5 cosplay outfits worn by WWE Superstars in the 2020 Royal Rumble matchÂ
We're a few days removed from the Royal Rumble and fans are still shocked over some of the surprises the show had to offer in both of the eponymous matches and all over the stacked card of matches.
In addition to the contests themselves, the attire worn by some of the participants in both the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches paid homage to comic books and video games. This is not abnormal at all for wrestlers such as Rey Mysterio, who often dresses as DC and Marvel-inspired characters at big events, as well as men who weren't in this year's match such as Johnny Gargano, who often pays tribute to his favorite comic book heroes for big NXT Takeover matches.
Below are 5 attires worn by WWE Syperstars emulating well-known fictional characters.
#5 MVP (Blank Panther)
Montel Vontavious Porter, or MVP for short, made a surprise return to WWE in the Royal Rumble match this year. He entered at #12 and had a tall task, stepping into the ring one-on-one with an extraordinarily dominant Brock Lesnar. The commentary team of Corey Graves, Booker T, and Michael Cole made multiple references to Black Panther's home of Wakanda, as MVP made his way down the aisle donning his usual bodysuit, just with a twist. His outfit was well-nspired by Marvel's Black Panther. Unfortunately for MVP, as was pointed out on commentary, there simply wasn't enough vibranium to save him from The Beast Incarnate, or Thanos, as Graves likened Lesnar to shortly before he tossed the returning Superstar over the top rope and out of the match.
Black Panther has become a staple in the Marvel Universe and was the leading film in the comic franchise leading up to Avengers: Endgame.
#4 Lana (Captain Marvel)
As Lana made her slow entrance to the ring to boast about how she was going to win the Royal Rumble match, make her lover Bobby Lashley proud, and prove that their love is the strongest weapon of all, fans were able to get a glance at her attire, her attire, inspired by the outfit worn by Brie Larson in the 2019 film Captain Marvel. Featuring the red and blue color scheme with the gold star in adorning the center of her bodysuit, Lana entered the arena with all eyes on her, solidly representing a strong female character as she readied herself to get into the ring with many other strong female characters in their own right.
Though her time in the ring was short lived thanks to her new nemesis and the next Superstar on this list, the outfit definitely made her stand out while she was on screen, and she did Captain Marvel justice in her tribute portrayal.
#3 Liv Morgan (Black Cat)
Liv Morgan spent many weeks being featured in vignettes promising a brand new look and character leading up to her return in December. Instead of the much-speculated new member of Bray Wyatt's gang (possibly as Sister Abigail in the flesh), Liv became entrenched in the love triangle story between Rusev, Lana, and Lashley, making it a four-way affair. As she made her way to the ring to enter the Royal Rumble match last Sunday, the usually colorful Superstar adorned herself in all black with silvery white hair similar to the look of Spider-Man's sometimes nemesis, sometimes ally, and sometimes love interest, Black Cat.
The only thing missing from the attire was the white fur that you would often see around the wrists and legs of the outfit, but when cosplaying in WWE, and in general, it's definitely a creative choice to take some liberties while still paying proper tribute to the character being emulated. The costume was befitting, as a fight soon broke out between two women involved in a heated rivalry in the WWE Universe, both dressed as characters from the Marvel Universe.
#2 Zelina Vega (Sindel of Mortal Kombat)
Sunday night didn't feature only comic book characters, but popular video game-inspired ring gear as well. Mortal Kombat fan Zelina Vega, who wore her usual managerial attire when she accompanied Andrade to the ring during the Kickoff show, adorned herself in a much different outfit when she returned for her own match later in the evening.
Vega entered the rumble dressed as the Mortal Kombat villian Sindel, featuring the same slicked-back hair and purple once-piece body suit as her counterpart.
Zelina is a well-known cosplayer who doesn't have very many opportunities to show off different videogame-inspired outfits under the WWE banner, as she rarely gets to step in the ring. She makes it count when she has the opportunity, howver. Entering at #20 in the 2019 Rumble match, she dressed as Street Fighter's Vega (as known in the US version of the games). The only thing missing in this particular iteration was the classic golden-blonde hair of the narcissistic fighter, as the mask and giant claws were on point.
#1 Rey Mysterio (Batman)
Rey Mysterio is no stranger to having his costumes inspired by comic book superheroes. He has modeled outfits after a slew of different characters over the years, including Wolverine, Daredevil, The Flash, Silver Surfer, The Joker (twice), Captain America, and even Black Panther, an outfit he wore in late 2017.
At this year's Royal Rumble event, Mysterio entered the arena with a Batman-themed look, which is the second time he has done so, the first time coming way back in 2012 at that year's edition of SummerSlam. Mysterio has been doing this for years, generally for big events (people went crazy over his fantastic portrayal of Daredevil all the way back in 2003 at WrestleMania XIX) and will surely continue the trend. We wonder what he will pull out at this year's WrestleMania 36.
What was your favorite comic/game inspired attire from this year's Royal Rumble? Leave your comments below.