Eagle-eyed members of the WWE Universe miss nothing these days, so when WWE Superstars pay homage to their favourite characters, someone always notices!
Alexa Bliss is a master of it, of course, but WWE’s male Superstars and even some of the NXT up-and-comers are no strangers to showing their interests on their ring attire - so who’s done cosplay best?
Here are ten Superstars who love to wear fancy dress in the ring!
#10 Sasha Banks as Wonder Woman
Well, there aren’t many Superstars who are more colourful in the ring than Sasha Banks. From her luscious purple (or pink, or red) locks to her incredible ring gear, it’s no surprise that Sasha’s personality has seeped through to her attire at some point.
Whether it be ring gear aspired by Eddie Guerrero, or just to match tag team partner Bayley, The Boss’ ring gear game is strong - and at no point more so than during the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble Match, when Banks conjured up some super powers to confront the legendary Trish Stratus by wearing Wonder Woman inspired ring gear.
Of course, The Boss isn’t the only lady to wear threads inspired by the DC icon - six-time Women’s Champion Mickie James has also taken to the ring in Wonder Woman attire, notably during the RAW Women’s Gauntlet Match.
#9 Mustafa Ali as Sub-Zero
Well, WrestleMania is the Grandest Stage of Them All, and Mustafa Ali definitely took note of that name when he was preparing his ring gear for the Cruiserweight Championship Tournament final at WrestleMania 34.
Ali chose to represent Mortal Kombat character Sub-Zero in his attire, one of only three characters to appear in every installment of the game and movie franchise.
Ali’s elaborate gear instantly grabbed the attention of everyone when he emerged as the iconic character - not least gaming publication IGN!
#8 The New Day as Dragon Ball Z characters
Well, the New Day are no strangers to unique choice of ring attire - whether it be a pink and baby blue combo, or unicorn print and unicorn horns - but WrestleMania truly is a time to try to outdo yourself, and Xavier Woods did just that when he suggested the trio dress up as characters from Dragon Ball Z.
Woods told IGN:
The Guinness world record holder even went on to say that people noticed every little bit of the effort that went into their attire.
Woods, of course, is no stranger to dress up. He’s also donned some unique hairstyles in the name of paying tribute - such as red streaks to pay homage to Rufio from Hook.
#7 Cedric Alexander as Black Panther
Well, we know Cedric Alexander has no issue with paying homage to fellow WWE Superstars, dressing as Goldust at one point, but the Cruiserweight Champion’s WrestleMania 34 gear took it to new bounds - and is the first of many ventures into the realm of comic books, and particularly the Marvel Cinematic Universe, on this list.
Alexander’s attire was inspired by T’Challa’s suit in the film after it’s been hit by a few attacks, and stores the friction in its suit with a purple energy - foreshadowing the immense effort he would need and the sacrifices he made to get to WrestleMania and win the title on the Grandest Stage of Them All!
#6 Triple H as Terminator
Well, it’s no secret that WWE and Arnold Schwarzenegger have a great relationship. Big Arnie is even in the Hall of Fame and appeared in a WWE 2K game AS the Terminator, as well as in the advert for the game.
However, Triple H needed something special when he faced off against Sting at WrestleMania, and it turns out, he had to become part man-part machine.
Before his entrance, WWE showed a video package filled of Terminator clips, scanning audience, locating the target as Sting, and Arnold Schwarzenegger himself declared it Judgement Day.
Triple H is no stranger to extravagant entrances, but this one still goes down in history as one of The Game’s best of all time!
#5 Johnny Gargano as various Marvel characters
Johnny Gargano may be one of the best wrestlers on the planet right now, but the nickname “Johnny Wrestling” doesn’t stop him from playing the role of the true underdog to perfection - and it’s a role projected via the NXT star’s ring attire.
Gargano is the ultimate good guy, as we’ve seen from his rivalry with former friend Tommaso Ciampa, and the hero of the piece likes to become a superhero in the ring to overcome all obstacles - a point no more obvious than when Gargano has dressed as Star Lord, Thor, Venom and Captain America during his time in NXT!
The Star Lord attire is no real surprise, and one of the more subtle sets of ring gear Gargano wears. He’s a huge Guardians of the Galaxy fan and has posted several pieces of fan art as Star Lord, as well as a plethora of merchandise from the movie on social media - but what of the others?
Well, the Captain America attire was worn in a Street Fight against Tomasso Ciampa, but his foe has also fought Gargano in the form of Thor from Thor Ragnarok.
And also as Venom - with the attire having a much deeper meaning, as Gargano would let his hate and anger get the best of him, causing Johnny Wrestling to make some poor decisions that would ultimately lead to his downfall.
#4 Rey Mysterio as various superheroes
Well, he may just pip Johnny Gargano as the man with the most cosplays on this list, so perhaps he should be slightly higher on the list. However, Rey Mysterio isn’t “officially” a WWE Superstar again, so the Master of the 619 slots in at number four.
Rey Mysterio is a huge fan of superheroes, and has cosplayed as Silver Surfer, The Joker, Batman, Black Panther, Wolverine and Captain America.
This pocket rocket powerhouse of a man is nothing short of a superhero himself, but it’s always awesome to see Mysterio repping his own heroes on his unique attire - and there’s definitely no shortage of them!
To see more of Mysterio’s superhero exploits, click here.
#3 Seth Rollins as a White Walker/Thanos
Well, RAW Superstar Seth Rollins is no stranger to drawing inspiration from fictional characters for ring attire. His WrestleMania ring gear this year was inspired by the Night King from Game of Thrones - and he even had the backdrop to match!
However, more recently, The Architect got some attention froma certain Johnny Gargano for his subtle homage to Thanos from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While Rollins may be in the bulletproof vest and cargo pants of The Shield for a while, he put some extra power into his Stomp with a gold boot mimicking that of Thanos’ fist, and urging the aforementioned Gargano to sent out a tweet hinting at a match between the pair.
#2 Alexa Bliss as Freddy Krueger/Iron Man/Harley Quinn
Well, when you think of Alexa Bliss, you would be forgiven for thinking that Harley Quinn was the only character the former Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion has channeled in the ring, but Bliss has in fact had three different huge influences in her ring gear.
It’s no secret that Bliss took inspiration from Margot Robbie’s Suicide Squad character, but she’s also been influenced by Freddy Krueger - a fitting adaption due to the unique glove Bliss wears on her way to the ring.
The most popular attire, though, may have been Alexa Bliss’ Iron Man costume. Bliss has worn the attire in NXT, and even on both Raw and SmackDown, notably winning the Raw Women’s Championship while taking inspiration from the Marvel character.
#1 Finn Balor as Venom
Well, there could never be another number one, could there - Finn Balor has become Venom! The Raw Superstar has mastered his demons to become one, and calls upon the Demon King whenever he has to muster extra strength from somewhere.
Unlike Johnny Gargano, he took control of the “venom” to become the super villain - but he hasn’t only appeared as Venom…
Balor has modified his paint to add a Joker element, see the text above, Carnage, and also Spiderman himself…
But not only that, Balor has also gone back to Venom’s roots and donned original Venom attire, minus the Demon King outfit we’re used to seeing.
Who would you like to see cosplay as a fictional character in the ring - and as what character? Let us known in the comments.
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