6 Superstars Whose Gimmicks Were Totally Ripped Off From Comics

5. Sting And The Crow

Sting The Crow The Crow wasn€™t a DC or Marvel creation. Created by James O€™Barr, the Crow is about a man who is killed along with his girlfriend, then brought back to life via supernatural means. Once resurrected, he becomes a vigilante, and hunted down those that hurt him and those he loved. He was a simple character who wanted revenge. For WCW fans, there is really only one name that truly represented the Georgia-based company: Sting. Sting was with WCW for 14 years, from 1987 to 2001, and was known as the €˜Franchise of WCW€™. He is one of the most recognizable wrestlers in history, due in part to his tendency to wear face paint. Beginning in 1996, Sting began to wear black and white face paint that was obviously modeled after the Crow, along with long, dark hair and black wrestling attire. It marked a dramatic change from his older appearance, which featured blonde hair and bright colors. He also became more of a brooding loner, preferring to hang around in the rafters and carry a baseball bat around. By the time he came back into the ring, it was as if he had truly darkened in personality to a point where he very much became the Crow. This connection between Sting and the Crow is more than just aesthetic. The black trench coat, the long black hair, and especially the use of the baseball bat were all signature quirks of Lee€™s character. I suppose that Steve €˜Sting€™ Borden did what he had to do to make himself stand out in WCW. The ironic thing is that, it is amazing that the creators of the Crow never sued Sting for the incredibly obvious connection between the two characters.
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Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.