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A pro wrestler is picking a bizarre fight with a comic book action star — and he just might get his wish

Arrow S4 first look
The CW

Way back at the end of May, something weird happened in the world of wrestling — high-profile wrestler Stardust (real name Cody Runnels) noticed that Stephen Amell, the star and superhero behind the CW show "Arrow", was in the audience. He then seemed to honestly believe that Amell really was Oliver Queen, the character Amell plays on the show — and that he was his sworn nemesis. 

I can explain. 

See, in the grand play-act that is the WWE, Stardust was formerly known as Cody Rhodes. But the current ongoing storyline unfolding throughout WWE shows like "Raw" and "Smackdown" has revealed that the charcter of Rhodes (whose real name is Cody Runnels) underwent a personal crisis that robbed him of his confidence, and he went on to style himself after a comic-book supervillain, taking on the name Stardust.

Trouble is, as this storyline has unfolded, it's looking like his character really buys it. Hence all the picking on an actor who plays a comic book superhero on television (You have to buy into all of this to enjoy pro wrestling. It's all part of the show).

It also looks like Amell is really considering giving Stardust the fight he's after. 

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On a recent episode of "Smackdown", the wrestler made his latest jab at Amell — bellowing the actor's catchphrase from the TV show after defeating his opponent for the night, R-Truth. 

Out of context, this may not seem like much of an insult. But Stardust has been trying to keep this feud going for two months now, even making a show of tearing up Green Arrow comics to try and provoke a response from Amell (He got one).

While Amell has been pretty good about hedging expectations towards fans eager to see him jump in the ring against Stardust, he's started to really entertain the idea on social media, posting this photo not long after Stardust stole his catchphrase.

The fun thing about the WWE is that while the matches are the highlight, they're not the end of the show. The jabs and insults lobbed at one another outside of the ring are all a part of this bombastic spectacle, kind of like rap beef except it's scripted and no one gets shot. Again, it's all show business. 

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And if Amell were to show up on an episode of "Smackdown" or "Raw"? Or better yet, SummerSlam

I'd watch that.

 

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