Both comic books and pro wrestling have worked hard to overcome the stigma of being low-brow, "childish" form of entertainments, and both have managed to break through in recent years to enter popular culture's mainstream.
Seven of the top 25 highest-grossing movies are MCU movies, each of which grossed more than a billion dollars — also on that list in The Incredibles 2, which, although not based on a comic book itself, is a major throwback to the classic comics of the Silver Age.
Similarly, while pro wrestling hasn't quite return to the heights of the golden ages of the mid-80s and the turn of the millennium, the industry has been going through its biggest boom period in a long time, thanks in part to the three major wrestling promotions in the US — WWE, AEW and Total Nonstop Action — all signing newer and better broadcasting deals for their TV programs in recent years.
The comic book influence on pro wrestling
One thing that's clear about modern-day wrestlers is that a lot of them are passionate fans of gaming, anime, movies and comics. Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes replays The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past annually, AJ Styles is a hardcore gamer and infamously sore loser (as seen on WWE's gamin-themed YouTube Channel UpUpDownDown), Zelina Vega is one of the potential in-game commentators in Street Fighter 6 and multiple wrestlers stream in their spare time.
In light of this, it shouldn't be surprising that many wrestlers have used custom ring gear based on comic book characters. Cody Rhodes (as seen above) inevitably draws comparisons to Homelander from The Boys. Rey Mysterio has wrestled in gear based on characters including Captain America, Wolverine, The Flash and The Joker. Former WWE Universal Champion Finn Bálor often wrestles in elaborate themed body paint for high-profile matches. In addition to generic fantasy creatures, Bálor has also adopted looks based on prominent comic characters, notably Venom, as seen below:
Venom Devitt @InsaneChampWres pic.twitter.com/T5uv0YKNEt
— Finn Bálor (@FinnBalor) January 26, 2014
This use of comics-themed costumes by pro wrestlers has actually become widespread enough that it's caught the attention of the publishers. Rey Mysterio recently mentioned in an interview on Unlikely with Adrian Hernandez, that he has cut back on his superhero-themed ring gear after WWE received cease and desist letters from Marvel.
Pro wrestlers in comics
Although not the first pro wrestler to make the move to Hollywood, Dave Bautista (better known to wrestling fans by his ring name Batista) was one of the first pro wrestlers to rise to prominence with moviegoers specifically playing a comic book character. He has played Drax the Destroyer in the Guardians of Galaxy movies and has been praised for his deadpan comedic performance.
In addition to Bautista as Drax, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena have both played characters in DC's live-action adaptations. Johnson played the title character in Black Adam and Cena played Peacemaker, first as part of the ensemble cast of The Suicide Squad and then as the star of Peacemaker's spin-off streaming show on Max.
Other wrestlers who have appeared in comic book adaptations include:
• "Macho Man" Randy Savage's cameo as Bonesaw McGraw in the 2002 Spider-Man movie.
• Samoa Joe as the voice of King Shark in the video game Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
• Seth Rollins was originally cast as a minor villain in Captain America: Brave New World, but his role has since been cut following reshoots and rewrites.
• Alexa Bliss voices the assassin Obiguro in the Netflix anime adaptation of Japanese series Sakamoto Days.
• Big E has joined the voice cast of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in the role of Bulldozer.
Several wrestlers have also contributed to writing comic books for major publishers. CM Punk has written for the Thor and Drax series for Marvel, as well as for an anthology from Vertigo. Similarly, his wife AJ Lee has written for Wonder Woman and Dungeons & Dragons series.
What's your favorite moment when comic books and pro wrestling collided? Let us know on the Bam Smack Pow Bluesky, Instagram, or Twitter pages.