With the launch of the very first WrestleMania in 1985, WWE took a giant leap forward in helping to bring pro wrestling further into mainstream popular culture. In an effort to bolster the perceived importance of wrestling’s first “Show of Shows,” Vince McMahon hired celebrities from the worlds of sports, music, and television in a bid to give the event more of a “special” feel. It was a massive financial risk for a relatively inexperienced promoter to take, but the investment paid off. Today, WrestleMania is one of the biggest yearly attractions in all of entertainment, and this Sunday’s 35th installment will be housed in New Jersey’s massive MetLife Stadium, which has a seating capacity of over 80,000. That sea of rabid WWE fans will be joined by countless others watching around the world on the WWE Network. As Gorilla Monsoon used to say, “It’s a happening.”
Bringing in celebrities from other avenues of showbiz to take part in WrestleMania is a clever marketing tactic that is still employed—on and off—to varying degrees of success. A-listers like Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Alice Cooper, and reality stars like Kim Kardashian and Snooki have all appeared on WWE’s biggest annual supershow. Over the years, these guests have acted as everything from musical acts and special ring announcers, to backstage interviewers and managers. Some have even gotten their hands dirty by entering the ring and squaring off against some of WWE’s most notable Superstars.
Here, we take a look at the 10 most jaw-dropping celebrity appearances in the history of WrestleMania.
WrestleMania 35 broadcasts live April 7 on the WWE Network. For further information, visit WWE.com.
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Courtesy of WWE
Pamela Anderson (WrestleMania 11)
The former Baywatch beauty was riding high on the cusp of a promising movie career in 1995, so her involvement with WWE was seen as a great partnership to gain further exposure for both parties. A deal was made, and heavily promoted, for Pammy to offer her services as an official WrestleMania 11 chaperone to the eventual winner of the Royal Rumble.
Despite “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels winning the Rumble, it would turn out to be WWE Champion, Diesel, who found himself accompanied to the ring by Anderson. Instead, Shawn was led to the ring by fellow Playboy cover girl, Jenny McCarthy. In the finish, Diesel pinned HBK and celebrated with both girls. To the victor goes the spoils!
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William Perry (WrestleMania 2)
Chicago Bears defensive lineman, William “The Refrigerator” Perry, brought a touch of the Super Bowl to WrestleMania 2, competing in a battle royale that featured athletes from both WWE and the NFL. With WrestleMania 2 being held at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago, “The Fridge” certainly had a home-field advantage.
During the match, Perry was eliminated by Big John Studd, but he wouldn’t leave without extending his hand to Studd in what seemed like a display of respect. As Studd clasped Perry’s hand, “The Fridge” yanked the big man over the top rope, eliminating him in retaliation. It was a brief moment, but it was memorable enough to earn Perry a spot in the Celebrity Wing of WWE’s Hall of Fame in 2006.
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Mickey Rourke (WrestleMania 25)
Having starred in the critically acclaimed film The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke seemed like the perfect fit for a match at WrestleMania 25, so officials quickly announced that the star would lace up the boots to face Chris Jericho at the event. The match was later cancelled after it was reported that Rourke, who was 56 at the time, was forbidden to compete by his insurance company because of pre-existing commitments with the making of Iron Man 2.
Still, Rourke would get his WrestleMania moment following what turned out to be a great match between Jericho and legends Ric Flair, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. In a match that reminded us why Steamboat is one of the best technical wrestlers of all time, Jericho picked up the victory and proceeded to verbally berate Rourke, who was seated at ringside. Rourke heard enough and made his way into the ring to a loud ovation. He may not have wrestled a full match, but the former professional boxer did lay Y2J out with a left hook.
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Pete Rose (WrestleManias 14, 15, 2000, 20)
The always controversial Major League Baseball star has appeared in no less than four WrestleManias to date. “Charlie Hustle’s” first appearance came at WrestleMania 14 as a special guest ring announcer, where he was Tombstoned by Kane. One year later, Rose dressed as the San Diego Chicken to blindside Kane and exact a measure of revenge. Instead, the “Big Red Machine” unmasked his attacker and blasted Rose with a devastating Tombstone for the second straight year. At WrestleMania 2000 (or WrestleMania 16), this glutton for punishment found himself on the receiving end of a “stinkface” courtesy of Rikishi.
In appreciation for these classic Mania moments, Rose was inducted in the Celebrity Wing of WWE’s Hall of Fame at WrestleMania 20. The MLB record breaker is looked at fondly by many WWE fans for his willingness to risk his own body to entertain, and for many, despite his notoriety within baseball, he is even more famous for his sporadic appearances at WrestleMania.
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Muhammad Ali (WrestleMania)
The late, great Muhammad Ali found inspiration in pro wrestling throughout his career; in fact, he modeled parts of his larger-than-life persona after legendary grappler Gorgeous George—who rose to prominence in the industry during the ’40s and ’50s by way of wit, bravado, and charisma. It is fitting, then, that on March 31, 1985, Ali appeared as the special guest referee at the very first WrestleMania, helping to turn the show into a mainstream institution.
