Top 5 'Superhero' gimmicks in professional wrestling

The professional wrestling business has always been cashing in on the good versus evil aspect in their storylines, and sometimes the companies went a bit far with this possibility when they started creating superhero gimmicks for the wrestlers. Masked or unmasked, some of these gimmicks went onto become big successes while others was laughed off the arena by the fans.

Though most of these gimmicks would sound like a joke to many, the amount of entertainment that they managed to pull out shows the creative team’s sheer brilliance or immense amount of luck. From Hulk Hogan to Eric Young, most of the wrestlers have given a go at being a superhero in the ring. So here is a look at the five most successful superhero gimmicks in professional wrestling.

5. Batman

“It’s not who I am underneath… but what I do… that defines me,” – The Batman

Inspired from the caped crusader WWE created a gimmick for Tony Marino in 1966 which gave importance to the actions of the superhero rather than who he was under the mask. Though the WWE version of Batman didn’t have a utility belt or high speed bat mobile, the gimmick managed to get the attention of the fans in a positive way. The Batman was introduced along with other gimmicks like Doink and Mantaur but gained more prominence over the others when he managed victories against opponents like Johnny Rodz and Baron Mikel Scicluna. Batman later teamed up with WWE champion Bruno Sammartino which again boosted his popularity. After enjoying four successful years, the gimmick was phased out in 1970.