Wrestlemania has always been the place where wrestlers an celebrities mix it up inside the ring and put some incredible (and not so incredible) celebrity WWE wrestling matches.
From Mr T at Wrestlemania 1 all the way to Logan Paul at Wrestlemania 38, there have been a huge array of talented celebrities stepping inside the ring.
The celebrity involvement in Wrestlemania at the beginning helped the company establish itself from regional wrestling promotion to worldwide media phenomenon.
Bringing it celebrities helps bring fresh eyes on the product, and having them actually wrestle in the ring brings in a huge amount of intrigue.
In this article, we’ll look through the best of the best Celebrity wrestling matches in WWE history. They will feature wrestlers wrestling alongside or against celebrities in some high profile matches that wowed fans and brought in huge viewers from outside the wrestling sphere and built new potential fans of the WWE.
Bad Bunny & Damian Priest vs The Miz & John Morrison
Being the most streamed artist in the world in 2021, Bad Bunny brought a huge following to watch him wrestle in the WWE.
Fans were initially subdued in their expectations for the Latin star, with him showing very little aptitude for wrestling before making his long-awaited debut at Wrestlemania 37.
However, his performance shocked the millions of WWE fans around the world. He had clearly trained hard alongside teammate Damian Priest and it clearly showed during their match against The Miz and John Morrison.
He pulled out moves that celebrities before had never even dreamed of, such as a perfect suicide dive to the outside and an incredible looking Canadian Destroyer that had ever person in that stadium on their feet in shock and awe.
It was one of the best celebrity performances in WWE history and was a complete surprise to see from the signer. His appearance was so impressive that he would return as a surprise Royal Rumble entrant the following year, equally impressing as he finished fifth in the match.
Logan Paul & The Miz vs Rey Mysterio & Dominik Mysterio
In most instances of a celebrity making their debut in a Wrestlemania match, they are presented as the hero against a dastardly villain.
However, Social Media star Logan Paul bucked the trend when he teamed with eternal heel The Miz to take on ultimate babyface Rey Mysterio and his son Dominik in a huge bout at Wrestlemania 38.
Shrouded in controversy for the last few years, mainly stemming from his insensitive and graphic vlog from the suicide forest in Japan, Logan Paul leant into the controversy and became hated during his match at Wrestlemania 38.
He flaunted his money with his multi-million dollar Pokemon card hanging around his neck and used the Miz for extra heel heat, as any smart wrestler would.
The biggest boos came when he mimicked Eddie Guerrero, the late friend of Rey Mysterio who passed away 17 years ago, and the heat was nuclear.
Especially when his team picked up the win, fans could not wait to see the back of Logan Paul. However, he impressed so much in the ring and his movement was so fluid that fans would be forgiven for thinking that he was a seasoned wrestler, not a Youtube and Vine star in his first ever pro-wrestling match.
Floyd Mayweather vs The Big Show
The first one-on-one match on this list earns this celebrity wrestling match a higher rank, due to Floyd Mayweather not being stuck in a tag team match to hide his weaknesses.
Despite never wrestling a match before, Floyd “Money” Mayweather made his WWE debut at a Wrestlemania event in one of the biggest mismatches of all time.
His one and only WWE match came against the 7 foot giant The Big Show. The match was originally meant to be a tag team match, also involving Rey Mysterio and Batista according to Big Show, but injuries to the pair forced Vince McMahon’s hand and booked the boxing world champion against the gigantic former WWE Champion in a big money match at Wrestlemania.
Despite Mayweather breaking Show’s nose in the run up to the event, both men put on an entertaining and professional performance at Wrestlemania 24.
The boxer won the match with the help of some brass knuckles, although he would not be seen again in a wrestling ring. Probably due to his reported $20 million payday for appearing at the event.
Hulk Hogan & Mr T vs “Rowdy” Roddy Piper & “Mr Wonderful” Paul Orndorff
Being in the main event of the first ever Wrestlemania event, Mr T’s performance in the first real celebrity wrestling match in WWE history has to be ranked highly purely for the significance of it.
That’s not to say it was a bad match – it was a classic 1980s match, with the hero Hulk Hogan leading his team to victory as he did so many times during his time on top of the WWF.
Mr T was his opponent for the main event of Wrestlemania 1. The TV star had shot to fame as the most popular character in the hit show “The A-Team” and his growing popularity and unique look/name had made him one of the most well known actors in the United States.
An appearances alongside Hulk Hogan in Rocky III endeared him to film and wrestling fans alike, and he seemed a perfect celebrity to have a decent match at the maiden Wrestlemania event.
Wrestlemania 1 would not have been the same without it’s array of celebrity involvement, and the main event was no different.
He was joined by Muhammad Ali, who was the special referee at ringside for the event, and Cyndi Lauper as the huge stars that drew eyes to the event and helped make Hulk Hogan and the WWF as household names in the world of sports entertainment.
Mr T showed some promise in the, executing airplane spins, scoop slams and hip tosses in a surprising performance. There was clear heat between Mr T and Roddy Piper, with the latter insulted that an actor thought he could step into the world of the WWE, but it did not harm the match.
Hulk Hogan got the pin for his team and ended the first ever Wrestlemania on a high note with one of the best performances for a celebrity wrestler of all time.
Mr T was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014
Johnny Knoxville vs Sami Zayn
The greatest celebrity WWE match of all time is Johnny Knoxville against Sami Zayn – and it’s not even close. Jackass stars had appeared in WWE – like when Johnny Knoxville was destroyed by Umaga in 2007 – but they had never had an actual, bonafide wrestling match.
Not until 2022 when a 51 year old Johnny Knoxville would step into a WWE ring for the first time. His debut match was at the Royal Rumble, where he was tossed out with little fanfare. However, he had been feuding with Sami Zayn over social media and that only grew as the pair traded barbs – and pranks – on the lead up to Wrestlemania 38.
The most infamous moment of the rivalry was when Knoxville put Zayn’s mobile number on a place flying high in the sky. This lead to the Canadian receiving thousands of texts and calls throughout the week, forcing his hand. He challenged Knoxville and he accepted and the match took place on the biggest stage of them all.
At Wrestlemania 38, the best celebrity match of all time took place. Sami Zayn was intent on revenge, but Knoxville came with backup. The entire cast of Jackass 4 (sans Steve-O, who came down with COVID-19 prior to the show) chipped in to lay a number of traps and pitfalls for Zayn to fall into, mixed with some of the most creative and hilarious weaponry ever assembled in a WWE ring.
Mousetrap-covered tables, a bowling ball, a handheld taser and a steel stop sign were just some of the wacky items used to inflict damage upon Sami Zayn.
He also fell for some of Jackass’ best traps from their 20+ years as a group, including a boot on a pendulum and the classic “Gimme Five” giant hand to the face. Knoxville won the match after trapping his opponent with a giant mouse trap in one of the most fun matches I’ve ever seen in wrestling.
What is your favourite ever celebrity wrestling match performance of all time? Let us know in the comments or click below to find out why Southpaw Regional Wrestling Season 3 was cancelled