Ugly Superman

Ugly Superman, The. A dim-witted and small-time wrestler at the Metropolis Arena who tried unsuccessfully to win the affections of Lois Lane. On an assignment from the Daily Planet, Lois Lane attended a series of wrestling matches one night at the Metropolis Arena to give "the women's angle" on the sport. During one act, Lois was intrigued by a match involving a wrestler known as the Ugly Superman. Dressed in a Superman costume, the Ugly Superman displayed considerable strength against his opponents, yet Lois felt pity for the wrestler when he was booed and jeered by the crowd for his rugged looks.

She then decided to write a feature for the Planet on the wrestler, in the hope it would change people's opinion of him. However, Lois was then surprised when the Ugly Superman showed up at the Planet's offices the day after the article's publication, completely misinterpreting her sympathy for romantic feelings. Lois flatly rejected the wrestler's advances, yet relented and agreed to a series of embarassing dates after he threatened Clark Kent.

Lois was appalled by the wrestler, ("A pig at the trough has more manners!"), yet recieved help in the form of Superman, who decided to come to Lois' aid. Dressing up as an old bearded wrestler known as Methuselah, Superman confronted the Ugly Superman at the Metropolis Gym and challenged him to a series of feats-of-strength - until finally revealling who he was. No match for the super-powered Kryptonian, the humiliated Ugly Superman still vowed to some day win Lois' affections.

Two months later, Lois and Clark returned to the Metropolis Arena to find a considerably different Ugly Superman had recieved some plastic surgery. Now known as the Gorgeous Superman, the wrestler was once again turned down by Lois, who said her heart belongs to the real Superman. (SGLL No. 8, April 1959: "The Ugly Superman!")

The Ugly Superman would later wrestle Jimmy Olsen when Jimmy used his Elastic Lad powers to become a wrestler. (SPJO No. 54 July 1961 "Elastic Lad’s Wrestling Match!" reprinted in SPJO No. 111 June 1968 with four additional pages.)