekmo (better known as Umaga)]], who had last been seen in WWE as Jamal of the tag team Three Minute Warning, showed up in Major League Wrestling in Florida to team with his cousin [[WildSamoan Samu]] as the Samoan Island Tribe in a successful [[GimmickMatches Falls Count Anywhere]] match against Monsta Mack and B-Boy at MLW Summer Apocalypse, August 22, 2003. On ''MLW Underground TV'', announcer Wrestling/JoeyStyles said that he made an impact and that it took him less than three minutes to do it.
* The tag team The Heavenly Bodies (Dr. Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray), best known for their work in Smoky Mountain Wrestling (and, by extension, WWE because of the working relationship via SMW promoter Wrestling/JimCornette, who managed the Bodies in SMW and WWE), had a brief run in Wrestling/{{ECW}} in late 1995 before Prichard went back to WWE to become Bodydonna Zip. After Prichard went back, Joey Styles mentioned that Prichard had "zipped" back, and added, "If you don't get that, you will in about two weeks."

* At WWE Night of Champions 2012, during the match between [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-us-h.html WWE United States Heavyweight Champion]] Wrestling/AntonioCesaro (Claudio Castagnoli) and Wrestling/ZackRyder, the camera found a fan holding a sign that read "Kassius Ohno is my Hero," referring to Chris Hero, Castagnoli's Kings of Wrestling tag team partner in Wrestling/RingOfHonor, Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}}, Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, and other promotions, who is currently in ''Wrestling/{{WWENXT}}'' as Kassius Ohno.

* At Wrestling/{{ECW}} When Worlds Collide, May 14, 1994, the main event was Bobby Eaton and Sabu (w/[[Wrestling/PaulHeyman Paul E. Dangerously]]) vs. Arn Anderson and Wrestling/TerryFunk. During the match, announcer Wrestling/JoeyStyles made a joke about Wrestling/DoinkTheClown in re Eaton and his tag team partners, since Eaton had been teaming with Steve Keirn, the second evil Doink, in Wrestling/{{WCW}} at the time as Bad Attitude.

* On the September 6, 2000 episode of ''Wrestling/{{WCW}} Thunder,'' "Mean" Gene Okerlund interviewed Crowbar prior to his match with Shane Douglas. Crowbar mentioned Douglas' real name of Troy Martin and referred to himself as "Devon." Prior to coming to WCW in late 1999, Crowbar, real name Christopher Ford, had wrestled for various promotions as Devon Storm.

* On the December 10, 2007 episode of [[Wrestling/{{WWERaw}} Raw]], billed as Raw's 15th Anniversary Show, there was a battle royal featuring wrestlers from the past 15 years. During the match, JR and Lawler referred to Skinner (Steve Keirn) as a "fabulous one." Steve Keirn and Stan Lane were known in Memphis, Florida, the Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation, and other territories as the Fabulous Ones from 1982 until 1987, when Jim Crockett Promotions closed down Florida, and manager Wrestling/JimCornette took Lane as Bobby Eaton's partner in the Midnight Express after Dennis Condrey left without any kind of warning.

* [[Characters/WWEDivas Torrie Wilson]] was once in an angle where she got in trouble for laughing at Wrestling/TheBigShow backstage while he was in a bad mood. This was likely a reference to the famous WCW segment where [[Wrestling/RandySavage Macho Man Randy Savage]] was on a rampage backstage and found Torrie {{Corpsing}} and slapped her in the face as a result.

* Multiple references to [[Wrestling/{{Raven}} Scott "Raven" Levy]]'s past gimmicks were made in Wrestling/{{ECW}} in 1995.

* During Sabu's final Wrestling/{{WCW}} match, against Disco Inferno on the October 30, 1995 episode of ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', commentator [[Wrestling/BobbyHeenan Bobby "The Brain" Heenan]] said, "Sabu's [[Wrestling/{{ECW}} extremely]] dangerous, don't take him lightly."

* When Freddie Prinze, Jr., was the guest host of ''[[Wrestling/{{WWERaw}} WWE Monday Night Raw]]'', Wrestling/SantinoMarella came down to the ring and imitated characters from some of Prinze's movies, including "The Fisherman" from ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer''. Marella also referred to Prinze's wife as a "werewolf-killer" - which is close but not quite accurate, since she's SarahMichelleGellar from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.

