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Throughout its history, the world of professional wrestling and comic books have crossed over countless times into one another. It is an organic relationship. When in the ring, professional wrestlers are portraying these grand, larger than life characters. When it comes to AEW’s current reigning and defending TBS Champion, Jade Cargill, this is no exception. Cargill has at numerous points channeled various comic book characters in her attire, specifically for major matches that she has had during her career. Undefeated ever since she first entered professional wrestling, Cargill has also expressed that she is a genuine fan of comics and of cosplay.
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Jade Cargill Has Always Loved Cosplay
As Cargill expressed herself in a ComicBook.com interview, she said, “I think I can pull off almost anything. I love playing dress up and cosplay. I did cosplay before I became a professional wrestler, so that part is easy.” Cosplay is when someone dresses up as a character. The character can be from comic books, film, television, video games, etc. There are essentially endless possibilities for coming up with an idea. Because Cargill is also a genuine fan of these things outside professional wrestling, it is very organic and natural.
In addition to her being a fan, Cargill also has stated that her fans are the driving force behind many of her choices in attire and what characters she chooses to portray. On NBC Sports Boston’s The Ten Count (h/t WrestleZone), she said, “So when I see a lot of fan art or I see these gear concepts from fans just speaking things into existence, I see this, and I’m paying tribute to my fans. I love the ideas they’ve given me.” Some ideas for gear have come directly from fans, such as when she dressed up as MARVEL’s She-Hulk. Others have come from her own mind, such as when she was Mortal Kombat’s Jade.
There are various examples of attires that Cargill has worn. In the finals of the TBS Championship Tournament against Ruby Soho, she dressed as Storm from the X-Men. It was the start of a dominant reign that has seen Cargill become the longest reigning champion in AEW history. At Revolution 2022, she donned an attire of the Mortal Kombat character who shares her name, Jade, and defeated Tay Melo. At All Out 2022, she sported an attire based on She-Hulk and defeated Athena. Her most recent attire was as Cheetara from The Thundercats and defeated Nyla Rose.
There Is A Long History Of Comic Book Inspired Attire In Wrestling
Cargill is not the first professional wrestler to sport an attire based on characters from comic books and other media. It has been done numerous times in professional wrestling in various different promotions. In WWE, Rey Mysterio has worn several ring attires based on characters from DC Comics, such as Batman, The Joker, and The Flash, and MARVEL, such as Mysterio, Wolverine, and Silver Surfer. Johnny Gargano has worn countless attire for NXT events that drew inspiration from Marvel Comics. In AEW, Penta El Zero M has worn Batman and Joker attires. Thunder Rosa has also sported an attire as X-23 from The X-Men. There are countless other wrestlers who are also fans of comic books.
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Jade Cargill's Cosplay Helps Solidify Her As A Big Star In AEW
For as long as professional wrestling has existed, this relationship between it and comic books has been strong. As both have grown in popularity, it is not a relationship that will be going away anytime soon.
It is very fitting that Cargill channels such powerful characters in her attire choices. Throughout her run in AEW, she has been presented as a top star in the promotion. Cargill’s presence in the ring demands attention. She wields an incredible amount of charisma and character. She knows just how good she is, and will not hesitate to remind anyone who challenges her position as one of the top stars in the promotion. She has gotten fans to care about her. At the time of writing, she is still undefeated and has beaten anyone and everyone who has dared try and take away her streak.
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For Cargill, it is all about giving the fans what they want, which is a driving force behind why she incorporates cosplay into her character in the first place. As she said, “Fans [have] just given me inspiration, and it just gets me going and gets me thinking because I have to think about the entrance and I have to think of all these things.” Through this, Cargill has formed a genuine connection to the audience, who always want to see what character that she dresses as next.
