These Wrestlers To DC Character Comparisons Are Spot On

The rise of the Marvel and DC cinematic universes over the last two decades has been nothing short of spectacular, especially to those who grew up reading comic books and idolizing the heroes within their pages. The larger-than-life heroes, and villains, are similar in many ways to the characters and big personalities who compete within a wrestling ring. It's no surprise that stars who started in WWE, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and John Cena, have made the jump into the DC Extended Universe, or DCEU.

While The Rock's foray into the films as Black Adam wasn't exactly successful, Cena's "Peacemaker" was so beloved by fans that the show got a second season, which debuts on HBO Max on August 21. Cena's babyface character within the ring couldn't be more different than Christopher Smith, the antihero known as Peacemaker, however. 

While Cena is a certified babyface with the catchphrase "Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect," Peacemaker is a character who only claims to be all about peace, but will resort to graphic violence to get it. Peacemaker once claimed that he cherishes peace, but didn't care who had he had to kill to get it. Cena is a clean-cut, family-friendly, Make-A-Wish record-setting character, while Peacemaker is often inappropriate and certainly isn't all about the kids.

Cena's in-ring character wildly differs from his "Peacemaker" character, but there are plenty of stars within the wrestling world whose characters they're already playing now could translate well to the DCEU. From DC's golden boy, Superman, to villains made popular over the years like The Joker, Harley Quinn, and Lex Luthor, there are plenty of wrestlers whose gimmicks are comparable to DC characters.

While it may be Roman Reigns who has a finishing move named after Superman, there is one clear star whose character is more like the ultimate good guy of the DC Universe. Though his heel turn has been teased in recent weeks during his feud with then-heel John Cena, WWE Champion Cody Rhodes' character is clearly comparable to Superman. The DC character received yet another re-boot over the summer, with director James Gunn revealing his iteration of the beloved character, and while there was slight tweak to his backstory, Superman is still a blue-eyed babyface, just like Rhodes. 

Rhodes rarely cheats in matches, which has been seen recently with his inability to use the title belt to hit Cena during their match at WrestleMania 41, causing Rhodes to lose the championship. "The American Nightmare" may not always be the picture of virtue like Kal El, as seen when he forged Cena's signature on their SummerSlam contract, but he always tries.

"The American Nightmare's" story arc of capturing the Undisputed WWE Championship from Roman Reigns, beginning with his defeat at WrestleMania 39, is similar to that of a superhero movie or comic book. The climax of the story was the Bloodline Rules match at WrestleMania 40, where Rhodes finally toppled the bad guy and finished his story. 

A lot of Superman's story also revolves around his family, both the parents on Krypton who sent him down to Earth and Martha and Jonathon Kent, who adopted him when they found him. Rhodes may not be an alien or adopted, but a big part of his story is the fact he's the son of WWE legend, the late Dusty Rhodes, from whom he draws inspiration in all aspects of his career.

Bianca Belair is one of the most agile, athletic talents in WWE today, so it's no surprise that "The EST of WWE" draws comparisons to Wonder Woman. She's an incredibly marketable star for WWE, and she has also been vocal throughout recent years that she doesn't want to work as a heel on the main roster, though she had a bad guy-like edge during her days in "WWE NXT." While it is professional wrestling, so Belair has said "never say never," she is a character for the kids, and does a lot of charity work outside of the ring, like John Cena and his work with Make-A-Wish. She's a huge role model for children, especially young girls, something she takes pride in.

In addition to the athletic comparisons, there's another obvious similarity to Belair and Wonder Woman. They both have iconic looks and unbreakable confidence and are strong, powerful women. Belair's iconic braid is akin to Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth, and both make them stand out amongst the other characters, whether that be in WWE or in the DCU. Belair is famous for making her own gear, so it's likely she could cosplay as Diana Prince in the future for a big match.

Wonder Woman has been a mainstay of DC for almost 85 years now. Belair, while still in the prime of her career, also has plenty left in the tank to solidify herself as a legend in the WWE universe, if fans think she hasn't already, and her legacy could very well have Wonder Woman longevity in the wrestling world.

Alexa Bliss has always drawn comparisons to Harley Quinn throughout her career for her looks, especially with her hair dyed similarly to Margot Robbie's version of Quinn in "Suicide Squad" from 2016. In addition to her hair and looks, Bliss' spooky character has origins similar to that of Harley Quinn. Dr. Harleen Quinzel became Harley Quinn after falling in love with The Joker at Arkham Asylum and risking it all for him. Bliss' descent into madness is very similar, outside of the romantic angle, back when she became obsessed with The Fiend in August 2020.

