The 411 Wrestling Top 5 3.18.09: Week 14 – Celebrities in Wrestling

Posted by Michael Bauer on 03.18.2009

The Lights, The Glamour, The Glitter... and they aren't even the regulars!

Hello everyone and welcome to 411 Wrestling's Top 5 List. What we are going to is take a topic each week and all the writers here on 411 wrestling will have the ability to give us their Top 5 on said topic, plus up to three honorable mentions. At the end, based on where all these matches rank on people's list, we will create the 411 Wrestling Top 5 list. The scoring is very similiar to the Wrestler of the Week as it looks like this:

#1 Choice – 5 points
#2 Choice – 4 points
#3 choice – 3 points
#4 Choice – 2 points
#5 Choice – 1 point
Honorable Mentions will break ties, but get no points.

Also, in the case of a tie, the most votes win, regardless of where it is listed in the individual Top 5. I will also use this rule in the event that one item is mentioned more often, but is one point behind. For example, one second place vote and two Honorable Mentions will defeat simply one first place vote.


So, on to this week's topic…

THE TOP 5 CELEBRITIES IN WRESTLING

With WrestleMania previews offically starting next week, this week's Top 5 is a semi preview as we look at the lights, the glitter, the glamour… the special guests of the wrestling world who have appeared either at WrestleMania, or any other Pay Per View, or televised appearance. Some have done nothing more than sit an ringside as an announcer or timekeeper. Some have had bigger roles as referees or the dreaded "enforcer" that we still don't understand to this day. But there are those who have listed up the pair of boots and faced some of the best and biggest the industry has had to offer. From Hogan teaming with Mr. T at the very first WrestleMania, to Lawerence Taylor facing Bam Bam Bigelow ten years ago, to as recently as Floyd Mayweather going toe to toe with The Big Show, WrestleMania is where the mosted noted apperances have occured. But WCW had their fair share of NBA players and actors step into the circle. Hence why this fully is not a true WrestleMania preview.

So what did our great group of writers select? Let's find out…



Ryan Byers

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Bob Saget (CHIKARA, 2006) - This is more of a personal favorite than anything else. After months if not years of joking that Bob Saget of Full House fame worked behind the scenes for them booking matches, tiny Pennsylvania indy CHIKARA somehow got ahold of the standup comedian and got him to send in a video tape announcing the main event for a major show. His involvement wasn't that extensive with his one appearance being brief and not too impressive, but Saget appearing for an indy wrestling group still sticks with me for the sheer "WTF?" factor.

Kevin Federline (WWE, 2006) - He wasn't around for very long, didn't wrestle, and didn't build to any major shows, but I don't think I've EVER seen a celebrity in wrestling who took to mic work quicker than K-Fed. If the man were born twenty years earlier, he would've made for a hell of a manager in the 1980's WWF. I frankly wish he would've stuck around wrestling and become the Bobby Heenan to John Cena's Hulk Hogan.

Floyd Mayweather (WWE, 2008) - I'm not putting this in the top five because we don't yet know how it will stand the test of time, but "Money" Mayweather's involvement in wrestling has all of the ingredients of a great celebrity angle. Pretty Boy Floyd was a natural heel, and he cut some awesome promos against the Big Show and wasn't afraid to get physical in angles. Top that off with what I consider the best-worked "celebrity match" in history, and you had yourself the most memorable part of the build to Wrestlemania XXIV not involving a guy named Flair.

5.Karl Malone & Dennis Rodman (WCW, 1998) - People make fun of the celebrity involvement with WCW, and I can't say that I blame them. It got pretty ridiculous towards the end with the likes of David Arquette, KISS, Master P, and Jay Leno all being paid big money to come in and do angles that virtually nobody wanted to see. However, in their rush to mock the once-great wrestling promotion, many modern fans forget that one of the company's first celebrity angles of the Monday Night War era actually DID work. WCW had used Dennis Rodman before, but, when they brought him back in '98 for a match with his NBA rival Karl Malone not long after the two had faced each other in the pro basketball playoffs, the result was a packed house and one of the highest PPV buyrates in company history.

