Heels' Chris Bauer Names The Wrestlers Who Inspired 'Wild' Bill Hancock Character

"Wild" Bill Hancock (Chris Bauler) is the Duffy Wrestling League's old-school journeyman on "Heels." He's essentially a caricature of the veteran showmen who refuse to hang up their boots, and the character will undoubtedly remind fans of several real-life figures. With that in mind, Bauer shed some light on the real-life grapplers who inspired his "Heels" persona.

While speaking to Screen Rant, Bauer stated that he's inspired by some veterans from yesteryear. That said, while some of the nods are obvious, he has borrowed ideas from all over the place.

"I would say Terry Funk is the sort of flour in the bread, for sure. But it's funny because I'll watch bits and pieces. I love watching old promos. And I don't think Bill has any of the idiosyncrasies of Macho Man [Randy Savage], but [he does have] the concentration, the sort of holding the camera the way Macho Man did, and also the kind of showmanship of DDP, [and] the psychological danger of Jake "The Snake" [Roberts]."

According to Bauer, Roberts' in-ring style informed Bill's as they both bring a slow and methodical approach to their matches. However, Bauer sees some of Bill's characteristics in contemporary wrestlers as well, including AEW's Eddie Kingston. "I'm not pulling from him in the performance," he said of Kingston. "But there's a trait to a certain kind of wrestler that he embodies that's also present in Wild Bill."

Of course, Bill was also inspired by Ric Flair. In Season 1, the veteran gets drunk on an airplane and exposes himself, which is clearly a reference to Flair's infamous "Plane Ride from Hell" controversy.