5 superhero gimmicks that came before Nikki Cross in WWE

#1. Hulk Hogan becomes Mr. America in WWE

Hulk Hogan

Whilst we're on the subject of WWE stealing from comic books, the last entry on the list is Hulk Hogan's brief time as Mr. America. This was a gimmick that was, shall we say, loosely inspired by Marvel's Captain America.

Mr. America may be the first instance in WWE where a wrestler everyone recognizes, wears a mask to pretend to be someone else, even though everyone knows who it is. He entered to Hogan's music and even used Hogan's finishing move.

Just to be clear, Mr. America is NOT Hulk Hogan pic.twitter.com/KdwXGl57LD

— PulseBestMoments (@BestofPulse) December 23, 2020

Hogan brought the gimmick to life in 2003 because he was forced to sit-out his contract in storyline. To get around it he debuted as Mr. America and even passed a lie detector test to prove he wasn't Hulk Hogan. Eventually, Hogan revealed it was him behind the Mr. America mask, and quit WWE.