When the late Bray Wyatt, the character behind The Fiend, realized that Braun Strowman, who he was feuding with at the time, may have had feelings for Bliss, which were revealed in the cinematic "Wyatt Swamp Fight" match, he targeted her on an episode of "WWE SmackDown" and hit her with a Mandible Claw. Rather than be scared away, however, Bliss became slowly obsessed with The Fiend. She would slowly transition from her "Goddess" character into a darker, more gothic look.

Bliss would seemingly go into trances and start using the Sister Abigail as her finisher. She would begin appearing alongside Wyatt on the "Firefly Funhouse" and eventually would feud with Randy Orton alongside The Fiend. Bliss would become obsessed, in a Harley Quinn-like manner, to the point she'd risk anything for The Fiend, and was even involved in an intergender match against Orton.

R-Truth is one of the most loveable characters in WWE today, to the point fans protested, and even those in the locker room voiced their disappointment and displeasure online, when it was revealed his contract was allowed to expire. Truth, who initially said he had been released by the company, was then brought back, in true R-Truth chaotic fashion, at Money in the Bank just weeks later. It's the chaotic, but good-natured, aspect to Ron Killings' character that is similar to Vigilante, Peacemaker's sidekick. 

Truth's chaotic energy, often leading to violence, is just like that of Vigilante's, and has been proved time and time again, since his days with "Little Jimmy" after he turned heel for a few months in 2011. It was furthered, however in the more comedic aspect, when he started to dominate the 24/7 Championship Division starting in 2019. Even after he returned this year, he teased a new, more serious, more aggressive heelish character, though that seemingly never got off the ground.

Of course, Truth is like Vigilante when it comes to John Cena's characters. Cena is Truth's "childhood hero," and Peacemaker is the hero of Vigilante. Though Cena and Truth fought at Saturday Night's Main Event when Cena was a heel, the pair made up on a recent episode of "WWE Raw" following Cena's return to his babyface character.

Sting is the most comparable to Eric Draven, Brandon Lee's face painted character in "The Crow," but he also has similarities to "The Dark Knight" Batman. When he became Crow Sting, his similarities to Batman became apparent, hiding in the shadows and watching all the action in WCW from the rafters before dropping down to save the day when needed. 

Sting was also the ultimate good guy throughout the vast majority of his career, his turn on Hulk Hogan in 1999 at Fall Brawl not withstanding. Batman is also a hero of few words, just like Sting, who went over a year without saying a word in WCW. Sting is another star in the professional wrestling world with comic book character-like longevity. His career spanned almost 40 years, compared to Batman's 86 years of existence.

Figuring out who the Robin to Sting's Batman would be is easy. While he was more of a lone wolf throughout the height of his career in WCW, he teamed up with Darby Allin when he joined AEW. Allin and Sting are close friends in real life, and Sting even retired as one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions alongside Allin. If you were to throw Sting into the DC Universe, you'd want to have Allin beside him as his trusty sidekick. 

While the late Windham Rotunda's Bray Wyatt character was certainly no homicidal "Crown Prince of Crime," both his character, and The Fiend, can be compared to The Joker, but perhaps more of Heath Ledger's version than say Mark Hamill's Joker from "Batman: The Animated Series" when it comes to appearance. While the manipulation of Alexa Bliss' character wasn't as outright as Joker charming Dr. Harleen Quinzel in Arkham Asylum, The Fiend still brought her in to help him in his feuds, mostly for his benefit.

Wyatt's Mr. Rogers-like character was similar to Batman's archnemesis in the fact he could switch from being a funny, likeable guy in the Firefly Funhouse, to the terrifying, violent Fiend very quickly. Wyatt and Joker both love the psychological aspect of things more than winning itself. Wyatt loved getting into the mind of his opponents more than a match victory at some points, like in 2019 with Seth Rollins in the now-infamous Hell in a Cell match. While Wyatt didn't win the Firefly Funhouse Match against John Cena, it's a perfect example of Wyatt playing into the psychological warfare, just like The Joker.

Joker had his followers, as does Wyatt, now in the form of The Wyatt Sicks, even after Rotunda's passing. Uncle Howdy could even be compared to Batman Who Laughs, or, Bruce Wayne infected with a Joker toxin, accompanied by the Rabid Robins, or, the rest of the faction, Erick Rowan, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, and Nikki Cross. Like Batman Who Laughs, Howdy isn't out to destroy the heroes of WWE, but rather, prove anyone can fall from grace.

