5 Current WWE Superstars whose gimmicks were inspired by popular comic book characters
The one thing common between WWE and comic books is that they both have created their own Universe. While one has fictional characters with superpowers, others have normal humans carrying unique gimmicks alongside impressive in-ring maneuvers. But both Universes have stories about good guys defeating the bad guys and occasionally team up with their counterparts.
In its long-standing history, WWE has seen several of its Superstars adopt gimmicks that were inspired by popular superheroes and supervillains. Some of them did it because of their love for the fictional world of superheroes. The others did it because the WWE creatives believed that their stars could carry the essence of iconic characters into the squared circle.
In this list, we will take a look at five current WWE Superstars whose gimmicks were inspired by famous comic book characters.
#5 Rey Mysterio – The Flash/Spider-Man
WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio has an incredible in-ring career to back the claim that he is one of the most entertaining wrestlers to have ever graced the squared circle. It wouldn’t have been easy for him to defy the conventional idea of the top guy in a wrestling promotion. But Mysterio was determined to carve a niche for himself, and his creative wrestling maneuvers helped him in defeating the biggest names in the business.
But did you know, Mysterio himself admitted that he is a massive fan of comic books? He has had several of his gimmicks inspired by popular Superheroes across different comic book universes. However, the most prominently influential superhero seems to be The Flash. You might know him from the DC comicverse, Justice League comics, DCEU, or that Netflix series in which he says that he is the ‘fastest man alive’ at the beginning of every episode.
Rey Mysterio took the whole thing to the next level when he introduced pace in his in-ring skills. Widely regarded as one of the fastest WWE Superstars in between the ropes, Mysterio’s entire gimmick looks all the more amazing with his speed. And of course, we also see a massive influence of Marvel’s Spiderman on Mysterio’s theatrics inside the squared circle. That jump, those superhero landings, using ropes to travel, and a whole new level of deceptive agility brings him a lot close to Spider-Man.