4.Muhammad Ali (WWWF, 1976) - Ali made two pro wrestling appearances in '76, and I personally find them notable for being the only two instances in which a pro athlete was put in to a competitive situation with a wrestler on wrestling television and made to look like an absolute fool. Ali's first tangle with a WWWF star came when he got in the face of Gorilla Monsoon in Madison Square Garden. Ali was quickly HUMBLED the old country way. Monsoon deflected several of the boxer's jabs and immediately pulled him up in to an airplane spin, which was considered a legitimate wrestling hold at the time. The former Cassius Clay then ran from the ring, and afterwards Gorilla cut a promo in which he absolutely buried the boxing champ, mentioning that he was a hell of a boxer but not a "real fighter." Things went from bad to worse when Ali stepped in to the ring for his historic boxer versus wrestler match with Antonio Inoki. Though the bout was ruled a draw under the bizarre last-minute rules introduced by Ali's camp which barred the Japanese star from using almost all legitimate wrestling holds, the fact of the matter is that anybody with an understanding of modern MMA should be able to realize that Muhammad was far and away the loser that evening. Inoki rocked Ali with brutal kicks to the legs throughout the fight while Ali threw only a dozen or so punches, few to none of which connected. There were visible welts on Ali's legs in between rounds, and Inoki did not relent prior to the end of the final round. Though neither man "finished" the other, Inoki scored a decisive win on points under just about any rational scoring system that can be conceived. Unfortunately, the scoring system actually used was anything but rational.

3.Andy Kaufman (Memphis, 1982) - Take everything that I said about Kevin Federline in the honorable mentions section and multiply it by at least ten for Andy Kaufman. The star of Taxi enjoyed working and annoying crowds as part of his standup comedy routine and television specials, so it made perfect sense to integrate him in to pro wrestling, where heels had been doing the exact same thing for literally a century before Kaufman's career took off. Kaufman managed to net national attention for what was otherwise a regional wrestling promotion in Memphis, and, if you're willing to look for the footage, you can see that he had that city's crowds in the palm of his hands. In fact, it's fun to watch his various matches against Jerry Lawler and try to figure out exactly which one of them is better at milking their desired reaction from the audience. It's a close call, which is a testament to Kaufman's abilities given the talent and the experience of Lawler at the time.

2.Mike Tyson (WWF, 1999) - In the late 1990's, the WWF had done an almost perfect job of building up Steve Austin as the planet's "toughest SOB." He rarely lost clean and was often capable of taking on numerous opponents at the same time. Meanwhile, Mike Tyson had spent over a decade in boxing building up his reputation as the "baddest man on the planet." When wrestling fans were treated to the idea of those two unstoppable forces colliding in the middle of a WWF ring, the result was a series of insane crowd reactions and a ton of money being forked over to Vince McMahon. Granted, there was no physicality between Austin and Tyson at Wrestlemania XV as many thought (and hoped) there would be, but the fact that fans got to see Austin win his first WWF Championship and the fact that they got to see Tyson level Shawn Michaels with a punch still managed to send everybody home happy.

1.Mr. T & Cyndi Lauper (WWF, 1985) - Everybody knows the story of the impact that these two had heading in to the first Wrestlemania. Frankly, I thought long and hard about whether I should put them at number one or whether that honor should go to Tyson. After, Lauper and T's involvement was instrumental in launching the WWF's "Hulkamania" period, while Tyson's involvement was instrumental in launching the WWF's "Attitude" era. Those were the two biggest booms for the promotion in terms of mainstream acceptance, so a case could made for either celebrity angle topping this list. Yet, at the end of the day, I still find myself siding with the star of the A-Team and the girl who just wanted to have fun. Why? If you believe Vince McMahon's recent interviews, he had virtually everything tied up in his first Wrestlemania event. Though the company may not have died if the show were not a success, chances are very good that McMahon's national expansion would be dead in its tracks and the WWF as we know it would not exist today. Thus, because the boom caused in part by Tyson probably never would have happened if the boom caused in part by Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper hadn't happened, I'm going to give the 80's stars the nod.



Aaron Hubbard

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Bob Uecker - Seeing Andre choke him at Wrestlemania IV and his hilarious reaction is one of my all time favorite moments in wrestling.

Morton Downey, Jr. - Man, talk about a celebrity allowing himself to be embarrassed by a wrestler: Downey's stint in the pit was classic stuff.

Dennis Rodman - Sure, he got old after a while, but his initial run with the nWo was money.

