Despite having been released over a month ago, Tiger King mania still appears to be alive and well, as fans are still tuning into to see the exploits of the man called Joe Exotic. Now, it would seem the controversial docuseries has another fan in the form of WWE's Paige and she paid the scorned ex-Zoo owner in a big way.
During a meeting for WWE Backstage, Paige appeared on the video chat fully dressed as Tiger King's Joe Exotic and the results are pretty on point. Check her out in the second title to the right in the top row of this screenshot:
I think it's safe to say that Paige fully committed to the role of Joe Exotic. As you can see, she even has the signature handlebar mustache and plaid shirt, so this bit of cosplay should be commended. It's worth mentioning that Paige’s Joe Exotic look is not the only Tiger King aspect of her tweet. Though, the next one has nothing to do with Exotic himself.
The other refers to Joe Exotic’s nemesis, Carole Baskin. Tiger King chronicles the notorious and intense feud that breaks out between them. One of the things made most famous by the show is Baskin’s catchphrase, which she opens everyone of her videos with. The phrase “Hey, all you cool cats and kittens” is one that fans have all come to know quickly, and Paige found a way to playfully inject it into her caption. The next aspect of the tweet to read as Tiger King related is probably not purposeful, but it's still worth pointing out.
The online chat meeting personally brings to mind the extra episode of Tiger King that fans got following the show's initial run. Joel McHale hosted the after-show, which featured interviews with several of the people featured in the docuseries. It also included more wild stories that weren't featured in the first seven episodes. All in all, WWE Backstage's set-up is very reminiscent of the way McHale organized his video chat.
You have to hand it to the WWE star for packing so much Tiger King content into a single tweet. Paige definitely got creative, even if the reference regarding the chat screen is probably incidental. Believe it or not, she's not the first person to dress up as the Tiger King star. When the Netflix series was just starting to make waves, Reno 911’s Thomas Lennon went on The Late Show dressed as Exotic and did an impression of him.
Both Paige and Thomas Lennon's Tiger King references are further indications of the overwhelming impact the show has had. Everyone from Prince William to Jared Leto has had something to say about the series. It has been one wild pop culture ride, and there's a good chance its reach will only grow within the coming months as people's sheer curiosity draws them to the show.
And at this point, it's hard to doubt the idea of its fanbase growing even more. Netflix projects that 64 million member accounts tuned in for Tiger King during its first month. It's hard to argue with those numbers.
If you want to take it in for the first time or watch it all over again, you can stream Tiger King on Netflix now, along with this year's other new content. And if you need anything else to consider watching, there are always this summer’s premieres.