* On the May 2, 1999 episode of ''[[{{BShow}} Sunday Night Heat]]'', while Al Snow and [[Wrestling/BobHolly Hardcore Holly]] were feuding over the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-hc.html WWE Hardcore Title]], Al rode out on a toy car, a combined ActorAllusion and TakeThat in reference to Holly's previous [[TheGimmick gimmick]], {{NASCAR}} driver Sparky Thurman Plugg (later renamed "Sparkplug" Bob Holly).

* Wrestling/JohnCena once said, about Wrestling/{{Kane}}, that "He gets uneasy during the holidays and hates trips to the dentist." Glen Jacobs, the wrestler who portrays Kane, once had roles as Issac Yankem, DDS (a deranged dentist) in [[{{Wrestling/WWE}} WWE]] from mid-1995 to mid-1996 and as "The Christmas Creature" in the USWA in Memphis.
* Professional Wrestlers occasionally go out of their way to acknowledge real-life relatives, even if they're not officially related according to {{Kayfabe}}. An example of this would be Survivor Series 1987, where commentator Wrestling/GorillaMonsoon comments on the prowess of referee Joey Marella, who was in fact Gorilla's son.
** More infamously was the many non-references from [[{{Wrestling/JerryLawler}} Jerry "The King" Lawler]] towards his son, Brian Christopher. Lawler refused to acknowledge any kind of relationship with Christopher out of vanity; as someone trying to portray a suave ladies' man in his prime, he didn't want to appear old enough to have a 25-year-old son (he's 63). His adamant on-air denials became a big open secret, and eventually a RunningGag.
*** In a similar vein, Lawler once seemed extremely happy when The Honky Tonk Man showed up. Announcer Wrestling/JimRoss eventually said, "What are you, his cousin?" Lawler and Honky are actually cousins.
* When Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon's real life pregnancy was revealed on the air, Wrestling/TripleH (who was divorced from Stephanie in {{Kayfabe}} but was and is still married to her in {{RealLife}}) began gushingly speculating on what a stud the father must be.
** During his very brief stint on [[{{Wrestling/WWESmackdown}} WWE Smackdown!]], on the July 4, 2008 episode, Wrestling/TripleH guested on MVP (Montel Vontavious Porter)'s [[{{TalkShowWithFists}} VIP Lounge]] where he praised Wrestling/{{Edge}} for getting with Wrestling/VickieGuerrero. [[RealitySubtext "Marrying the boss to get ahead in the business? That's brilliant!"]].
* When [[{{Wrestling/DwayneJohnson}} The Rock]] goes on a rant about how the Hurricane pales in comparison to other superheroes ("[[{{Franchise/Batman}} Batman]] could beat the Hurricane" etc.), the Hurricane responds with "there's one person The Hurricane can beat... [[{{Film/TheMummyTrilogy}} The Scorpion King]]". In ''[[{{Film/TheMummyTrilogy}} The Mummy Returns]]'', [[{{Creator/BrendanFraser}} Richard "Rick" O'Connell]] beat the Scorpion King (played by The Rock.)
* Wrestlers occasionally make references to previous gimmicks in this way, most famously Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin using the Million Dollar Dream, his finisher as The Ringmaster, out of desperation at {{WrestleMania}} X-7.

* As part of a TakeThat in a promo, Mickie James sarcastically said to [[{{Wrestling/LayCool}} Michelle McCool]], "you're so clever. Are you smarter than a 5th grader". Michelle made an appearance on the game show ''[[{{Series/AreYouSmarterThanAFifthGrader}} Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader]]'' and performed abysmally.

** In the same promo, Michelle ribbed Maria Kanellis for her appearance on the ''Celebrity Apprentice''.
* One time on ''Sunday Night Heat'', Todd Grisham compared Wrestling/{{Kane}} to Dr. Isaac Yankem. (Kane's old gimmick) Todd said to Josh Mathews, "Do you think they could be related?" Josh tries to change the subject by saying "I wasn't going to go there!"
** Another one of his gimmicks was referenced by [[{{Wrestling/JerryLawler}} Jerry "The King" Lawler]] at a Christmas party when he said "he looks like some sort of Christmas Creature."

* In a promo for his ''[[{{Wrestling/WrestleMania}} WrestleMania]] XV match with X-Pac (Sean Waltman), [[{{Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon}} Shane McMahon]] said "I'm going to pin you 1,2,3, kid," alluding to the name Waltman had used from 1993-1996.