The relationship between Ali and the grapple game is a storied one that includes an iconic “boxer vs. wrestler” match against Antonio Inoki back in 1976, but his appearance at that inaugural ‘Mania, standing alongside WWE legends like Hulk Hogan and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, is perhaps the most significant. The “Greatest of All Time” was hugely popular with the live crowd at Madison Square Garden that faithful night, and his involvement added even more star power to the show’s pageantry.
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Floyd Mayweather (WrestleMania 24)
Muhammad Ali, “Smokin” Joe Frasier, and Mike Tyson have all appeared at WrestleMania, but none of those former champs risked their bodies for WWE at the height of their boxing career quite like Floyd Mayweather did.
In 2007, “Money” Mayweather went toe-to-toe with the Big Show at WrestleMania 24, in what many critics consider to be one of the best celebrity ‘Mania matches of all time. What makes the bout even more significant is the fact that Mayweather was still very much active and at the top of his game in the boxing world at the time. With this in mind, observers were expecting Mayweather to work a safe and steady contest, but things took a turn when chairs and brass knuckles were introduced. In the end, Mayweather earned the victory and the respect of the WWE Universe, while Big Show will forever be held in high regard for creating a memorable WrestleMania moment with a relatively inexperienced performer.
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Lawrence Taylor (WrestleMania 11)
The road to WrestleMania 11 kicked off with a shocking moment at the 1995 Royal Rumble when Bam Bam Bigelow got into a physical confrontation with New York Giants great, Lawrence Taylor, at ringside. The story goes that the former linebacker was attending the event as a spectator, but caught the eye of an irate Bigelow, who had just lost a bid with Tatanka to win the Tag Team Titles.
This was the setup for a monumental match at WrestleMania 11, where Taylor not only wrestled his first televised match but did so on the biggest card of the year. It was a huge risk, but it largely paid off. Taylor’s involvement with WWE brought a lot of extra press coverage in the build-up, and for a debut under such pressure, both Taylor and Bigelow did a supreme job of producing a highly entertaining main event.
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Mr. T (WrestleMania)
Mr. T’s involvement with WWE in the ’80s helped bring many new eyes to the wrestling group. As B. A. Baracus in the hugely popular TV series The A Team, and Clubber Lang in the blockbuster Rocky 3, it’s fair to say that Mr. T was one of the most famous men on the planet by the time he teamed up with Hulk Hogan to face Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff at the very first WrestleMania.
A year later, T returned to make a fool out of Piper once again, when they collided in a boxing match at WrestleMania 2. During the bout, Mr. T had to contend with some pretty dastardly tactics from “Hot Rod,” including having a corner stool thrown at him in between rounds. In the end, everything descended into utter chaos, as you would expect from a WWE event.
Mr. T was inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame in 2017 and made headlines with an extremely long speech that could only be cut short by an unscheduled appearance from Kane.
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Donald Trump (WrestleMania 23)
Donald Trump hosted WrestleMania 4 and 5 at his Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, and can be seen sitting at ringside for the main event clash between Hulk Hogan and Randy “Macho Man” Savage. But it would be nearly 20 years later that the future POTUS got in front of the camera in a big way.
At WrestleMania 23, Trump put his hair on the line against WWE Chief, Vince McMahon in a match that was dubbed “The Battle of the Billionaires.” Trump placed his trust with Bobby Lashley, who battled it out against Vince’s choice: Umaga. In the finish, Lashley pinned Umaga, leading to one of the most repeated scenes in WrestleMania history when, following the shaving of Vinnie Mac’s hair, Trump received a Stone Cold Stunner from special guest referee, Steve Austin. It was the move that launched a thousand memes.
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Mike Tyson (WrestleMania 14)
“Iron” Mike had run into financial difficulties before signing on to be involved with WrestleMania 14, and was paid a hefty fee to act as the special enforcer of Steve Austin’s WWE Championship challenge against Shawn Michaels. The rumored $3.5 million price tag, which included just a handful of appearances on WWE Television, is now considered to be a shrewd investment.
First, there was the enthralling confrontation between Austin and Tyson on Monday Night RAW, which sent TV ratings into overdrive. Then, there was the shock announcement that “The Baddest Man on the Planet” had aligned himself with Shawn’s D-Generation X. It all made for great viewing, and WrestleMania 14 was talked about all over the world in the weeks leading up to the event largely because of Tyson and the recent controversies the former boxing champ had faced—including biting the ear of Evander Holyfield, of course.
On the night of WrestleMania 14 in 1998, Mike double-crossed DX and made the pinfall that crowned “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as the undisputed King of the Attitude Era. The creative momentum and all-important television ratings would continue to grow exponentially following Tyson’s departure, putting WWE’s main rival, WCW out of business.