Some fans may consider Reigns more like Superman, but since he's portrayed a heel following his babyface experiment failing to get over with fans for years, Reigns could be considered more of an anti-hero like Lobo. The character is set to be portrayed by Jason Momoa (who was also Aquaman) in James Gunns' upcoming "Supergirl," and Reigns has a similar look to the actor, and they both are of Polynesian descent.

Reigns has a Lobo-like swagger to him, and Lobo is known as "The Main Man" in the DC universe, which is quite similar to "The Tribal Chief." Both characters are confident to the point of cocky, and very self-assured in their abilities. While Reigns is more reserved and restrained compared to Lobo's brashness, their aura is very similar.

Lobo is an extremely powerful being in the DC Universe. He's a character who has gone toe-to-toe with Superman multiple times, and even won their first matchup in the comics. While Lobo isn't unbeatable, he's still a force to be reckoned with, which is extremely similar to Reigns in the wrestling ring. In some of Lobo's fights with Superman, there has even been interference that has broken things up, which is something Reigns can absolutely relate to.

While more recent depictions of Lex Luthor in Hollywood, including Nicholas Hoult's in Gunn's latest film, and Jesse Eisenberg in "Batman v. Superman," show Luthor as a younger man, there's no better wrestling character to compare one of DC's biggest villains to than Paul Heyman. The creative force behind Extreme Championship Wrestling has always used his cunning wit to get where he is, and it's led him to the top of wrestling industry as a manager, advocate, Wise Man, and now, The Oracle. Both characters are charismatic, yet manipulative, and often claim their schemes are for the greater good, whether that be in Metropolis or in WWE.

Like Luthor, it's not entirely correct to say he uses "brains over brawn," they both just use the muscle of their henchmen to get their dirty work done. Like Gunn's Luthor with The Engineer and Ultraman, Heyman is currently backed by Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed. It could even be said that current World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins' is Heyman's current Ultraman if Roman Reigns is considered a Superman figure in the wrestling world, as the pair's rivalry may never truly be over.

Both Luthor and Heyman have also received their comeuppance, with an example of Heyman's just last year when he was slammed through the commentary desk by Solo Sikoa and his Bloodline after Heyman and Reigns fell from power following The Tribal Chief's Undisputed WWE Championship loss to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.

Another character who has gained popularity due to the recent release of "Superman" is Guy Gardner, a Green Lantern, and leader of what's currently known as the "Justice Gang" in the cinematic DCEU. Fans saw in the movie how cocky of a character Gardner is, which is similar to Gable. Both are confident in their abilities, for good reasons. 

Gable as a babyface wasn't entirely connecting with the crowd, but when he became more a cocky heel with a bad attitude following his split with Alpha Academy, a Justice Gang-like stable that he created, fans started taking more notice of him.

Gardner is a skilled Green Lantern, taking on bad guys throughout the DCEU. While Hal Jordan is considered the strongest Green Lantern, and is certainly the best known amongst comic book fans, and Kyle Rayner is another Green Lantern with major power, as he's able to control every type of power ring at the same time, Gardner is no slouch. Gable is quite similar, as he's not at the top of the card, but is considered by many to be one of the best technical wrestlers in the game today and is often underestimated until he gets his time to shine between the ropes.

Nathan Frazer and Axiom are both excellent choices to compare to The Flash, but it's Frazer who has often incorporated Flash-like symbols and colors into his ring gear, though they are subtle enough only DC fans would be able to catch them, likely so WWE doesn't get hit with a cease and desist. Both men are so similar to Barry Allen that WWE even incorporated some blurriness into their entrance for the fans at home, making it seem like they're moving at a crazy speed even before their matches begin.  

The pair first started teaming together in late 2023 and have exploded across the tag team scene both in WWE NXT and now on the main roster. The duo, now known as "FrAxiom" amongst fans, have lightning-quick, high-flying abilities in the ring. While it's usually Bron Breakker praised for his breakneck speed (a reported 23 mph while running the ropes), FrAxiom doesn't get enough credit.

While dissension between the pair was often teased toward the end of their "NXT" run, they both have remained babyfaces, just like good DC superheroes would. They've also been very successful, having held the NXT Tag Team Championships twice, for just over 350 days total.