We’re three weeks away from the Showcase of the Immortals and still haven’t heard who this year’s celebrity inductee will be for the WWE Hall of Fame. The recently deceased Lemmy from Motorhead has been rumored, as has Triple H BFF “Money” Mayweather. There are so many celebs who have graced the squared circle over the years that it’s time to determine who the next selection deserves to be.
32. Kim Kardashian
Before she was referenced ad nauseum on the People vs. OJ Simpson, the woman with the viral ass “hosted” WrestleMania XXIV.
31. Liberace
“Mr. Showmanship” served as the guest timekeeper for the main event of the inaugural WrestleMania, and even threw those corduroy legs in the air with the Rockettes.
30. Burt Reynolds
Bandit introduced Bret Hart and Yokozuna for the main event of WrestleMania X.
29. Jenny McCarthy
The Playboy Playmate accompanied Shawn Michaels to the ring for his WWF Title shot against Diesel at WrestleMania XI…
28. Pam Anderson
and the Baywatch bombshell accompanied Diesel.
27. Raven Symone
Olivia from The Cosby Show (before it was unjustly blacklisted from our TVs) talked about the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It was pointless, but at least she expressed enthusiasm.
26. Joan Rivers
Only a few months before the debut of her late-night talk show, the legendary comedian handled the ring announcing for “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s fight with Mr. T at WrestleMania 2.
25. Gennifer Flowers
Monica Lewinsky before Monica Lewinsky was cool, Gennifer Flowers was President Clinton’s first publicized sexual affair and easy pickings for The Rock during this interview at WrestleMania XIV.
24. George Steinbrenner
The cantankerous Yankees owner (and buddy of Dusty Rhodes) debated NFL Hall of Famer Paul Maguire over the merits of instant replay in the WWF at WrestleMania VII.
23. Alex Trebek
The Jeopardy! host introduced Hulk Hogan and WWF Champion Sgt. Slaughter for their main event at WrestleMania VII. Earlier in the evening, he interviewed Jake Roberts, who screamed, “Play with my snake, Trebek. Your mother did last night!”
22. Steve Allen
The original host of The Tonight Show played piano for the Bolsheviks…in the shower during WrestleMania VI.
21. Regis
Always maintaining a good rapport with pro wrestlers, Regis attempted to interview The Deadman in FINALLY a funny skit on this list.
20. Morton Downey Jr.
On paper, the two loudmouths of the 80s, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and talk-show host Morton Downey Jr., jaw-jacking with each other seems like a perfect WrestleMania moment. But in 1989, after never ending verbal diarrhea culminated in HotRod extinguishing Downey’s cig, reality proved it sounded more fun than it actually was.
19. Ice-T
“Pimpin’ Aint Easy!” Detective Fin sang The Godfather and D’Lo Brown to the ring at WrestleMania 2000 in one of the best uses of a celebrity ever.
18. Ozzy
While The Osbournes laid the foundation for reality TV with their hit show on MTV, imagine how crazy a show pitting Ozzy and Capt. Lou together in the late 80s would be. RATINGS! After all, they made a successful managerial pairing at WrestleMania 2, guiding the British Bulldogs to the Tag Team Championship.
17. Alice Cooper
The rock legend led Jake “The Snake” Roberts to the ring at WrestleMania III and even tossed Damien onto Jimmy Hart.
16. Snoop Dogg
A longtime fan, the Doggfather served as the Master of Ceremonies during Maria and Ashley’s tag match with Beth and Melina.
15. Snooki
Whatever happened to Snooki? The Jersey Shore star was the butt of every joke for a solid three span and then…nadda. Well, she teamed with Trish Stratus and John Morrison at WrestleMania XXVII to defeat Dolph Ziggler and LayCool. And you know what, she did a pretty cool springboard elbow ala Chyna.
14. Pee-Wee Herman
Pee-Wee not only appeared at WrestleMania XXVII, but the Slammy Award-winning bow-tied nutjob also fielded stupid questions during the press conference. At least he revealed that his favorite diva is Lita.
13. William Perry
A WWE Hall of Famer, the Fridge bumped skulls in the NFL/WWF joint battle royal at WrestleMania 2.
12. Bob Eucker
Another WWE Hall of Famer, “Mr. Baseball” handled the ring introductions for Hogan vs. Andre at III and then in a classic moment, interviewed The Giant at WrestleMania IV. Eucker would have been a natural in the wrasslin’ world.
11. Maria Menounos
Before the E! News and former Extra host entered the squared circle at WrestleMania XXVIII, I had no idea who she was. She even guest hosted RAW three years earlier, and I still had no idea who she was. Call me jaded, but I assumed she was another gorgeous celebrity that WWE milked for whatever publicity it could get.
I stand corrected.
The diehard wrestling fan not only kicked Beth Phoenix and Eve’s asses, but also inducted Bob Backlund into the Hall of Fame, and then hosted the red carpet pre-show the past couple years. She’s hardcore and here’s proof:
10. Muhammad Ali
The Greatest served as the outside enforcer during the main event of WrestleMania I and raised the Hulkster’s hand once the war had ended.