5.Mike Tyson - The "baddest man on the planet" fit in perfectly in the new edgier WWF. The attitude era was almost at it's boiling point, and Steve Austin's upcoming title win at Wrestlemania XIV was going to be the absolute turning point. McMahon new this, and made a smart decision by having celebrity involvement. Tyson's reputation gave him legitimacy in the world of wrestling, and the confrontations with Austin were off the chart intense. The media attention helped ‘Mania XIV be a huge success, and played a major role in turning the tide of the Monday Night War, leading to the biggest boom period in wrestling. One has to wonder if it would not have been as successful without the casual viewers that were drawn by Tyson.

4.Lawrence Taylor - Wrestlemania XI is generally considered as one of the worst ‘Manias of all time. It's probably for the best that L.T. was at this show. His match with Bigelow exceeded everyone's expectations, and stood the test of time until recently as the most well-regarded celebrity match of all time. There's not a lot worth remembering from this show, but Taylor's involvement gave WWE a match and a moment for the Wrestlemania highlight videos for years to come.

3.Andy Kaufman - Perhaps no celebrity had more of a challenge than Mr. Kaufman. At the time, kayfabe was still alive, and celebrity involvement was not very common. Jerry Lawler proved to be ahead of his time by feuding with Kaufman, and got national attention for his regional promotion. Kaufman was able to use his annoying comedy routines to get over as a heel, and Lawler was electric when it comes to getting the crowd to cheer or boo him. Classic stuff.

2.Floyd Mayweather - I'm not afraid to put this one this high. Mayweather's match with the Big Show was easily the best celebrity match in wrestling, and that goes a long way. Unlike most celebrities, Mayweather had an athletic background and a personality that allowed him to get over as a heel. How many people his size would be booed facing Big Show? Not many. Because of his ability to get over and the quality of his match, he gets this high ranking from me.

1.Mr. T & Cyndi Lauper - I pity the fools who don't realize how big a deal this was. If you look at the card for the first Wrestlemania, you'll notice that there wasn't a lot to draw people in. Cyndi Lauper and Mr. T's involvement brought a ton of media attention to the WWF and was largely responsible for the success of ‘Mania. Vince banked everything he had on this show. Lauper didn't have to do much, but she was red hot at the time. Mr. T was able to avoid embarrassing himself and provided a classic moment. And unlike most people, I was entertained by the boxing match with Piper, so for me, this is easy.



Julian Bond

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Pete Rose (WWF - Wrestlemania) - The man didn't wrestle a damn nor did I really truly know who he was…but to appear at three consecutive Wrestlemanias and take three consecutive Tombstones by the monster Kane AND make it all seem funny, hilarious, and something to look forward to…you gotta give it up for good ol' Petey.

Jenny McCarthy/Pamela Anderson (WWF - Wrestlemania) - I just couldn't go through this list w/o mentioning the ultimate valet combo of McCarthy (who escorted Shawn Michaels) and Anderson (who escorted Diesel) at Wrestlemania. The two hottest celebrities at the time at the biggest wrestling event of the year. Classic.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (WWF – Smackdown) - The man known most famously for "The Terminator" was easily the biggest movie star EVER to step a foot onto the WWE and seeing him punch out mega-heel at the time, Triple H, was a sight to behold.

5. Muhammad Ali (WWF – Wrestlemania) - I remember the reaction on my wife's face a few months ago when I was watching highlights of the Wrestlemania 1 as I saw her jaw dropped when she saw that the great boxing legend known as Muhammad Ali was a part of it. Not only she was surprised to see him on there, but kind of shocked that he would (of no real offense to pro wrestling) even show his legit, sports-credible face at a crazy event like this. This reaction is the same kind that I've also seen and heard others saw when they realized that the all-time sports great was part of wrestling history.

4.Mr. T (WWF – Wrestlemania) - If you were remotely a "kid of the 80s" growing and you didn't go out of your mind when seeing Mr. T appear ANYWHERE on our TV screens, let alone WRESTLE-FREAKIN-MANIA…I just don't know what to say to you. Just witnessing Mr. T look like the ultimate bad-ass walking with Hulk Hogan to the ring in the main event of the first Wrestlemania was definitely a surreal experience as a kid and still holds up as an awesome moment to watch now. It really didn't matter that Mr. T didn't wrestle his butt off in the match…all that really matter is the fact that one of the biggest 80's icons help burned a permanent memory in so many fans' (both past and present) minds.