* [[{{Characters/WWEDivas}} Torrie Wilson]] was once in an angle where she got in trouble for laughing at the [[{{Wrestling/TheBigShow}} Big Show]] backstage while he was in a bad mood. This was likely a reference to the famous WCW segment where [[{{Wrestling/RandySavage}} Macho Man Randy Savage]] was on a rampage backstage and found Torrie {{Corpsing}} and slapped her in the face as a result.
* When Freddie Prinze, Jr., was the guest host of ''[[{{Wrestling/WWERaw}} WWE Monday Night Raw]]'', Wrestling/SantinoMarella came down to the ring and imitated characters from some of Prinze's movies, including "The Fisherman" from ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer''. Marella also referred to Prinze's wife as a "werewolf-killer" - which is close but not quite accurate, since she's SarahMichelleGellar from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer''.
* On an episode of '''Monday Night Raw'' a couple of years back, Chavo Guerrero was chasing Hornswoggle backstage and opened the door to a dressing room, expecting to find the midget inside - only to get smacked in the face by a swinging paint can on a string. Someone then emerged from the dressing room, and it turned out to be...Macaulay Culkin. (If you have to ask why that's funny, you should see [[{{Film/HomeAlone}} this movie]].)
* In the fourth ''[[{{Franchise/Highlander}} Highlander]]'' movie, 2000's ''Highlander: Engame'', Wrestling/{{Edge}} had a cameo as a highway robber. He's quickly defeated in a sword fight and then taunted with "Looks like you've lost your ''edge'', lad."
* On the December 10, 2007 episode of [[{{Wrestling/WWERaw}} Raw]], billed as Raw's 15th Anniversary Show, there was a battle royal featuring wrestlers from the past 15 years. During the match, JR and Lawler referred to Skinner (Steve Keirn) as a "fabulous one." Steve Keirn and Stan Lane were known in Memphis, Florida, the [[{{Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation}} AWA]] and other territories as the Fabulous Ones from 1982 until 1987, when Jim Crockett Promotions closed down Florida, and manager [[{{Wrestling/JimCornette}} James E. Cornette]] took Lane as Bobby Eaton's partner in the Midnight Express after Dennis Condrey left without any kind of warning.
* At Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} King of Trios 2009, Night 1, March 27, 2009, the [=UnStable=] (Vin Gerard/STIGMA/Colin Delaney) were scheduled to face the Cold Front (Al Snow/Glacier/Iceberg), but Iceberg wasn't there, so they brought out a hat to draw the name of a replacement. The names Shinobi, Avatar and Leif Cassidy were all mentioned, which were all alter egos of Al Snow.
* [[{{Wrestling/UltimateWarrior}} The Ultimate Warrior]] made his Wrestling/{{WCW}} debut on the August 17, 1998 episode of ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'' by confronting [[{{Wrestling/HulkHogan}} "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan]] and cutting a melodramatic promo. Hogan was standing with Wrestling/EricBischoff and the Disciple (Brutus Beefcake.) Warrior pointed to the Disciple and said, "Let's see- this dude must be your barber."
* The main event of the Wrestling/{{WCW}} Fall Brawl 1997 PPV, September 14, 1997 was the [[{{Wrestling/NewWorldOrder}} NWO]] Wrestling/KevinNash/Syxx [Sean Waltman]/Buff Bagwell/Konnan) defeating the Four [=Horsemen=] (Wrestling/RicFlair/Wrestling/ChrisBenoit/Steve "Mongo" [=McMichael=]/Wrestling/CurtHennig) in a [[{{GimmickMatches}} War Games]] match after Hennig had [[{{FaceHeelTurn}} turned heel]] on the Horsemen. The following night on [[{{Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro}} Nitro]], Hennig presented [[{{Wrestling/HulkHogan}} "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan]] with Flair's robe. Hogan accepted the robe, saying, "This day has been perfect," alluding to Hennig's [[{{Wrestling/WWE}} WWE]] name Mr. Perfect.
* [[{{WildSamoan}} Ekmo (better known as Umaga)]], who had last been seen in WWE as Jamal of the tag team Three Minute Warning, showed up in Major League Wrestling in Florida to team with his cousin [[{{WildSamoan}} Samu]] as the Samoan Island Tribe in a successful [[{{GimmickMatches}} Falls Count Anywhere]] match against Monsta Mack and B-Boy at MLW Summer Apocalypse, August 22, 2003. On ''MLW Underground TV'', announcer [[{{Wrestling/JoeyStyles}} Joey Styles]] said that he made an impact and that it took him less than three minutes to do it.

