WrestleManiathis year brought fans not just one, but two celebrity matches and both of them delivered above expectations. Celebrity matches inWWEhave undergone a pretty major perception shift over the decades. In the Golden Era, they were a staple ofWrestleMania, and exciting whenever they occurred.
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As wrestling has shifted, and fans have grown to place a greater value on match quality, and a wrestler’s journey through the industry, celebrities coming in and taking the spotlight is generally frowned upon. That’s not to say it can’t be done well, though, and plenty of celebrities from all industries have come in and proved they understand and respect wrestling.
10Big Show vs Akebono Tari - Sumo Match - WrestleMania 21
Whilst not the worst celebrityWrestleManiamatch, very few people would come away from this one saying they enjoyed it. Akebono Tari was a prominent sumo wrestler throughout the 90s, who retired in 2000. He spent a few years attempting to take on the world of MMA, before turning to pro wrestling, where his first stop wasWWE.
The problem with having a scripted sumo match is that it is very obviously fake. Regular sumo matches are generally very short, but the ceremony and tradition of the event make it a spectacle, unfortunately, the averageWrestleManiaattendee doesn’t know or care about this. After colliding with each other a few times and staring down, Akebono threw Big Show from the ring, and that was that.
9Bart Gunn vs Butterbean - Boxing Match - WrestleMania 15
The end result of the awful Brawl-For-All tournament, where wrestlers were fit in real fights against each other purely because Vince Russo wanted to see JBL get knocked out. The long-standing rumor is that Dr. Death Steve Williams was supposed to win the tournament, but he got taken out earlier on.
Bart Gunn ended up winning the thing, andWWEhad absolutely no plans for him. He wasn’t seen until this exhibition match atWrestleMania15, where untrained fighter Bart Gunn was pit against trained professional boxer Butterbean. Naturally, Gunn was destroyed in this match, proving the Brawl-For-All to be a historic failure.
8Bam Bam Bigelow vs Lawrence Taylor - WrestleMania 11
This match has gotten a bit of a reputation over the years for being better than it was, as it has stuck in the memory for so long.WrestleMania11 pushed the celebrity range heavily for its promotion, thanks in no small part to Hulk Hogan being gone from the company.
The result was thatthe main event of the biggest show of the yearwas a celebrity match between a mid-carder and a celebrity. Lawrence Taylor certainly put on an above-average performance for a celebrity, but it was most certainly not worthy of the main event ofWrestleMania, especially when Shawn Michaels vs Diesel for the WWF Championship had to play second-fiddle.
7Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos vs Eve Torres & Beth Phoenix - WrestleMania 28
American TV personality, Maria Menounos has long been a WWE fan, and she has had multiple opportunities to work with the company over the years. She’s had multiple matches for the company, the first coming in late 2011, where she pinned Diva’s Champion Beth Phoenix in a tag team match.
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This continued intoWrestleMania28, where she teamed with Kelly Kelly to once again target Beth Phoenix, who had found a partner in Eve Torres. There, Maria would once again pin the Diva’s Champion clean as a whistle, and yet she was never granted a title shot.
6The Miz & Logan Paul vs Rey & Dominik Mysterio - WrestleMania 38
Normally, when a celebrity is brought into WWE, they naturally take the role of the babyface. Even if modern fans aren’t as keen on celebrities as they used to be, WWE and the celebrity want them to be presented in a positive life, as it is for publicity, after all.
Logan Paul is a very different case, as his public image has long been that of a grade-A jerk that no one wants to spend time with. Arguably quite wisely, Logan Paul has played up to that over the years, and WWE took full advantage of it, even putting himinWWE 2K22as DLC. After taking a Stunner from Kevin Owens atWrestleMania37, he went for the real deal onNight 1 ofWrestleMania38, teaming with The Miz and putting on a great performance.
5Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal - WrestleMania 35
Although it took place on the pre-show toWrestleMania35, there was a lot of hype surrounding the build to this annual battle royal. Michael Che and Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live and Jimmy Fallon fame antagonist the monstrous Braun Strowman going into the match.
The match’s overall quality is helped by the fact that it doesn’t have to focus entirely on the celebrities. With a wide array of competitors in there, fans can enjoy plenty of non-celebrity action, with Che and Jost’s antic serving more as a fun topper to the action.
4Hulk Hogan & Mr T vs Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff - WrestleMania 1
This match may not be the best in terms of quality, but it is arguably one of the most important matches inWrestleManiahistory. Being the main event of the very firstWrestleMania, it needed to be a hit with audiences for the concept, and potentially even WWE to survive.
Mr. T was a huge draw at the time, and Hogan was as big a star as he ever was. Mr. T nearly pulled out of the match, though, fearing Roddy Piper would shoot on him in the ring, as the two genuinely didn’t get on. Thankfully, Hogan talked Mr. T round and the match cemented the show of shows in the history books for at least 38 years, with many more likely to come.
3Big Show vs Floyd Mayweather - WrestleMania 24
Wrestling is no stranger to bringing in boxing stars for huge moments, Butterbean is one such boxer, but more famously is Mike Tyson’s involvement in theWrestleMania14 main event as special guest referee, officially crowningStone Cold Steve AustinWWF Champion.
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A decade later, WWE wanted to do it again, and thankfully there was a boxing star at a similar level to Tyson willing to fill the role. Mayweather and Big Show had surprisingly great chemistry during the match, with the size disparity being the main story, and Mayweather slowly taking the giant down, eventually knocking Big Show out withbrass knuckles for the finish.
The initial reaction to Bad Bunny being involved in this match was negative from fans, but he managed to turn opinion around thanks to his performance in this match. It was clear Bad Bunny had taken his training seriously and wanted to put on a memorable show for the fans, which the fans respected.
Bad Bunny did things that few other celebrities have tried, including a picture-perfect suicide dive out of the ring. Priest was in there to ensure there was a solid wrestling base, and The Miz & John Morrison are about the two safest hands a celebrity could ask for, making an enjoyable match.
1Sami Zayn vs Johnny Knoxville - WrestleMania 38
In one of the most fun matches ofWrestleManiaweekend this year, Johnny Knoxville showed a way to make a celebrity match entertaining, even when the celebrity isn’t very capable in the ring. Knoxville has a great comedic mind, and he & Zayn clearly had loads of fun putting this match together.
The whole Jackass crew got in on the action, and all the major comedy spots are funny even to those unfamiliar with the franchise. It was a silly spot-fest match done right, withZayn looking better than he normally does, despite losing to a non-wrestler. There wasn’t a dull moment, and that’s the best fans can ask for.