3.Floyd Mayweather Jr. (WWE – Wrestlemania) - One of the most shocking and funniest moments I've ever seen on wrestling TV in the last few years was when current boxing icon Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr. came out during the No Way Out 2008 PPV, talked smack to the returning (and much slimmer looking) Big Show, and sucker-punched the big man in the nose. Me and my friends honest to goodness thought that it was a legit, real deadly punch and were amazed that Mayweather had the balls to do something so crazy (storyline wise of course). So with that, it had set-up a very interesting series of encounters between the two that culminated in a surprisingly and horribly entertaining match at Wrestlemania 24. The often cocky boxer had no reason to put forth as much as a selling effort as he did (especially considering his big payday), but the man delivered the goods like someone who's been in the wrestling game for a good minute.

2.Mike Tyson (WWF – Wrestlemania) - So with one boxer, I go to another. While Tyson definitely didn't do nearly as much selling as Mayweather did, the man, as crazy as this may sound, was easily one of the main reasons why I'm into watching wrestling as a full-time hobby today. The night that Tyson was on Raw as a guest of Vince McMahon's and then proceeded to assault Stone Cold Steve Austin was easily one of the best moments I've ever experienced in TV wrestling watching history. If it wasn't for this moment hooking me in, then I might have not been hooked on watching Raw every single night (at least throughout high school). It was also cool that Tyson stuck around for a little bit longer and "teamed up" with DX to take on Austin and even more cooler than he ended up punching out Shawn Michaels after Stone Cold won the title at Wrestlemania.

1.Andy Kaufman (Memphis Wrestling) - Undeniably, Andy Kaufman could be called the "innovator" for celebrities getting truly involved in wrestling. When I was younger, one of my favorite shows on TV was the old sitcom "Taxi". For those who don't about the show, it was old comedy from the late 70s which was about a taxi station and featured stars like Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, and…the funny-as-all hell Andy Kaufman. Besides the crazy funny-sounding, goofy taxi driver character he played, I didn't know a damn thing about Kaufman. So when I saw a mini-documentary about him on Comedy Central talking about his "life as a wrestler", I was shocked. His fights with wrestling legend Jerry "The King" Lawler all seemed so real and not scripted at all. I knew as a youth that most of wrestling was fake, but what Kaufman did made me second-guess what was going on the screen. The man defined the word "character commitment" and dare I say that even other lesser-experienced grapplers today should take a lesson or two from him. Kaufman is the definition of what a true-blue "celebrity" appearance is.



Jeremy Thomas

HONORABLE MENTIONS

David Arquette - You know what? Shit on him all you want, but he's (to my knowledge) the only celebrity non-wrestler to ever hold a World-level Heavyweight Title. I'm not happy about that fact, but based on that alone he deserves mention.

Floyd Mayweather - Considering how much this surpassed my expectations in terms of the in-ring work, I was tempted to put it in the actual top five. Either way, this was a hell of a feud leading up to 'Mania XXIV.

Muhammad Ali - Between his match with Inoki and his appearance at WrestleMania, Ali definitely deserves at least a mention here. He was one of the first "legitimate" sports figures to willingly deal with the industry, and I think that went a long way in making it more accessible.

5.Lawrence Taylor - Ahh, LT. You know, Mayweather may have put on the better match, but LT's is one I'll always remember with more fondness. Perhaps it's the fact that I liked Bam Bam Bigelow more than I like the Big Show (not that I dislike Mr. Wight), or perhaps it's just the fondness of youth. Whatever the reason, I've always had a very soft spot in my heart for that match, and Taylor as a result. Whatever the reason, I think he's definitely earned a spot in the top five.

4.Mr. T & Cyndi Lauper - It hurts me to put these two this low on the list, considering how influential they were in making WrestleMania a success. Mr. T certainly had a huge influence getting people to watch and he's been touched on fairly well by my fellow staffers; I think Cyndi had an even bigger one in some ways. While T was a huge star on The A-Team and in Rocky III, I think his involvement wasn't too unexpected. However, Lauper made several people sit up and pay attention. She was just as huge thanks to the worldwide success of "She's So Unusual" and she was the kind of person people didn't expect to be involved in something like pro wrestling. Where Mr. T brought a lot of viewers in, I think Cyndi Lauper (who I still love as a musician by the way) brought more mainstream attention and was just as instrumental to the show's success.