* During Sabu's final Wrestling/{{WCW}} match, against Disco Inferno on the October 30, 1995 episode of ''Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro'', commentator [[{{Wrestling/BobbyHeenan}} Bobby "The Brain" Heenan]] said, "Sabu's [[{{Wrestling/ECW}} extremely]] dangerous, don't take him lightly."
* At WWE Night of Champions 2012, during the match between [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-us-h.html WWE United States Heavyweight Champion]] Wrestling/AntonioCesaro (Claudio Castagnoli) and Wrestling/ZackRyder, the camera found a fan holding a sign that read "Kassius Ohno is my Hero," referring to Chris Hero, Castagnoli's Kings of Wrestling tag team partner in Wrestling/RingOfHonor, Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}}, Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH, and other promotions, who is currently in WWE's developmental program NXT as Kassius Ohno.
* On the December 31st, 2012 ''Wrestling/WWERAW,'', Wrestling/CMPunk, and Wrestling/PaulHeyman cut a promo about Punk's injury where Punk brought out his "doctor," "Dr. Samuel [=DeCero=]," a reference to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_DeCero Sam [=DeCero=]]], the long-time promoter of the Chicago independent promotion [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windy_City_Pro_Wrestling Windy City Pro Wrestling]].

* At [[{{Wrestling/ECW}} ECW]] When Worlds Collide, May 14, 1994, the main event was Bobby Eaton and Sabu (w/[[{{Wrestling/PaulHeyman}} Paul E. Dangerously]]) vs. Arn Anderson and Wrestling/TerryFunk. During the match, announcer Wrestling/JoeyStyles made a joke about Wrestling/DoinkTheClown in re Eaton and his tag team partners, since Eaton had been teaming with Steve Keirn, the second evil Doink, in Wrestling/{{WCW}} at the time as Bad Attitude.
* On the HalloweenEpisode of WWECW, October 30, 2007, Tommy Dreamer dressed as Wrestling/PaulHeyman for his match against Nunzio (formerly [=ECW=]'s Little Guido Maritato, who was dressed as a [[{{VampireTropes}} vampire]]), with announcer Joey Styles and commentator Wrestling/{{Tazz}} saying how they sort of recognized who Dreamer was imitating but they couldn't actually say it, as Heyman had left the company in December 2006. Dreamer even hit Nunzio with a cell phone, much like Paul E. had as a manager in the 1980s and 1990s, though, [[{{TechnologyMarchesOn}} while technology has greatly improved]], the fact that Dreamer used the kind of small cellular phone we have today instead of one of the big brick kinds from when they were first introduced qualifies as BadassDecay. Apparently, it was [=WWE=]'s idea for Dreamer to dress up as Heyman here, but he did it with no discernible irony, even leading the crowd in an "[=ECW=]" chant.
* On the May 2, 1999 episode of ''[[{{BShow}} Sunday Night Heat]]'', while Al Snow and [[{{Wrestling/BobHolly}} Hardcore Holly]] were feuding over the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-hc.html WWE Hardcore Title]], Al rode out on a toy car, a combined ActorAllusion and TakeThat in reference to Holly's previous [[{{TheGimmick}} gimmick]], {{NASCAR}} driver Sparky Thurman Plugg (later renamed "Sparkplug" Bob Holly).

* On the HalloweenEpisode of WWECW, October 30, 2007, Tommy Dreamer dressed as Wrestling/PaulHeyman for his match against Nunzio (formerly [=ECW=]'s Little Guido Maritato, who was dressed as a [[{{VampireTropes}} vampire]]), with announcer Joey Styles and commentator Wrestling/{{Tazz}} saying how they sort of recognized who Dreamer was imitating but they couldn't actually say it, as Heyman had left the company in December 2006. Dreamer even hit Nunzio with a [[{{CellPhone}} cell phone]], much like Paul E. had as a manager in the 1980s and 1990s, though, [[{{TechnologyMarchesOn}} while technology has greatly improved]], the fact that Dreamer used the kind of small cellular phone we have today instead of one of the big brick kinds from when they were first introduced qualifies as BadassDecay. Apparently, it was [=WWE=]'s idea for Dreamer to dress up as Heyman here, but he did it with no discernible irony, even leading the crowd in an "[=ECW=]" chant.

