5 WWE Superstars inspired by movie characters

With the new film 'Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw' making a big splash at the box office, it's clear that there is a crossover between WWE and the world of cinema.

The new film that stars former WWE Champions The Rock and Roman Reigns, isn't the first time that the world of wrestling and film have linked, as there's been plenty of Superstars who have made the leap to the big screen.

But what about the other way around? What about movie characters coming to WWE, at least in the form of inspiration.

These Superstars have had varying degrees of success, but all took inspiration by movie characters.

Here are five WWE Superstars whose characters were inspired by what they saw on the big screen.

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#5: Razor Ramon (Scarface)

Ramon's attire, cadence, mannerisms and attitudes were all borrowed from the legendary gangster.

If you haven't seen the 1984 film 'Scarface', it's definitely one worth checking out. Al Pacino's performance as gangster Tony Montana has since become one of the greatest performances in cinema history, and influenced a young Scott Hall when he came to the World Wrestling Federation. Mimicking Montana's cadence and charisma, Hall's segments as Razor Ramon were clearly a spin on the gangster and established him as a credible star.

At the start, Razor Ramon was introduced as a heel and found instant success with this gimmick. Fans didn’t even care it was ripping off Scarface, since the entertainment value made it worth watching. Razor eventually turned face, since fans fell in love with the character quickly. Capturing the Intercontinental title on four occasions, Ramon would have an epic career before the bad guy took his rightful spot in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.

#4: Tyler Breeze (Derek Zoolander)

Prince Pretty has imitated the fictional model to a tee.

The character of an arrogant male model helped Tyler Breeze break out as one of the most impressive heels in NXT. Breeze’s WWE main roster run was a disappointment, but he is once again back in NXT portraying the character, now as a face.

This act was inspired by Ben Stiller’s performance in Zoolander. The movie features the main character Derek Zoolander, a model who has a similar persona to Breeze that makes him hard to deal with. Breeze utilized this idea when struggling to get attention in NXT and it provided great results.

Much like the fashion world itself, Breeze has consistently been evolving the character, now working with fellow narcissist Fandango, as though the two may struggle to get wins in the ring, they have both garnered a legion of fans thanks to their antics.

#3: Paul Burchill (Captain Jack Sparrow)

Burchill's character was a not so subtle imitation of Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow.

Paul Burchill was always a fine hand in WWE, but in 2006, the company decided to make a major change to the British brawler's character. On an episode of SmackDown, Burchill received information that he was descended from pirates, and before you could say "swashbuckling adventures," the Ripper had followed in his ancestor's footsteps.

This change in Burchill's character came at the same time of the release of Pirates of the Carribean 2: Dead Man's Chest, and the comparisons between Burchill and the famed Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp) were obvious.

Fans viewed it as a joke right away and the comedic segments didn't help Burchill get over as a threat in the ring or as a babyface, and the character was quickly shelved after the film left cinemas.

#2: Alexa Bliss (Harley Quinn)

Bliss took inspiration from Margot Robbie's portrayal of the beloved DC Comics character.

2016's Suicide Squad may have been hit by mixed reviews by critics, but the DC film was unquestionably a box office smash, thanks in part to Margot Robbie's portrayal of Harley Quinn. The first live-action adaptation of the character on the big screen, Robbie's portrayal was a hit, and gave inspiration to WWE's very own petite powerhouse: Alexa Bliss.

After joining the SmackDown Live roster in the 2016 Brand Extension, Bliss debuted a Harley-esque look at the blue brand's first Pay Per View Backlash, where she competed for the SmackDown Women's title. With her hair dyed and in pigtails, even the commentary team compared Bliss to the iconic Batman villain, and though she wouldn't win the gold that night, Bliss would become the second-ever SmackDown Women's Champion a few months later at TLC.

#1: Sting (The Crow)

A much darker Sting returned to WCW in 1997, inspired by the Crow.

Though he is a WWE Hall of Famer and wrestled a few matches in the company before his retirement, Sting will always be best known as an icon of WCW. As part of WCW, Sting was always one of the company's most popular acts, with his bleach blond hair and surfer dude attitude gimmick gaining him a legion of fans. Though loved by the crowd, Sting's character on-screen faced plenty of hostility, and when several wrestlers believed the Stinger to be part of the New World Order, the former World Champion walked away from it all.

Sting started sporting a new look, portraying a loner character due to the New World Order manipulating WCW wrestlers and fans to doubt his loyalty. It was inspired from the controversial film The Crow, featuring a lead character much like Sting. This helped him become the hottest character in WCW during the 1996-1997 run, and after a year away from the ring, returned to defeat Hulk Hogan for the WCW World title at Starrcade 1997.