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What is the best celebrity match to happen in a major wrestling company?
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Wrestling is no longer just wrestling. The term instead has been replaced by sports entertainment, and wrestling shows will go all out to gain main stream attention in the entertainment department. In the past few years WWE RAW has had guest hosts on their shows, and sometimes the guest stars get involved in the action like Jon Stewart at SummerSlam and Hugh Jackman punching Dolph Ziggler and Damien Sandow in recent years.
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There are some instances in the history of sports entertainment where the celebrities did more than just get involved in the match; instead they were the match. Stephen Amell took out his frustration with Stardust in the ring at SummerSlam when he tagged with Neville. His effort got me interested in checking out the best celebrity matches of all time, so I looked back on some of the matches where celebrities competed against superstars and stepped in the squared circle. Here I’ve ranked the top 5 celebrity matches of all time.
Reminder: this list is based on the wrestling action in the ring. While other matches may be more entertaining or have more memorable moments, this is based on the in ring ability. It is based on who looks like they belong in the ring with the wrestlers. All the celebrities on this list are athletes in their own right, so who would have the best performance inside the ring?
Next: Honorable Mentions
Not Included:
Butterbean vs, Bart Gunn – WrestleMania 15
Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper – WrestleMania 2
These matches were not included because they were not contested as wrestling matches. Instead, they were both boxing matches, with the first one being the only WrestleMania moment for Bart Gunn when he was knocked out by heavyweight contender Butterbean. These two are not included in the list.
Honorable Mention:
Drew Carey’s Appearance in the Royal Rumble
Since it wasn’t a typical straight forward match to be decided as pinfall, this Royal Rumble appearance by comedian and current Price is Right host won’t be counted in the rest of the rankings. Since it is one of the most memorable celebrity appearances though it earns an honorable mention on this list.
Drew Carey was entrant #5 in the Royal Rumble, and he had been previously announced as an entrant. He got into the ring while the Hardyz (Matt & Jeff) were battling on the top rope. The brothers managed to eliminate each other, leading Drew to be in the ring alone to wait for the next entrant: Kane.
After stalking around the outside of the ring, Kane entered and confronted Drew who then attempted to bribe and reason with Kane. The Big Red Machine attempted a chokeslam but was interrupted by Raven. Sensing the opportunity, Drew eliminated himself in one of the more memorable Royal Rumble moments of the 2000s.
Note: I know I said this list was based on wrestling ability, but come on. Drew Carey in the Royal Rumble was comedy gold.
Next: No. 5 Celebrity Match of All-Time
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5) Dennis Rodman & Hulk Hogan vs Karl Malone & DDP – WCW Bash at the Beach 1998
This match-up featured two of the best Power Forwards in the NBA tagging with two of the biggest stars in WCW. Rodman was a member of NWO alongside Hollywood Hulk Hogan and the team had competed at the Bash at the Beach event the year prior in a losing effort to The Giant and Lex Luger. That match in 1997 was not the best effort and doesn’t make this list. It was slow and plodding in action and Rodman seemed over matched and out-of-place.
The match at the ’98 Bash at the Beach was significantly better and had double the celebrity star power. For over 20 minutes the two NBA stars competed and held their own with two of the best. Rodman was great as the opportunistic but cowardly heel. Malone’s work as tough babyface alongside DDP is also well done.
What gives this match its placement on the list is it’s over-reliance on taunts. These two teams spent a majority of the time jawing back and forth at each other instead of trading blows. The match ended with neither celebrity being involved in the fall, as Disciple interfered on behalf of NWO and allowed Hogan to in DDP after a Leg Drop. Malone managed to hit a big Diamond Cutter to Rodman as his major highlight, but this match’s focus being the taunting and not the wrestling makes it low on the list.
