5 superhero gimmicks that came before Nikki Cross in WWE

#2. Battman was a WWWF/WWE wrestler before he was in the Justice League

Battman in action in WWE

WWE (then WWWF) had an actual superhero wrestling for them for a while in 1966. This was spurred on by the success of DC Comics' Batman character, with the arrival of a Hollywood movie based on him, and, of course, the Adam West helmed television show.

How did they gain inspiration from Batman, you ask? Well, they just flat out copied him. Wrestler Tony Marino partook in a spot of massive copyright infringement when he developed a gimmick that stole the look of Adam West's Batman, but to avoid any legal nastiness, he added an extra 't' to the name, making it Battman.

Also, here's a throwback to the time WWE (then WWWF) had a proper superhero wrestling for it. Meet Battman. He wrestled for four years. pic.twitter.com/kolYibEMMQ

— Daniel Wood (@JustDanWood) June 22, 2021

Marino wrestled as Battman for four years and during that time he became so popular that he even won the WWWF Intercontinental Tag-Team Championships with WWE legend Bruno Sammartino. But he eventually had to discontinue the gimmick, presumably because copyright laws were getting a little more stringent.

Marino's Battman may be the closest WWE ever get to having a fully fledged real superhero wrestle for them. Unfortunately it's also probably the closest we'll ever get to having an MCU or DC character wrestling in a WWE ring.

Tony Marino passes away at 90 years old https://t.co/DpdMHoc2Bc pic.twitter.com/3dJKJkU3kN

— Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) May 28, 2021

Marino would retire from wrestling in 1987 and would go on to live until he was 90 years old. Sadly he passed away on May 28th this year.