Iron Man, Harley Quinn, Black Panther are amongst those who have inspired several WWE superstars ring attire in recent years. The trend involving wrestlers adopting the image of a Super Hero or Comic Book Villain is one that has been around for several years, however, more recently we are seeing more and more superstars adopt this idea and take inspiration from some the most iconic Superheroes and Villains but just what have been the best and who pulled it off the greatest?
Cedric Alexander – Black Panther
Back at WrestleMania 34, Cedric Alexander looked to make an impact once again in the Cruiserweight division when he went one on one with Mustafa Ali for the vacant Cruiserweight Championship on the Grandest Stage of Them All. Upon his entrance, it became clear that Alexander was ready for a fight and channelling Marvel’s Black Panther he came dressed for the occasion. Sporting tights inspired by T’Challas suit from the movie after it had taken a few hits, which was a great indication of what was to come. Fitting and a great choice of gear, Cedric Alexander took on the image of a superhero from one of the biggest movies of 2019 and this night was most certainly a good one for the now-former Champ.
Alexa Bliss – Harley Quinn
Throughout her time in the WWE, Alexa Bliss has cosplayed multiple pop culture characters from Disney stars and villains to classic horror movie characters but arguably her most iconic look comes from Bliss’ famous cosplay as DC’s Harley Quinn. From the pigtail hairstyle to the pink and blue theme and tutu, Quinn grew into her character after adopting this striking look in a time where everyone was obsessed with all things Suicide Squad and even more so, Harley Quinn. Bliss has made several other appearances as villains and heroes from the comic book scene and so expect to see her name pop up again later on!
Seth Rollins – Thanos
With Marvel’s End Game being one of the most successful movies of all time, it’s no surprise that one of the biggest names in pro wrestling took inspiration from the movie villain, Thanos for his ring gear earlier this year. Sporting the navy blue and gold theme, it was clear the current Universal Champion was looking to channel the power and strength from one of the movies’ biggest and most powerful villains. Rollins is no stranger to using pop culture characters to take inspiration from for his ring attire but this particular look most certainly went down as a favourite!
Peyton Royce – Poison Ivy
Taking a look back right at the start of Peyto Royce’s WWE career, many will remember that it did in fact, take a while for the now-former Tag Team champion to find something that worked for her character-wise and, in those early days, the WWE showcased a Poison Ivy-inspired character and ring gear for Royce. Now, the overall image was pretty cool and Peyton most certainly made the very best of the image she was given but it’s clear now this wasn’t the right direction for the Australian star, none the less, the Poison Ivy image Royce portrayed at the start of her career was a cool idea and one not to be forgotten!
Ricochet – Nightwing
With plenty in common with DC’s Nightwing his cosplay as the superhero was most certainly very fitting! His athleticism and ability to fly around the ring made this a well-suited cosplay idea and the overall look fitted in with his entrance and overall style perfectly. Debuting the image at SummerSlam 2019, this was a cool idea and image to adopt for the evening/one of the biggest events of the year and, while he was unsuccessful in regaining the United States Championship, Ricochet had a brilliant performance on the night channelling Nightwing almost perfectly.
Alexa Bliss – Multiple Marvel and DC Superheroes and Villains
As we mentioned earlier, Alexa Bliss has cosplayed as many Marvel and DC superheroes and villains with Harley Quinn being only one. Aside from that Bliss has taken on the look of Iron Man, The Riddler and Super Woman. Bliss is now known for her use of pop culture to inspire her attire and the focus on superhero and villain characters has been massively beneficial to her character and adding little details to big PPV matches. Alexa may not have always got away with the win upon sporting the inspiration from these characters but she sure has gone down as having some of the most memorable attires today.
Finn Balor – Venom
Finn Balor is another Superstar no stranger to using pop culture characters to inspire his image and attire and one of his more recent inspirations come from Marvel’s Venom. Dark, intense and massively standout, Balor is always making an impact in the ring and the addition of Balor’s Venom look he really does steal the show. Now, Balor doesn’t often use the body paint, nor does he use multiple characters as he did during his time outside of the WWE but, when he does, Finn has heads turning and moving forward it may be an option to look at exploring using different pop culture characters for Balor at special shows and PPV events for his look as the Joker outside of the WWE was a look many fans enjoyed also!
Johnny Gargano – Multiple Superheroes
Throughout his time in NXT, Johnny Gargano has cosplayed as multipole Marvel and DC superheroes all of which have been fitting and a great addition to his matches on the night. Iron Man, Captain Marvel, Dark Phoenix, Thor, Spiderman and Guardians of the Galaxy Characters have been amongst those Gargano has taken inspiration from over the course of his NXT career so far. Gargano has become one of the most iconic and all-time favourites in the history of NXT and so the constant use of superhero-themed attires truly is more fitting than any!
Throughout history, we really have seen so many WWE superstars take inspiration from Comic Book characters including many names we didn’t mention today. The likes of Nikki Bella, Rey Mysterio and Sasha Banks are amongst those not included today but, with comic book characters growing in popularity, which WWE Superstars will soon adopt a superhero of villain look?
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