Larger than life, spandex-loving characters battle The Avengers.
Helping to get rid of that bad taste in our mouths known as Batman v. Superman, the next phase in pop-culture entertainment hits us this week. Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War is set to be theatrically released this Friday, May 6, and it’s no surprise that fans are hyped! This latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has The Avengers battling each other. Friend v Friend. Mask v Mask. Good guys fighting each other might seem weird, but its not if you’re a wrestling fan. In the world of Sports Entertainment, wrestlers on the same side often have to square off in the ring. Do you remember Hulk Hogan v. The Ultimate Warrior? Or how about The Rock v. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin? It happens.
Taking that to the next level, what if the MCU collided with the WWE Universe? The Avengers have superpowers and weapons but WWE Superstars have finishing maneuvers, just as cool outfits and catchy theme songs. Either in the ring or on the street, pitting both sides in evenly matched bouts would be like the ultimate game of Street Fighter.
We’ve picked out the combatants and here’s the tale of the tape:
Captain America v. John Cena
Bet you saw this one coming a mile away. The battle of good ol' fashioned apple pie, you could say. Take away Cap’s costume and these two are basically one and the same. Cap is a man who lives by a certain set of principles and beliefs, while John Cena is defined by three words: Hustle, Loyalty and Respect. These All-American poster boys never waiver from who they are, even it it means battling a friend like Iron Man or getting booed by thousands at WWE events. They may not be cool anti-heroes but kids love them.
Expect a clean fight here, with no eye-gouging, crotch shots or foreign objects. Captain’s iconic shield would be tough to handle but Cena has his just-as-famous golden shovel (used to end the momentum of many a competitor), to counter the strikes. Hearing “SuperCena” utter the words “You can’t see me”, would cause Cap to roll his eyes and put a stop to the leader of Cenation. Super-Soldier for the win!
Iron Man v. The Rock
Big Ego v. Big Ego. Marvel’s genius, billionaire, playboy going one on one with the WWE’s megastar, millionaire, bad-ass. The Rock may be currently appearing in 10 movies but “The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment” couldn't turn down the chance to headline this matchup. Sans the tech-suit, this wouldn’t be much of a brawl as The Rock would pummel Tony Stark. Actually they probably wouldn’t fight at all, opting for a top-that battle of insults and ending at a lavish party with a cavalcade of gorgeous women.
The one thing that might cause these two to actually fight is when Stark discovers that The Rock is set to appear in the DC Comics movie, Shazam! starring as Black Adam. Awkward.
Black Widow v. Sasha Banks
Little do you know that this match has already happened many, many times before in the fantasies of internet fanboys and under NSFW circumstances. The Russian-trained super assassin Natasha Romanova, aka the Black Widow, would certainly find a suitable adversary in the Queen of the Ring, “The Boss” Sasha Banks.
These two bad-asses don’t play second fiddle to the boys and would likely steal the show by beating the hell out of each other in a vicious yet exciting match. Sasha would lock in a submission move, only to have Widow counter it for another. This would continue for awhile until Black Widow finally got the upper hand. However, seeing kindred spirits in one another, an unstoppable tag-team would be born and villains be damned if you get in their way!
Spider-Man v. Xavier Woods (and The New Day)
You’ve heard the rumors and seen the trailer—the web-slinger himself, Spider-Man, has finally made his way to the MCU appearing in Civil War. While everyone geeks out on his appearance, one man awaits his challenge. Only one wrestler can match him in the athletic, quick-wit and pop-culture savvy departments. That man is Xavier Woods. Just imagine the hilarious repartee between these two, as Woods runs for cover with Spidey giving chase!
On paper, this seems like an easy win for Spider-Man, with his super-strength, “spider-sense,” ability to climb walls and shoot webs from his wrists. Okay you’re right, it would be a rather easy victory. However, Woods—the trombone playing, unofficial leader of The New Day—would do anything and everything to distract Spidey until help from his boys (Big E & Kogi Kingston) arrived. There is no such thing as a fair fight in dealing with The New Day. Hard as they might try, the end result would still find Woods, Big E and Kofi caught up in a giant web, yelling for help (or for a healthy serving of Booty-O’s cereal).
Ant-Man v. Kalisto
Originally I had The Big Show battling Marvel’s tiny hero, but this Coke commercial covered that size difference scenario:
Did you know that Kalisto in Spanish means “one with the power of Raid”? Well, it doesn’t, but some Raid would come in handy in this fight with Ant-Man.
Kalisto, the current United States Champion, is a masked, death-defying high flyer that battles all challengers no matter their size or strength. Ant-Man is cut from the same cloth, using his miniature super-strength and ingenuity to defeat his foes. To satisfy my twisted sense of humor, there’s no better setting for this match than in a custom-built ant farm. Billed as “The Match Under a Microscope,” you’d have a hard time keeping up with the the action since you couldn’t see much. In tiny form, Ant-Man would have the advantage with the help of his insect friends. However, using Ant-Man’s own suit to return him back to normal size, Kalisto would quickly use the “Salida del Sol” for the pin and victory.