5 WWE Superstars and their football club counterparts

WWE Superstars, like football clubs, all have their unique personalities that make them both great in-ring performers and people we absolutely despise or adore.

WWE fans have described Superstars as "babyfaces" or "heels" since the beginning of time, and will undoubtedly say "I hate this guy" similarly to how they will say "I hate that team."

The parallels are clear, people love and hate WWE Superstars just as they do football clubs. So, we imagined which football clubs these five WWE Superstars would best represent.

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#5 Jinder Mahal - Leicester City FC

Jinder Mahal shocked the WWE Universe in early 2017 when he defeated the then WWE Champion Randy Orton to capture his first world title. Even more surprisingly, he went on to successfully defend that title against the likes of Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura for the greater part of the year.

Sound familiar?

In 2016, Leicester City FC, a small club who after winning the 2nd division cup in 2013-2014, suddenly burst onto the league's radar and smashed competitors left and right, eventually and shockingly winning the Premier League in 2015-2016. Followed with a strong showing in the Champions League, much like Jinder's follow up title defences, and it's clear as day which club Jinder most embodies.

#4 Dolph Ziggler - Paris Saint-Germain

This one, for us, is all about talk and expectations.

Dolph Ziggler, despite recently winning the US Championship and subsequently relinquishing the title, has had all the talent in the world to make it to the top, but has faltered in recent years.

He hasn't been WWE Champion in quite some time, and his lustre was surely lacking as he began to serve as the NXT welcoming committee and was relegated to feuding with newcomers like Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode.

All the talent in the world, never gets it done. Who does that sound like?

Perhaps this Champions League will be different, but Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has traditionally been loaded with stars capable of going head to head with global powerhouses like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester City. But with only one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and one UEFA Intertoto Cup, PSG has left much to be desired on the international stage.

Looking a strong side this year, perhaps PSG puts it together and makes a nice Champions League run, but we won't be surprised if the talent is wasted like Ziggler.

#3 Randy Orton - Liverpool or Manchester United

Randy Orton is a 13-time world champion and undoubtedly one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time. While winning the WWE Championship this year at WrestleMania was a highlight of his career, his title reign was nothing more than lacklustre as he eventually dropped the belt to an upstart Jinder Mahal at Backlash 2017.

But we know all it takes is one RKO and the former dominant champion will rightly serve at the top of the promotion once again.

A formerly successful wrestler who is perpetually on the brink of achieving that same success once again? Who does that sound like?

While Manchester City seemingly dominates the English Premier League, it goes without saying that old clubs, like Liverpool and Manchester United, who have seen a lifetime of success, are right on the cusp of making a run and reclaiming the former glory they so often achieved in the past.

Currently, both squads are battling for position between 2-5, and with just a slight alteration in talent or transfer talks, and these squads can once again find themselves hoisting league titles at the end of the season.

#2 John Cena - Real Madrid

John Cena is the WWE Superstar that the Universe loves to love or loves to hate. He is the 16-time world champion, tied with "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair for most all-time titles, and despite his part-time status, is seemingly always in the title talks.

His entrance alone is met with both cheers and boos (or a cacophony of "John Cena Sucks" chants harmonious with his entrance music), and the Universe incessantly argues over how connected he is to the "brass" in corporate.

A wildly successful club, connected to the most powerful figures in the country, who everyone seems to love to hate?

The parallels between Real Madrid and John Cena are plenty. Madrid is the most successful international club in history, and its ties to leadership in Madrid business and politics is a topic of conversation and folklore. With personalities like Cristiano Ronaldo at the helm, you are met with big names and big stars that can polarize a soccer-watching audience, much like Cena does.

Cena has put on a number of incredible matches this past year, including one of the best of his career against this WWE Superstar at the Royal Rumble...

#1 AJ Styles - FC Barcelona

AJ Styles burst onto the WWE scene at the 2016 Royal Rumble, unequivocally letting everyone know that he was the new "face that runs the place," and immediately sought to establish himself with a rivalry with WWE franchise-player John Cena. Who can forget all those "beat up John Cena" promos alongside Gallows and Anderson?

After years of being the underdog, working independent divisions though his talent was always there, Styles has seemingly reached the pinnacle of success, as he is now a two-time WWE Champion careening towards a title defence at the 2018 WrestleMania.

Beefing with the "evil empire?" Who does that sound like?

Barcelona is a team that has found success in a system and a group of players devoted to playing Barcelona-style soccer. This has resulted in a tremendous decade of success led by their consummate golden boot, Lionel Messi.

Champions League titles, League Titles, Copa Del Rey - Barcelona has achieved a tremendous amount of success while going toe to toe with clubs that have money and influence much greater than theirs.

Thus, similarly to Styles and Cena, Barcelona and Real Madrid will continue to compete against one another, dividing a nation and a Universe in half.