Next: No. 4 Celebrity Match of All-Time
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4) Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs Big Show – WWE Wrestlemania 24
The biggest name in boxing had his own WrestleMania moment back in 2008 when he went toe to toe with “the World’s Largest Athlete” in a No-Holds Barred contest. Mayweather was over matched in size but had a huge speed advantage and had his entire posse out with him. Since it was a no disqualification match, Mayweather’s crew got involved and was decimated by Big Show.
The match came about after Mayweather took exception to Big Show threatening his friend Rey Mysterio and punched Show, making him bleed from his nose. Mayweather was given a $20 million payday in order to compete in the WWE which did more to anger the Big Show.
The match itself was definitely aided by the no disqualification stipulation. It lead to the big finish of the match where Mayweather scored an assisted knockout of Big Show using brass knuckles. Mayweather was used to being in the ring due to his boxing experience, and his athleticism shone through in the matchup. Mayweather’s work in the ring was passable, but his efforts were surpassed by three other celebrity matches.
Next: No. 3 Celebrity Match of All-Time
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3) Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow – WWF WrestleMania XI
The main event of WrestleMania XI saw the NFL and WWF collide, as superstar linebacker Lawrence Taylor went up against Bam Bam Bigelow. Taylor got the match against the WWF star after Bigelow pushed him while he attended the Royal Rumble. The match was designed to give WWF some much-needed main stream appeal, so it was billed as the main event.
Bam Smack Pow
While the match was probably not deserving of the main event spot (that really should have gone to Diesel and Shawn Michaels for the WWF title) it was still a good match. Lots of credit should rightfully go to Bam Bam for selling Taylor’s offence so well during the match. That may have been easy since Taylor’s forearms and knees seemed super stiff.
Taylor deserves some credit for his performance in the match as well, as he was put on a large stage and performed admirably. While it can be seen that sometimes special guest referee Pat Patterson was a little generous with the counts for when Taylor was being pinned, overall he had a good match. It’s good enough to be the highest ranked singles match on the list.
Next: No. 2 Celebrity Match of All-Time
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2) Stephen Amell & Neville vs Stardust & King Barrett – WWE SummerSlam 2015
Stephen Amell from the show Arrow was engaged in a twitter feud with Stardust for a long while before stepping into the ring. After jumping the guardrail to attack Stardust at RAW, the match was set for SummerSlam with Amell recruiting Neville to be his partner and Stardust getting King Barrett to join him.
The match provided WWE with tons of main stream media attention for the pay-per-view, and Stephen Amell more than held up his end of the match. Instead of being relegated to the spot of the hot tag, Amell actually contributed the majority of the match’s action. He had a couple good moves including a tremendously stiff looking kick and his crowning moment: a dive off the top rope to both of his opponents on the outside.
Amell proved that the athletic prowess he displays portraying a superhero on the show Arrow is not the result of a stunt double, but of his own work. Amell held more than his own end of the action in setting up Neville for his Red Arrow finishing move. He is not the best celebrity match of all time though. That spot is reserved for one person, fool.
Next: No. 1 Celebrity Match of All-Time
1) Mr. T & Hulk Hogan vs “Rowdy” Roddy Piper & “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff – WWF Wrestlemania
Mr. T was the most natural wrestler out of all the celebrities that wrestling has had in the ring. The first WrestleMania’s main event was full of celebrity appearances, including Muhammad Ali as guest referee, Billy Martin as ring announcer and Liberace as guest time-keeper. It was the performance of Mr. T, however, that stands out the most in the star-studded event.
Mr. T did more than his fair share in the match. He looked natural in the ring alongside seasoned veterans like Piper, Orndorff and Hogan. He used locks and holds like a pro and belonged in the main event, unlike the Bigelow-Taylor match 10 years later. Mr. T and Hogan would go on to win the match after some miscommunication from Bob Orton and Orndorff. Mr.T was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his work with the WWF/WWE and rightfully so based on his performance in this match.
Agree with this rankings? Did you favorite match not make the cut? Let me know in the comments below and keep the conversation going with me on twitter at @E_Gomes.
Next: WWE Night of Champions: 10 Best Matches
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