3.Pete Rose - Come on, you gotta love Pete Rose's stints at WrestleMania. His first appearance, as the guest ring announcer at 'Mania XIV where he trashed the Boston crowd and then took a Tombstone from Kane, was hilarious. I think we all assumed he was done then...but no, he came back the next year to get revenge on the Big Red Machine dressed as the San Diego Chicken. That earned him a second Tombstone. His last appearance was at 'Mania 2000, where he showed up once more and was thwarted by Kane and Rikishi both. I loved that Rose was willing to have fun with the whole thing and come back again and again, and for longevity of the gimmick Rose earns his number three spot.

2.Mike Tyson - This is my personal favorite celebrity in wrestling moment. Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Austin was building strong toward WrestleMania XIV, and the Attitude Era was coming on strong. Austin was seemingly on an unstoppable path, and the introduction of Mike Tyson didn't seem to go over too well with the Rattlesnake. So Shawn, in his infinite wisdom, recruited Tyson into D-Generation X as a backup plan. The whole thing played out just beautifully, and while I think there were some concerns at the time over whether Iron Mike would embarrass himself or the match, he did his part beautifully. When he came into the ring and counted the pinfall, then dropped Shawn when the Heartbreak Kid got in his face. It was a brilliant moment that came off perfectly, and very likely helped to turn things around for the 'F.

1.Andy Kaufman - While Tyson was my favorite celebrity moment in wrestling, the influence of this one can't be denied. Kaufman's work with Jerry Lawler brought national attention to the industry, and managed to do so in such a way that kayfabe was maintained. No one would have ever looked at Andy before this and thought "you know what, I could see him doing something with those pro wrestling people," but that's exactly what he decided to do and he did it just perfectly. To say he was ahead of his time is an understatement; Kaufman was nothing short of a genius when it came to comedy and performing, and professional wrestling should be very thankful that he decided to bring the industry along with him for the ride.



Todd Vote

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Pamela Anderson - I was a teen and she was really hot at the time...sue me.

Jenny McCarthy - See above...

Pete Rose - Pete's trifecta of 'mania appearances opposite Kane still stand out to me as a great gag.

5.Butterbean - Sure the Brawl for All was a waste of TV time. Sure it was a boxing match, and as such, it had no business being on the biggest wrestling show of the year, but that didn't take away from the brutality of Butterbeans knockout of Bart Gunn. I wonder what might have been if they had just went back to pushing Bart as a wrestler after the Brawl for All ended. If they would have done that instead of bringing in the bean, would we be speaking of Bart Gunn as a former World Champion? Nah, thanks Butterbean.

4.Mr. T - The man was at the first two Wrestlemanias, wrestlign in the first Wrestlemania Main Event, then the follwoing year boxing with Piper. Didn't T even turn up in WCW to help Hogan out a couple times? Mr. T was awesome, and any chance to see him pity some fools was always a win.

3.Lawrence Taylor - Bam Bam Bigelow may have never fully recovered from this loss, but I remember the match vividly, I couldn't wait for LT to get in there and beat the tar out of Bam Bam Bigelow. Granted my memory of this match is a bit blurry these days, but I would still stand by my ascertation that this is probably the best celebrity wrestlign match there was until Mayweather and Big Show tangled last year.

2.Floyd Mayweather - Talk about making an Impact. I didn't order No Way Out last year, and immediately kicked myself when I heard that Floyd may have legit broke Big Show's nose. From here, this turned into probably the best worked celebrity angle I have ever been able to watch. The heat on Mayweather was incredible throughout this whole angle, I dare say if he would have worked a bit more on his promo's and been able to deliver them without smiling most of the time, this may have taken my number one spot.

1.Andy Kaufman - I was extremely young when this angle happened, but was schooled on it through various A&E documentaries, and through the film Man on the Moon. Kaufman's publicity stunt stands out to this day as the first, and arguably most successful mainstream angle ever ran in pro wrestling. The national attention that Kaufman vs. Lawler recieved was a huge deal for that time, hell an appearance on Letterman to promote an angle would be a huge deal in the wrestling landscape of today, where a mention of Floyd Mayweather being at Wrestlemania on ESPN is about as newsworthy as our psuedo-sport seems to get sans someone dying.



