5 best celebrity WrestleMania matches
Since the very first WrestleMania, WWE has used celebrity appearances as a means of making the event bigger. There is just something about seeing the world’s biggest names that brings a certain credibility to a show they appear on.
Sometimes, celebrities do more than just appear on The Showcase of the Immortals. A few, or twelve to be exact, have also stepped in the ring.
Celebrity in-ring appearances are usually in tag-team or multi-man matches where the Superstars partnered with the famous figure are the ones dishing out most of the offense. However, a few stars actually surprise with a good performance and a somewhat decent match.
In anticipation of Johnny Knoxville and Logan Paul’s appearances at this year’s Show of Shows, here is a list of the five best celebrity WrestleMania matches.
#5. On our list of 5 best celebrity WrestleMania matches: Snooki, WrestleMania 27
The Jersey Shore star was featured in a six-person tag team match at WrestleMania 27. On her team were Trish Stratus and John Morrison, and their opponents were LayCool and Dolph Ziggler.
While Morrison was reportedly mad about Trish being brought back for the match, it still did not hinder the performance of the parties involved.
This was Stratus' first match at The Granddaddy of Them All in five years.
The heels, Ziggler and LayCool attacked their opponents before the match officially began. Ziggler then berated Snooki, telling her that she does not belong in the ring with him. She slapped him for saying this.
Stratus and McCool began the match, brawling for the majority of the contest. This ended after Ziggler broke Stratus’ pin after she hit the Chick Kick on McCool. Morrison then intervened, taking Ziggler out of the ring. He then hit Starship Pain on a downed Ziggler.
Stratus tagged Snooki in, who performed a handspring face crusher on McCool. She followed this with a moonsault splash to pin McCool and win the match for her team.
#4. Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, WrestleMania 11
The near 400-pound Bam Bam Bigelow took on former NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania 11. This match had a lot riding on it, as it was not just any match on the card, this was the main event of the show.
Having a non-wrestler at the main event of The Show of Shows certainly created a lot of buzz, and Taylor delivered with his performance, performing clotheslines, bulldogs and suplexes as if he’d wrestled for many years.
Bam Bam deserves credit, too, for being able to put on a thrilling twelve-minute match with someone who had never wrestled before. This certainly cemented the claim that he was one of the best big-men of all time.
LT walked away with what is quite possibly one of the biggest upsets in WWE history after he pinned Bigelow following a top rope elbow.
#3. Hulk Hogan and Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, WrestleMania 1
In the 1980s, Vince McMahon had a bold idea. He dreamed of a show that would take the company and the industry to another level. It was a show that featured some of the world's biggest celebrities. This was WrestleMania as we know it today.
He put everything he had into making this vision come to life. If it failed, both McMahon and the company would go under.
The main event? Hulk Hogan and Mr. T teaming against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, with Muhammad Ali and Pat Patterson as special guest referees.
“Cowboy” Bob Orton, who accompanied Piper and Orndorff, climbed the top rope in an attempt to knock Hogan out with his cast. However, this backfired as he hit Orndorff instead. Hogan then pinned Orndoff to win the match for his team.
This match deserves to be on this list based on its significance alone. WrestleMania as we know it today would not have existed if this match and the event were not a success.
#2. Big Show vs Floyd Mayweather, WrestleMania 24
Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show was iconic 😅
(via @WWE) https://t.co/7ViGGSkugo
The Big Show has had his fair share of celebrity matches at the Show of Shows. He locked horns with Shaq at the inaugural Andrae the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the 32nd edition, and competed in a sumo match against Akebono at WrestleMania 21.
The best of which, however, was his match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. at WrestleMania 24. While Mayweather was heavily outmatched in terms of size, WWE did an excellent job of building the fight around his speed and the power behind his punches.
The match captured everything that The Showcase of the Immortals represents. A showdown between incredible athletes that leaves fans on the edge of their seats. Mayweather was booked as the heel in this match, which also made sense as it captured the arrogance and cockiness that made up his real-life personality.
Even as the underdog, Floyd managed to pick up the win after a low blow, a series of chair shots and a knockout punch with brass knuckles on his hand.
#1. Bad Bunny and Damien Priest vs. The Miz and John Morrison, WrestleMania 37
pck.tv/3uiBkFqThe duo of @sanbenito & @ArcherOfInfamy is on 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 against @mikethemiz & @TheRealMorrison!
Stream #WrestleMania on @PeacockTV ▶️ pck.tv/3uiBkFq https://t.co/iUbXF3sOWK
When Morrison and Miz first started feuding with Bad Bunny at the Royal Rumble 2021, it was certain that it would culminate in a match between them at some point.
As the feud progressed and a match got booked between Miz and Morrison and their opponents Bad Bunny and Damien Priest at WrestleMania 37, fans expected Damien Priest to be the one dishing out all the offense as most celebrity matches go.
The match itself was incredibly surprising, to say the least, as The Bunny did more than just one moonsault. He actually wrestled, and he actually wrestled very, very well. Bunny did everything from a top rope splash, a falcon arrow and even a Canadian Destroyer.
He certainly set the bar very high for celebrity performers, showing that they can perform at a level close to that of actual WWE Superstars.
So what do you think of this list? Do you think Johnny Knoxvile and Logan Paul can perform as well as Bad Bunny did? Let us know in the comments section below.