* [[{{Wrestling/JohnCena}} John Cena]] once said, about [[{{Wrestling/Kane}} Kane]] that "He gets uneasy during the holidays and hates trips to the dentist." Glen Jacobs, the wrestler who portrays Kane, once had roles as Issac Yankem, DDS (a deranged dentist) in [[{{Wrestling/WWE}} WWE]] from mid-1995 to mid-1996 and as "The Christmas Creature" in the USWA in Memphis.
* Professional Wrestlers occasionally go out of their way to acknowledge real-life relatives, even if they're not officially related according to {{Kayfabe}}. An example of this would be Survivor Series 1987, where commentator Gorilla Monsoon comments on the prowess of referee Joey Marella, who was in fact Gorilla's son.
** More infamously was the many non-references from [[{{Wrestling/JerryLawler}} Jerry "The King" Lawler]] towards his son, Brian Christopher. Lawler refused to acknowledge any kind of relationship with Christopher out of vanity; as someone trying to portray a suave ladies' man in his prime, he didn't want to appear old enough to have a 25-year-old son (he's just under sixty). His adamant on-air denials became a big open secret, and eventually a RunningGag.
*** In a similar vein, Lawler once seemed extremely happy when The Honky Tonk Man showed up. Announcer [[{{Wrestling/JimRoss}} Jim Ross]] eventually said, "What are you, his cousin?" Lawler and Honky are actually cousins.
* When [[{{Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon}} Stephanie McMahon]]'s real life pregnancy was revealed on the air, [[{{Wrestling/TripleH}} Triple H]] (who was divorced from Stephanie in {{Kayfabe}} but was and is still married to her in {{RealLife}}) began gushingly speculating on what a stud the father must be.
** During his very brief stint on [[{{Wrestling/WWESmackdown}} WWE Smackdown!]], on the July 4, 2008 episode, [[{{Wrestling/TripleH}} Triple H]] guested on MVP (Montel Vontavious Porter)'s [[{{TalkShowWithFists}} VIP Lounge]] where he praised [[{{Wrestling/Edge}} Edge]] for getting with [[{{Wrestling/VickieGuerrero}} Vickie Guerrero.]] [[RealitySubtext "Marrying the boss to get ahead in the business? That's brilliant!"]].
* When [[{{Wrestling/TheRock}} The Rock]] goes on a rant about how the Hurricane pales in comparison to other superheroes ("[[{{Franchise/Batman}} Batman]] could beat the Hurricane" etc.), the Hurricane responds with "there's one person The Hurricane can beat... [[{{Film/TheMummyTrilogy}} The Scorpion King]]". In ''[[{{Film/TheMummyTrilogy}} The Mummy Returns]]'', [[{{Creator/BrendanFraser}} Richard "Rick" O'Connell]] beat the Scorpion King (played by The Rock.)
* Wrestlers occasionally make references to previous gimmicks in this way, most famously [[{{Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin}} "Stone Cold" Steve Austin]] using the Million Dollar Dream, his finisher as The Ringmaster, out of desperation at {{WrestleMania}} X-7.
* In [[{{Wrestling/TNA}} TNA]], [[{{Wrestling/KevinNash}} Kevin Nash]] was giving Jay Lethal suggestions for new nicknames. All of them were previously used by Nash.

* One time on ''Sunday Night Heat'', Todd Grisham compared [[{{Wrestler/Kane}} Kane]] to Dr. Isaac Yankem. (Kane's old gimmick) Todd said to Josh Mathews, "Do you think they could be related?" Josh tries to change the subject by saying "I wasn't going to go there!"

* When [[{{Wrestling/TripleH}} Triple H]] saw Abe "Knuckleball" Schwartz, he said the Brooklyn Brawler must have been busy that night. [[Characters/WWERockNWrestling Steve Lombardi portrays both characters]].
* In a promo for his {{WrestleMania}} XV match with X-Pac, [[{{Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon}} Shane McMahon]] said "I'm going to pin you 1,2,3, kid."
* While she was in WWE the second time around [[{{Wrestling/GailKim}} Gail Kim]] was referred to by the announcers as a 2-time Women's Champion. She held the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-wm.html WWE Women's Championship]] only once and the other title was the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tna/tna-wm.html TNA Knockouts Title]]. It's especially notable not only because it's one of the closest times WWE has ever come to acknowledging TNA on screen, but also because the WWE has failed to acknowledge the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/tna/tna-h.html TNA World Heavyweight Title]] on a few occasions (such as whenever tallying up world championship reigns).

