professional wrestling loves to involve celebrities in the product. The ability to get celebrities to do a segment that will eventually air on SNL, ESPN, or Good Morning America is an attractive opportunity for many companies. That doesn’t mean all celebrity appearances have gone well, though, and that number drops even more when they actually step into the ring. So much can go wrong, and it’s hard for a celebrity to impress fans like that when they’re watching professionals with decades of experience play every other game.
However, there are some celebrities who take the craft seriously and have impressed fans around the world enough to leave fans wanting more and wanting to see the stars get back in the ring from the outside. Bad Bunny could be back for the Royal Rumble, and many in the WWE Universe would love to see him wrestle one more match.
9 Macaulay Culkin
Although Macaulay Culkin didn’t have a match in WWE or AEW, he did interfere in a match on the independent scene using “home alone” tactics. However, the Home Alone star has stated multiple times that he wants a match in WWE. Culkin attempted to have a match with “The Bulgarian Brute” Rusev (now Miro in AEW) at WrestleMania. Culkin’s Twitter bio mentions that he’s “The #1 Bill Goldberg Fan,” so maybe he could work with the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion before he retires.
Regardless, Culkin has shown true love for the art of professional wrestling, from the independent scene to WWE, and typically the celebrities who love that much put 100 percent into their fights.
8th Floyd Mayweather
Undefeated boxing champion Floyd “Money” Mayweather had one of the best celebrity WrestleMania matches yet. Mayweather is best known to wrestling fans as the boxer who broke Big Show’s nose and later had a standout match with him on the biggest stage of them all.
It would be great to see Mayweather face off against another giant of WWE like Omos, or a rematch between his boxing opponent and former WWE guest Logan Paul. However, Mayweather could also head to AEW if they’re looking for another celebrity and treat fans to a Mayweather vs. Big Show rematch.
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7 Shaq
If there’s a celebrity made pro wrestler, Shaq is the celebrity. Shaquille O’Neal has arguably the tallest and brightest personality in all of Hollywood and sports. The legendary NBA center is sized to tower over even the biggest wrestling rosters and fits right into the land of giants. Tony Khan has even gone so far as to say that Shaq is the greatest celebrity wrestler of all time. Shaq has teased a dream match with Big Show in WWE for years, and now that AEW has brought Shaq and Paul Wight to the company as well, there’s a chance a dream match could happen.
6 stephen amell
Arrow star Stephen Amell became friends with Cody Rhodes due to his cameo appearance on Amell’s show. Rhodes, in his Stardust gimmick, began a rivalry with Amell. At SummerSlam, the celebrity kept up a tradition that has stayed strong in celebrity matches by being involved in a tag team match. Amell teamed with Neville, now PAC, in AEW against Stardust and Wade Barrett.
Amell and Neville won, with Amell being commended for his performance. He wasn’t done there though, he fought in ROH and took on Christopher Daniels in another impressive match at AEW’s All In 2018. Now Amell is starring in Starz’s Heels, so it only makes sense for him to get back into the ROH square circle.
5 DeAngelo Williams
DeAngelo Williams was one of the greatest runners in Carolina Panthers history, proving to be a great running back in the NFL for 11 seasons. With a resume like this, a love of pro wrestling and he was just retiring, it was out of this world to think that given the right training he could put on a good wrestling match. However, the match between Williams and Moose against Chris Adonis (formerly Chris Masters) and Eli Drake shocked the wrestling world.
At Slammiversary XV, Williams performed backflips, chain wrestling and a frog splash onto a table. The match was widely praised, with Dave Meltzer even saying that Williams “has the potential to be the greatest wrestler I’ve ever seen.”
4 bad bunny
At WrestleMania 37, Bad Bunny shocked the world with arguably the biggest celebrity wrestling match in history. The moment WWE began working with Bad Bunny, he dedicated himself to the craft that no celebrity has ever seen before. The Spotify top artist quit everything he did to move to Orlando, Fla. to train for his match.
The practice paid off as his tag team of Damien Priest against The Miz and John Morrison was a show stealer at the world’s biggest wrestling event. Whenever Bad Bunny calls and says he wants another match, WWE will race to get him back in the ring.
3 Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman could have had an incredible career in wrestling if he had wanted to. Rodman is the enigma of the NBA as he went to games with multicolored hair, piercings and even a dress. For that reason, WCW saw Rodman as a big draw in 1997, and the former legendary Chicago Bulls rebounder teamed up with nWo’s Hollywood Hulk Hogan against DDP and former NBA player Karl Malone.
Rodzilla was so dedicated to wrestling at the time that he skipped practice after Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals to join WCW Nitro instead. Rodman’s dedication paid off as he impressed with his little action in the ring and judging by The Last Dance documentary he’s still the eccentric person he was and would still be entertaining today.
2 Pat McAfee
Pat McAfee is such an important part of the SmackDown broadcast team now. McAfee started out as a guest on NXT inaugural shows, but when the legendary NFL player started a rivalry with Adam Cole for the black-and-gold brand, he shocked fans with just how good he was. To be fair, McAfee is a former professional athlete, but in his debut match, no one expected him to perform moonsaults, top rope jumps and solid chain wrestling.
Adam Cole is of course with AEW now so the rivalry will be on hold for at least some time, but WWE fans could be in for another great match as McAfee takes on another WWE star.
1 Ronda Rousey
WWE reportedly wants Ronda Rousey back at the company. While fans aren’t reacting well to the former UFC great, it’s easy to see why WWE would want to do so. Rousey is one of the biggest celebrity draws the WWE could have. She also proves to be a quick learner and has impressed in the ring several times in her short tenure with the company. A match between Rousey and Becky Lynch at WrestleMania is still something many fans want to see. Rousey’s comeback could instantly make her a top heel in the company and allow Becky Lynch to be a babyface again. That could happen as early as the Royal Rumble.
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About the author
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John Pearson
(41 published articles)
A die-hard wrestling fan since he was 2, John graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in journalism to contribute to the world of pro wrestling. Aside from watching wrestling, John is passionate about supporting his favorite football club, Liverpool FC.
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