COPYCAT

Nickname: The Cat
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 301 lbs.
Hometown: Kalamazoo, Michigan
DOB: December 15, 1973

Entrance music: "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)" by the Offspring
Tag teams: The Cat Pack (w/ Black Cat)
Finishers: LitterBomb (powerbomb), Kittycat Kick (savate kick), Cat's Claw, Cat's Meow (People's Elbow)
Weapon of choice: Golf club

Managers/valets/bodyguards: Icekold, female bodyguard

Attire: Plain red-and-orange short-level tights that say "THE CAT" on the back, red boots, orange elbow pads. Wears a flashy red/orange robe to the ring but doesn't wrestle in it. Appearance: Short but very muscular. Short crew-cut hair. Nearly everpresent cocky smile. Rumors speculate that he smiles cockily in his sleep.

Attitude: Refers to himself as the smartest wrestler in the business today. Very cocky. Impersonates others a lot. Fans love to hate him because he's self-centered and egotistical outside the ring and brutal inside it. Likes to jump people from behind and cheat seamlessly.

Titles held: WWL World Title (def. Azeem Hardaway, lost to Shane Douglas), WWL Tri-American Title (def. Balls Mahoney, lost to Jared Wells), FWF Tag Team Titles w/ Black Cat (def. Mercenaries, lost to New Breed)

Most hated opponents: (and he has accumulated a lot): Azeem Hardaway, Jared Wells, Madonna Wayne Grossard, Maelstrom, Jean Rabesque, New Breed, and of course Sean Edmunds

Bio: Born James Joseph Kattman in 1973, Copycat is a lifelong wrestling fan. He enjoyed nothing more as a child than watching pro wrestling on TV. In fact, he liked it so much that he began to act it out as a young age. In school, he was known as a class clown, always doing impressions of celebrities and forever acting out his wrestling holds. He became very familiar with the sport. Friends called him "Copykattman" because of his antics. James, of course, would fantasize about being a wrestler, but never really expected to get into the business.

In high school, James joined the school wrestling team in the hopes of doing what he loved. He was built relatively well, but was not nearly prepared for the sport of amateur wrestling. James was always looking for opportunities to try his beloved wrestling moves, but he never got the chance because of the nature of amateur wrestling and was cut from the team his first year. He started bulking up as he progressed throughout high school, but he never once made the team until his senior year because he didn't have a clue as to how to wrestle amateur-style, and even his senior year, he was ranked low and didn?t win very often.

Since James didn't see much future for his wrestling career, he was enrolled at Western Michigan University the following year. James had a few odd jobs while in college but never really enjoyed any of them. However, during his sophomore year, he and some friends were staging a mock wrestling match and some of the people there said James should go down to the local arena and try out for the local wrestling promotion. No one thought James would take it seriously.

And were they ever wrong! James tried out the next day and, with his impressive physique and incredible knowledge of almost every wrestling move known to man, they immediately began signing him for night shows and weekend shows as "The Mat Master". James became so popular as a wrestler that the promotion began signing him for more and more shows. James would do his homework and write papers in the locker room before and after matches. In February of his senior year, the World Wrestling League contacted James and expressed interest in having him work for them. James insisted on finishing out his senior year and graduating from college. Almost immediately after his graduation, he held a tryout with the WWL and was accepted immediately. Garth Bishop, looking to add talent to the stable he had already brought together, became James's agent. However, he was not enthusiastic about the name "The Mat Master" and suggested a change. The only thing James could come up with was his old "Copykattman" nickname. It was shortened to "Copycat" before his debut.

Copycat did not start out as an instant success. Before he even started wrestling, Copycat started a small rivalry with then-World champion Azeem Hardaway, despite Copycat's heel persona. Copycat wanted to challenge Azeem for the title, but couldn't, because he was losing matches left and right, as he was very new to such a high degree of pro wrestling. However, when the Jenkins World Order tried to take over, Copycat got an unexpected opportunity. JWO representative Spanky Richards came in, challenged Hardaway, and was immediately granted a World Title shot. Copycat complained and was given a match against Richards to determine who'd get the shot. Richards no-showed the match and chose to participate in the World title match later that night, where he lost. Copycat now had a World title shot. It was granted a few weeks later. Copycat was slated to face Hardaway and Barry Horowitz in a triple threat match, but Hardaway left the league and the vacant title was held up between Horowitz and Copycat. Through some outside interference by Steve Austin, Copycat won.

Copycat's success did not last long. He lost the title to Shane Douglas in his next defense when he was attacked by Chris Jericho. He was granted a rematch in a tag match, but his win was by DQ. Copycat continued to badger WWL management for a World title shot but they frequently ignored him. He was granted a Tri-American title shot a few months later against Balls Mahoney and won, but later lost to Jared Wells. Copycat was furious with the WWL because he felt they were deliberately holding him down due to a personal grudge. Copycat quit the league effective immediately.

Copycat was also under contract with WAR and AWF at the time. Soon after his WWL departure, Copycat went through a face turn. Ironically, fans cared much less about Copycat as a fan favorite than they cared about him as a rule breaker. Copycat's big opportunity in WAR was a World title shot against rival Madonna Wayne Grossard, which Copycat didn't take seriously and lost. He participated in a one-night-only brutal battle royale in WWWA, where he got minimal crowd reaction, despite an impressive performance. Copycat later rejoined WWL, again as a face, but the league was on its way out and Copycat never got another chance to prove himself. Copycat's valet, bodyguard, and friend Icekold was injured in AWF in a match with Maelstrom when Copycat flung the ring bell at Maelstrom and Maelstrom ducked, causing the bell to smash Icekold in the forehead. At this point Copycat became increasingly depressed; his friend was hurt, his record was deteriorating, and his schedule was hellish. Finally, just before WAR closed, Copycat had a match with Jean Rabesque, which Copycat predictably lost.

That was when someone using the name "Black Cat" and with a build and attire similar to Copycat's appeared in FWF. The Black Cat attacked Jean Rabesque on several occasions. Copycat vehemently denied being the Black Cat, though popular sentiment was that he and Black Cat were the same person. Copycat said he didn't want any part of FWF. However, after repeated attacks by the Black Cat, Copycat agreed to a match with Jonathon Nash, one of Rabesque's subordinates. The Black Cat later attacked Nash, proving that Copycat wasn't the Black Cat. Both wrestlers signed FWF contracts and made repeated challenges and sneak attacks on Jean Rabesque and his stable, the Mercenaries. Their singles careers were less than spectacular, but they soon began to move up in the tag ranks. Soon the Cat Pack defeated the Mercenaries for the tag titles on the Mercs' first defense. But the success was not to last.

Though they won their first few defenses, the FWF soon moved to a new location. Copycat and Black Cat had contractual problems with the move and were eventually forced to withdraw from FWF competition. This situation also dictated that their tag team titles would go to the New Breed. A few months later, new contracts were made and the Cat Pack has returned to FWF competition.

Roleplayer: Garth Bishop
E-mail address: [email protected]