Larry Csonka

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Kevin Federline - KFED annoyed the living shit out of me, mission accomplished.

Bob FN Saget - Seriously, Bob FN Saget got involved with CHIKARA, making them greater than they already were.

Muhammad Ali - His various wrestling appearances get him an honorable mention.

5. Floyd Mayweather Jr. - While Floyd Mayweather Jr didn't give WWE the HUGE buyrate they wanted, he certainly did a good job in is work with the Big Show. Floyd is an entertainer, plain and simple, and his match with Big Show was likely the best Celebrity wrestling match. He gets edged out by LT, due to the fact that LT's appearance has become a big part of WrestleMania history and gets replayed to death.

4. Lawrence Taylor - When all is said and done, WrestleMania XI wasn't one of the best events, actually many say it is one of the worst of all time. Also, LT didn't end up being the draw that Vince thought he would be. But the fact was that LT and Bam Bam delivered a good match, one of the best celebrity matches ever. Not a good draw, but a moment that they have been abusing in video packages for years, which is worth the price alone.

3. Mike Tyson - Like Byers, I had a difficult time placing Mr. T & Cyndi Lauper and Mike Tyson on the list. But at the end of the day, Mr. T & Cyndi Lauper get the top spot. Tyson's arrival in the WWF was an amazing thing. The interaction with Austin was EVERYWHEE in mainstream media. The Baddest Man in the Planet" invaded WWF, got into a scuffle with Steve Austin, the new mega star, it was MAGIC. With HBK injured, the Tyson involvement was a big part of the built to WrestleMania XIV, and was one of the most important parts of the Attitude Era when you look back.

2. Andy Kaufman - As a huge jerry Lawler fan, there is NO WAY I can leave Andy Kaufman off of the list. As good as Jerry Lawler was, and as much as he controlled the Memphis crowds, Kaufman was easily his equal in that regard. In a day when the people in Memphis bought into EVERYTHING that was happening in their part of the wrestling world, this worked and worked big time. Add into it the Letterman appearance and the publicity that it got, and Kaufman is easily one of the greatest wrestling celebrities ever. If you have never watched any of the stuff between them, then you need to track it down, if you can.

1. Mr. T and Cindi Lauper - Vince has repeatedly said that is WrestleMania failed that he would have been in his ass, and that the WWE would have likely failed with it. That's debatable as many feel Vince could have gotten investors and stayed alive, but still, if WrestleMania tanks, WWF is in trouble. As much as some wrestling fans don't want to admit it, celebrities DO have their place in wrestling. I have often been critical of it, like Fairplay in TNA, but have also supported it, like Floyd Mayweather. Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper have to be recognized here as they were such a huge part of the event, because if they weren't, there is a good chance that Mania fails, along with the entire WWF as we know it.



CHRIS LANSDELL

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Robocop - From the "So bad it was good" department. I mean really? Robocop?

Alice Cooper - No love for Alice? He fit Jake's gimmick perfectly and even got himself involved in the post-match shenanigans.

5. Kevin Federline - Would have been higher if I didn't think he was a waste of oxygen. K-Fed came in with a ton of heat for getting to pork Britney Spears (something most wrestling fans have fantasised about since that plaid miniskirt) and capitalised on it with strong mic work and a convincing feud with Cena. Too bad he couldn't wrestle him.

4. Floyd Mayweather - Would be higher (again) if it hadn't been for that horrible promo. You know, the one where he might have mentioned once or twice that he wanted to break Big Show's jaw. Mayweather is a showman and at Mania he put on a show, doing exactly what was asked of him, and doing it a lot better than anyone thought he could.

3. Pete Rose - I love cornball comedy, and the Pete Rose - Kane stuff was the epitome of cornball humour. The fact that he was willing to take a potentially crippling move, AND have a giant Samoan rub his ass in his face, speaks volumes about Rose. That and his willingness to laugh at his exclusion from Cooperstown by accepting the induction in Stamford.