9. Ronda Rousey
The baddest chick on the planet hiptossed Triple H and scared the shit out of Stephanie at WrestleMania 31.
8. Mickey Rourke
Randy “The Ram” Robinson was SUPPOSED to face Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XXV, but his management team got cold feet heading into Oscar season (he got screwed by Sean Penn) so the Hollywood star sat ringside while Y2J battled Jimmy Snuka, Ricky Steamboat and Piper.
After destroying the legends, Jericho attacked Ric Flair and then challenged Rourke. However, the former boxer was ready to fight and knocked out Fozzy’s frontman with a left hand.
7. Pete Rose
Ol’ Charlie Hustle could have been a great heel manager after his controversial exit from Major League Baseball. Rose knocked his WrestleMania XIV promo out of the park, hilariously insulting the Boston fans. Unfortunately, Kane wasn’t a fan of Rose’s jokes, and tombstoned the Hit King before facing the Undertaker.
In what became my favorite WrestleMania tradition, Rose spent the next two years seeking revenge on the Big Red Machine; first by dressing up as the San Diego chicken, then by jumping Kane with a bat. Of course, neither assault was effective, even leading to Kane’s partner Rikishi delivering a Stinkface to the banned hall of famer. The trifecta of appearances earned Rose entry into the WWE Hall of Fame as the first member of its celebrity wing.
6. Lawrence Taylor
Whereas Mayweather shined on an already stacked card, LT had to carry the main event of WrestleMania. The New York Giants’ legendary linebacker was simply enjoying a front row seat at the 1995 Royal Rumble when Bam Bam Bigelow, pissed about losing the finals of a Tag Team title tournament, shoved LT. On RAW, Bam Bam not only refused to apologize, but also challenged the two-time Super Bowl champion to a match at WrestleMania XI. Taylor agreed, received training from Diesel, and went on to defeat Bigelow in the most anticipated match of the show.
5. Floyd Mayweather
“Money” Mayweather’s battle against Big Show at Mania XXIV is perhaps the best wrestler/non-wrestler match ever. Before Brock Lesnar sparked synergy between WWE and ESPN, boxing’s box-office champion made headlines by legit busting Big Show’s nose in a white hot angle at No Way Out 2008. That led to a mismatch turned special attraction at Mania where Mayweather remained undefeated with a giant upset over the “World’s Largest Athlete.”
4. Donald Trump
Responsible for the highest-drawing WWE pay-per-view until The Rock returned at WrestleMania XXVIII, The Donald has been a very profitable friend of WWE for almost 30 years. Hosting WrestleMania IV and V in Atlantic City, assuming the role of RAW General Manager, and putting his iconic hair on the line against Vince McMahon in the Battle of the Billionaires at WrestleMania 23, the GOP candidate certainly deserved his 2013 induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
3. Mr. T
The man who saved Lauper from the dastardly Piper and Paul Orndorff at the War to Settle the Score, that’s right, B.A. Baracus. Although he’s been reduced to a comedic footnote from the 1980s, and a Shockmaster-level laughingstock from his Hall of Fame speech, Mr. T helped propel WWE into the global juggernaut it is today. His teaming with Hogan at WrestleMania, and boxing matches with “Cowboy” Bob Orton and Piper in 1986, attracted huge attention to the once carnie attraction. Mr. T was a household name giving the rub to guys like Hogan and Piper, whose death wouldn’t have been covered all over the world without the pop culture cred of the fool-pitier.
2. Mike Tyson
“You’re out here calling yourself the ‘baddest man on the planet,’ right now, you’re looking at the eyes of thee world’s toughest son of a bitch!”
And with that, Stone Cold Steve Austin captivated the wrestling world, forcing fans to dream about “Iron” Mike vs. the Texas Rattlesnake. The closest we got was an epic pull-apart brawl that turned the tide in the Monday Night Wars and led to WWE ultimately destroying WCW.
Even though I missed Tyson’s prime by about ten years, I feel fortunate to be living in the Ronda Rousey equivalent. His show-stealing performance at the Roast of Charlie Sheen should have made everyone a fan. And most importantly, he’s a wrestling historian.
That’s what makes his contribution to the industry so great: Tyson helped save the company he grew up watching. He served as the special enforcer for Stone Cold’s match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV and ended up counting the pin to give Austin his first WWF Championship. “Iron Mike” was the most controversial athlete in the world, and by transferring his allure to WWE, the record-breaking Attitude Era, truly began.
1. Cyndi Lauper
Hot Take: There would be no WrestleMania without Cyndi Lauper. The pop sensation launched the Rock N Wrestling Connection by giving Capt. Lou Albano a role in her “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” music video, which won MTV’s first Best Female Video award. Her fun and games with Albano prompted Piper to smash an award over the Captain’s head, bodyslam Lauper’s boyfriend and manager Dave Wolff, and even kick the singer in the head.
At that point, WWE exploded into the mainstream and professional wrestling morphed into sports-entertainment. Merchandising, cameos, pay-per-view extravaganzas, everything that made Vince McMahon, and several of his Superstars, millionaires. Lauper went on to manage Wendi Richter to the Women’s Championship at the Brawl to End It All as well as the inaugural WrestleMania.
John Corrigan
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