* When Freddie Prinze, Jr., was the guest host of ''[[{{Wrestling/WWERaw}} WWE Monday Night Raw]]'', [[{{Wrestling/SantinoMarella}} Santino Marella]] came down to the ring and imitated characters from some of Prinze's movies, including "The Fisherman" from ''[[{{Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer}} I Know What You Did Last Summer]]''. Marella also referred to Prinze's wife as a "werewolf-killer" - which is close but not quite accurate, since she's SarahMichelleGellar from ''[[{{Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer}} Buffy The Vampire Slayer]]''.

* In the fourth ''[[{{Franchise/Highlander}} Highlander]]'' movie, 2000's ''Highlander: Engame'', [[{{Wrestling/Edge}} Edge]] had a cameo as a highway robber. He's quickly defeated in a sword fight and then taunted with "Looks like you've lost your ''edge'', lad."

* At [[{{Wrestling/CHIKARA}} CHIKARA]] King of Trios 2009, Night 1, March 27, 2009, the [=UnStable=] (Vin Gerard/STIGMA/Colin Delaney) were scheduled to face the Cold Front (Al Snow/Glacier/Iceberg), but Iceberg wasn't there, so they brought out a hat to draw the name of a replacement. The names Shinobi, Avatar and Leif Cassidy were all mentioned, which were all alter egos of Al Snow.
* [[{{Wrestling/UltimateWarrior}} The Ultimate Warrior]] made his [[{{Wrestling/WCW}} WCW]] debut on the August 17, 1998 episode of [[{{Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro}} WCW Monday Nitro]] by confronting [[{{Wrestling/HulkHogan}} "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan]] and cutting a melodramatic promo. Hogan was standing with [[{{Wrestling/EricBischoff}} Eric Bischoff]] and the Disciple (Brutus Beefcake.) Warrior pointed to the Disciple and said, "Let's see- this dude must be your barber."
* The main event of the [[{{Wrestling/WCW}} WCW]] Fall Brawl 1997 PPV, September 14, 1997 was the [[{{Wrestling/NewWorldOrder}} NWO]] ([[{{Wrestling/KevinNash}} Kevin Nash]]/Syxx [Sean Waltman]/Buff Bagwell/Konnan) defeating the Four Horsemen ([[{{Wrestling/RicFlair}} Ric Flair]]/[[{{Wrestling/ChrisBenoit}} Chris Benoit]]/Steve "Mongo" [=McMichael=]/[[{{Wrestling/CurtHennig}} Curt Hennig]]) in a [[{{GimmickMatches}} War Games]] match after Hennig had [[{{FaceHeelTurn}} turned heel]] on the Horsemen. The following night on [[{{Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro}} Nitro]], Hennig presented [[{{Wrestling/HulkHogan}} "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan]] with Flair's robe. Hogan accepted the robe, saying, "This day has been perfect," alluding to Hennig's [[{{Wrestling/WWE}} WWE]] name Mr. Perfect.

