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Pro wrestling has a love/hate relationship with celebrity involvement. Their involvement has been vital to the growth of professional wrestling, but involving them will take a spot away from a dedicated performer and the risk of exposing the business is there. Some will take the opportunity with less seriousness than others, which can always leave a bad taste in the wrestling fans’ mouths feeling like we were simply a business transaction, and they had no interest in being associated with wrestling. When the business is hot is when we see more celebrity involvement, and it’s as hot as ever in 2025.
Paul Walter Hauser
Here is an oddball example of how celebrities get into wrestling. I’m sure it was said by many, but I remember Eric Bischoff speaking with Paul Walter Hauser. Bischoff told Hauser that he was doing things backwards. Many start in wrestling as a way to have a name that could provide a path to Hollywood, where Hauser went into indy wrestling after winning a Golden Globe! Hauser said he wanted to be a wrestler, but he knew his chances of making it were slim. So after having success, he wanted to fulfill a dream.
An actor who worked with Clint Eastwood and Spike Lee. Winner of multiple awards including an Emmy and a Golden Globe. A man in current summer blockbusters and ongoing television series. These are statements not made about someone whose current matches have been with MLW and ROH. If you watched Death By Dishonor, you saw a guy who has put in work. He’s transforming his body to the point that he wore wrestling trunks. He also worked a match of respectable length, and in a solo hardcore match in front of 2300 Arena fans. While nowhere near as cruel to anything disliked from the ECW audience that once filled that arena, these are still you’re more discerning of hardcore fans at this type of show. They showed him a lot of love, and Hauser showed his love for the crowd, the history, and the art of what professional wrestling is.
Bad Bunny
I’ve watched wrestling since I was 11 years old. I have never wrestled a match, been involved in an angle, or done anything in wrestling besides be a fan in a crowd. The only influence I’ve ever had was getting Lance Cade to flip me off when I was front row making fun of his tough cowboy persona with sparkles on his boots. One of my favorite wrestling memories, may he rest in peace.
I have imagined being involved thousands of times, though. Cutting a promo, putting together a match, what moves would I use? Now, imagine having all of those dreams come true. You get to be involved on a worldwide PLE card. You’ll be involved with main event players and the match card even depends on you for success in viewership, but also ticket sales. Oh, and it’s your first match, and you’re already famous across the globe, risking reputation and health on live television.
That was what Bad Bunny was asked to do, and he succeeded. He was such a success that he was asked back to do it again in a singles match for a second match. Yes, he had all the time he needed to plan things out and was in there with pros, but not just anyone could have performed the way he did, but also handled the pressure of the position.
He also brought with him a massive audience that streams his music in countries where he’s a larger brand than WWE. If you watch the success of WWE after Bunny’s involvement, it’s been nothing but positive with Bad Bunny leaving his endorsement and cool factor behind as he goes back to his music career, with many a rumored return that I am sure we will see.
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Mr. T
What a story this guy was. From bouncer to Tough Man competitions to ’80s icon. Mr T was featured on a new magazine show, and were it 20 years later, it would have become a reality TV show. When featuring bouncers from different bars and nightclubs, the viewer remembered meeting Mr. T if you saw it. Catching the eye of Sylvester Stallone, he was cast in a Rocky movie, that happened to be the same film that had Thunderlips, as portrayed by Hulk Hogan.
After the success of Rocky III and his stint on The A-Team, he was the perfect tough guy to team up with Hulk Hogan for the first WrestleMania. As one of the three “main events” for the ambitious three-city card, he was also instrumental in the second WrestleMania.
When WCW was playing the nostalgia hits by bringing Hulk Hogan back to wrestling, Mr. T was again called on for his presence. Then we have that Hall of Fame speech. Dude loves moms. He even has a song about how everyone should respect them. Please, go to YouTube. It should be watched every Mother’s Day. The article will be here when you’re done.
Mike Tyson
Where would professional wrestling be without the involvement of Mike Tyson? Eric Bischoff said it was the moment he knew he had a fight on his hands. This angle brought so many eyeballs to television sets. In a pre-internet world, you had one opportunity to see this icon of the 1980s return to television. In a decision a more corporate WWE likely would not have made, the man known for boxing highlight reels with his lightweight fast knockouts and for the greatest non-Mario Nintendo game, was most recently known as a man recently released after serving time for sexual assault.
An audience will always be curious about the fallout of a pop culture figure’s life, so they tuned in. A great angle that featured a red-hot “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and was one of the chess moves to make Vince McMahon the number one antagonist would be step one of the WWF takeover on the wrestling scene they’ve held since.
Logan Paul
John Cena was right about a lot of things he said in promos leading up to the match that he had with Logan Paul in Paris. He hasn’t earned the respect of the audience yet. There are many of us who aren’t sure how dedicated he is for the long term. How much of this is because he wants to be the best wrestler and how much is him wanting to make his name bigger? Is Logan nothing more than a parasite?
Time will tell if Logan Paul will be accepted as a wrestler. He has a lot of personal growth he needs to make as a person from my perspective, but I can’t imagine having the success he’s had in a streaming world when I was in my 20s. I think many of older generations feel that way. What time has already shown is that his streaming audience followed, and it was massive. He’s facing a man in John Cena who once wrote “Poopy” on a car as show-closing revenge, and that product has now changed night and day on the “is wrestling cool?” factor.
His matches speak for themselves, and he’s just going to get better as he develops instincts. We as fans do need to accept that he’s going to be holding World Championship gold. Will we accept him before then, during the run, or years later? Whatever the case, I’m here for it.
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