Gladiators legend Wolf slams new show star Viper as a ‘carbon copy’ of him and insists ‘the original is always the best’
Original Gladiators star Wolf has condemned new star Viper for trying to take his place as the show’s villain, insisting: ‘There is only one Wolf’.
Michael Van Wijk, also known as Wolf, appeared in the hit show for all eight series between 1992 and 2000 and was one of the most popular gladiators.
The 71-year-old was known for his villainous personality and quickly became the ‘villain’ of the show.
Gladiators returned to screens last month after 24 years, with a whole new cast OF superhuman athletes daring audiences to confront them with grueling physical challenges.
Original Gladiators star Wolf has condemned new star Viper for trying to take his place as the show’s villain, insisting: ‘There’s only one Wolf’ (pictured in 1995)
Michael Van Wijk, also known as Wolf, appeared in the hit show for all eight series between 1992 and 2000 and was one of the most popular gladiators (pictured in 2019)
The 71-year-old was known for his villainous personality and quickly became the ‘villain’ of the show (pictured in 1995 with Brian Conley)
One viewer tweeted: ‘Viper is what you get when you try to order ‘Wolf’ via wish’, while another viewer joked: ‘Viper is just a BTEC Wolf’.
A third echoed: “Clearly Viper is trying so hard to be the new Wolf. But he’s just not,” while a fourth wrote: “Viper, there’s only one Wolf Man!!!!!!!!!”
Now the star himself has spoken out, agreeing that Viper is trying to imitate him and insisting that ‘the original is always the best’.
Speak with The sun, Michael said: ‘There is only one Wolf. He’s a copy of me, but the original is always the best.’
Viper, a fitness model and practicing boxer, was also criticized by viewers last week for ‘cheating’.
The Duel Challenge pitted Viper against contestant Ash as they attempted to knock each other off a stage.
But Viper lashed out before the whistle blew to signal the start of the match, prompting the referee to disqualify him for breaking the rules.
Viper was not very impressed and looked like he was going to attack the referee, but the fans at home were not convinced.
Gladiators returned to screens last month after 24 years, with a brand new cast, but star Viper – whose real name is Quang Luong – received a very lukewarm reception (pictured)
Many fans accused him of wanting to be Wolf, calling him the ‘Poundland version’ and insisting he could never live up to the legend
Now the star himself has spoken out, agreeing that Viper is trying to imitate him and insisting that ‘the original is always the best’ (pictured)
Some said he should be removed from the show for breaking the rules, while others insisted it was a ‘scripted’ performance, calling the program ‘pantomime’.
It comes after Michael claimed he contacted the BBC to offer his services for the reboot and was turned down, saying he still believed he could take part in the show.
Speaking to GB News last month, the father-of-four said: ‘I really enjoyed doing it and to be completely honest, all joking aside, I could do it right now. I am 71 years old. I am 71 years old and fit. I am strong. I never stopped training.
‘I wanted to participate in the new series somehow, or even co-host, but when I contacted them I got no response.
“I think they really wanted to get away from everything to do with the original show and just do it their own way, which is understandable.”
Despite the criticism, Michael was enthusiastic about the reboot, adding: “I think it’s fantastic. I think it will be a lot harder for them this time because of Netflix and Prime and there is a lot of competition. While before we didn’t have any of that.’
It comes after Michael claimed he contacted the BBC to offer his services for the reboot and was turned down, as he still believed he could take part in the show (pictured in 2019)
‘I couldn’t go anywhere. I couldn’t even go to a mall. I would be harassed. I never thought it would get this big. You just don’t realize the power of television.’
About playing the villain role, he said: “It was my idea, but because when they told me your name is Wolf, they chose the names, we had no say in it.
‘It was fantastic for me because the character was so strong. They kept me on the show for the entire eight years.”
Michael now runs a chain of gyms in New Zealand and is a father of four, while he has been married to wife Paula Keen since 1997.