* The tag team The Heavenly Bodies (Dr. Tom Prichard and Jimmy Del Ray), best known for their work in Smoky Mountain Wrestling (and, by extension, WWE because of the working relationship via SMW promoter [[{{Wrestling/JimCornette}} Jim Cornette]], who managed the Bodies in SMW and WWE), had a brief run in [[{{Wrestling/ECW}} ECW]] in late 1995 before Prichard went back to WWE to become Bodydonna Zip. After Prichard went back, Joey Styles mentioned that Prichard had "zipped" back, and added, "If you don't get that, you will in about two weeks."
* During Sabu's final [[{{Wrestling/WCW}} WCW]] match, against Disco Inferno on the October 30, 1995 episode of ''[[{{Wrestling/WCWMondayNitro}} WCW Monday Nitro]]'', commentator [[{{Wrestling/BobbyHeenan}} Bobby "The Brain" Heenan]] said, "Sabu's [[{{Wrestling/ECW}} extremely]] dangerous, don't take him lightly."
* At WWE Night of Champions 2012, during the match between [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-us-h.html WWE United States Heavyweight Champion]] Wrestling/AntonioCesaro (Claudio Castagnoli) and [[{{Wrestling/ZackRyder}} Zack Ryder]], the camera found a fan holding a sign that read "Kassius Ohno is my Hero," referring to Chris Hero, Castagnoli's Kings of Wrestling tag team partner in [[{{Wrestling/RingOfHonor}} Ring of Honor]], [[{{Wrestling/CHIKARA}} CHIKARA]], [[{{Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH}} Pro Wrestling NOAH]] and other promotions, who is currently in WWE's developmental program NXT as Kassius Ohno.
* On the December 31st, 2012 ''[[{{Wrestling/WWERAW}} RAW]]'', [[{{Wrestling/CMPunk}} CM Punk]] and [[{{Wrestling/PaulHeyman}} Paul Heyman]] cut a promo about Punk's injury where Punk brought out his "doctor," "Dr. Samuel [=DeCero=]," a reference to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_DeCero Sam [=DeCero=]]], the long-time promoter of the Chicago independent promotion [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windy_City_Pro_Wrestling Windy City Pro Wrestling]].

* At [[{{Wrestling/ECW}} ECW]] When Worlds Collide, May 14, 1994, the main event was Bobby Eaton and Sabu (w/[[{{Wrestling/PaulHeyman}} Paul E. Dangerously]]) vs. Arn Anderson and [[{{Wrestling/TerryFunk}} Terry Funk]]. During the match, announcer [[{{Wrestling/JoeyStyles}} Joey Styles]] made a joke about [[{{Wrestling/DoinkTheClown}} Doink the Clown]] in re Eaton and his tag team partners, since Eaton had been teaming with Steve Keirn, the second evil Doink, in [[{{Wrestling/WCW}} WCW]] at the time as Bad Attitude.
* On the HalloweenEpisode of WWECW, October 30, 2007, Tommy Dreamer dressed as [[{{Wrestling/PaulHeyman}} Paul Heyman]] for his match against Nunzio (formerly [=ECW=]'s Little Guido Maritato, who was dressed as a [[{{VampireTropes}} vampire]]), with announcer Joey Styles and commentator [[{{Wrestling/Tazz}} Tazz]] saying how they sort of recognized who Dreamer was imitating but they couldn't actually say it, as Heyman had left the company in December 2006. Dreamer even hit Nunzio with a [[{{CellPhone}} cell phone]], much like Paul E. had as a manager in the 1980s and 1990s, though, [[{{TechnologyMarchesOn}} while technology has greatly improved]], the fact that Dreamer used the kind of small cellular phone we have today instead of one of the big brick kinds from when they were first introduced qualifies as BadassDecay. Apparently, it was [=WWE=]'s idea for Dreamer to dress up as Heyman here, but he did it with no discernible irony, even leading the crowd in an "[=ECW=]" chant.

* At WWE Night of Champions 2012, during the match between [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwf-us-h.html WWE United States Heavyweight Champion]] Antonio Cesaro (Claudio Castagnoli) and [[{{Wrestling/ZackRyder}} Zack Ryder]], the camera found a fan holding a sign that read "Kassius Ohno is my Hero," referring to Chris Hero, Castagnoli's Kings of Wrestling tag team partner in [[{{Wrestling/RingOfHonor}} Ring of Honor]], [[{{Wrestling/CHIKARA}} CHIKARA]], [[{{Wrestling/ProWrestlingNOAH}} Pro Wrestling NOAH]] and other promotions, who is currently in WWE's developmental program NXT as Kassius Ohno.

* At [[{{Wrestling/ECW}} ECW]] When Worlds Collide, May 14, 1994, the main event was Bobby Eaton and Sabu (w/[[{{Wrestling/PaulHeyman}} Paul E. Dangerously]]) vs. Arn Anderson and [[{{Wrestling/TerryFunk}} Terry Funk]]. During the match, announcer [[{{Wrestling/JoeyStyles}} Joey Styles]] made a joke about [[{{Wrestling/DoinkTheClown}} Doink the Clown]] in re Eaton and his tag team partners, who had been teaming with Steve Keirn, the second evil Doink, in [[{{Wrestling/WCW}} WCW]] at the time as Bad Attitude.