WWE Superstars #9 Review: Legend vs. Legend

There is a rumor going around that at next year’s WrestleMania, John Cena, age 37, will square off with a 61-year-old Hulk Hogan. The predetermined nature of professional wrestling allows for certain dream matches to occur that otherwise wouldn’t happen in Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts.

However, what if this match and others could happen when both men were in their prime? Mick Foley and Shane Riches give us a look, through a bizarre prism, of what that would look like. Wrestlers from different eras are being pulled into combat across a myriad of battle fields from the roman coliseum to the pirate ships of the seven seas.

2014 Daniel Bryan and 1986’s Rowdy Roddy Piper from join forces to discover the evil puppet master behind this constant mayhem. We are treated to several other matches and some of them deviate from their assigned “programming” which causes things to be even more hectic. This incarnation of Piper from the 80’s is a heel and doesn’t know who Bryan is, but Bryan knows everything about Piper, which adds a level of intrigue to their partnership.

Foley, known for his wrestling exploits, really makes this book stand out from just another wasted wrestling title with more substance than style. He knows the wrestlers so he is able to insert all of their signature catch phrases and dialog and at the right time instead of just incorporating it for the sake of a cheap pop.

The art in the previous issues left a lot to be desired because some characters were hard to identify. Parris Cullins, who worked on such titles as Blue Devil, Blue Beetle, and Wonder Woman, is a much-welcomed hand in this series as his illustrations are clean, full of energy and fun to look at. Laurie E. Smith’s coloring augments the character work from the red and white plaid of Piper’s kilt to the dark tones of The Undertaker’s grim ensemble.

Wrestling comic books tend to suck and are even more over the top than the source material it’s derived from. However, this Legends event is different and should more than hold its own while producing pages of body slamming entertainment. After all, with Randy Orton vs. Jake “The Snake Roberts, Ultimate Warrior vs. John Cena, Hulk Hogan vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, what more could you ask for?