2. Lawrence Taylor - The standard by which all celebrity matches will be judged. LT looked very good for a guy who had never wrestled before, and the finish was a great image. Bigelow of course was the consummate professional in taking the loss. WrestleMania XI is one from which most people cannot name another match, so putting this one in there was a stroke of genius. (2UX, Target football player draws X fans to a shitty PPV. Instant.)

1. Andy Kaufman - There can be no other choice for my money. Kaufman was the first, the longest-running and arguably the best celebrity to try his hand in the squared circle. He blazed the trail for everyone else on this list and di it with the kind of presentation you still don't see enough.



Scott Rutherford

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Cyndi Lauper - Was the bait in the water for Mr. T. becoming involved in WM1. I dig the fact she has never publically regretted her decision to become involved with pro-wrestling even though it marked her for years after.

5.Muhammad Ali - He was the first really legit superstar sportsman to buy into wrestling and not treat it as a joke and for that wrestling needs to thank him. However, truth be told, he was on the downside of his career and trying to feed his ego and keep his name in lights. While ultimately wrestling got more out of the association, for a while wrestling and Ali found each other and it was a good match.

4.Floyd Mayweather - I really liked his match at WM 24 and I thought his in ring performance was very good. While I'm no boxing fan and really don't have a sense of scale about just how much of a big deal his involvement really meant, his bout with the Big Show was perhaps the most entertaining and enjoyable celebrity match I have ever seen and for that he makes it into my top 5.

3.Pete Rose - Legit baseball hero and willing Kane bitch. Most celebs only show up and agree to do stuff to make them look good. Pete however, was willing to show a little ass and turned his hatred of Kane into a long rung WrestleMania joke. It's a pity they stopped his involvement because the inevitable Pete Rose/Kane face off each year would be tremendously funny.

2.Mr. T. - Mr.T helped sell WrestleMania as something special and the fact he got in the ring and was willing to mix it up and sell like a pro helped keep kayfabe AND sell wrestling as legit to a whole new audience. Don't forget, T was probably the most recognizable face in entertainment at the time and he had more to lose than anyone if this experiment failed. Thankfully it could not have turned out better and a year later, he was the catalyst for Rowdy Piper turning face.

1.Andy Kauffman - While Ali may have been one of the first legit names to sell wrestling as real, Kauffman was probably more responsible for helping it launch into the mainstream. Up until then, what wrestler would have shown up on David Letterman? The fact that Andy was a huge wrestling geek and he was DEEPLY into his persona helped immensely and really, what better person to go against than someone like Jerry Lawler who is a master worker and knew how to manipulate the situation to benefit the needs of both men. Andy's involvement was the litmus test for wrestling in the mainstream and don't think Vince wasn't pay attention in Stamford.



Michael Bauer

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Pete Rose - Any man willing to go to three WrestleManias just to be Tombstoned by Kane deserves mention.

Morton Downey Jr. - Piper's Pit was never finer than when he showed up.

David Arquette - Like it or not, he was WCW World Champion. That deserves a mention.

5.Mr. T - Not just Wrestlemania I, but WrestleMania II saw Mr. T compete in some sort of match against Hall of Famer Rowdy Roddy Piper. The second such appearance was a little different, but then again, so are all Boxer vs Wrestler type matches, even if a straight boxing match.

4.Floyd "Money" Mayweather - He should have been totally outclassed, but he has a right hand that can break the jaw of giants. The build wasn't the greatest, but the match surpised many as Mayweather joined the ranks of celebrities who had WrestleMania victories.

3.Andy Kaufman - He is the original celebrity of wrestling, starting with his fighting of any woman who wished to step into the ring with him. But who could have known that Jerry Lawler would have been involved down the road, leading to some of the greatest publicity the industry has ever seen. The Letterman incidient truly was can't miss television.

2.Mike Tyson - Mike Tyson's appearance on Raw was great and helped set the stage for Austin vs. HBK. But that one punch knocking HBK out in the ring and out of the WWF was the last moment of the switch from the old guard to the new Attitude Era. Very few celebrities have had that sort of symbolism.

1."LT" Lawerence Taylor - Ok, part of me making LT Number 1 is a personal bias. I am a Giants fan, I fully admit that, but I also never was a huge Bam Bam Bigelow fan. I was really happy back then to see LT beat Bam Bam, even though back then I didn't understand why.



So with all said and done, here is the 411 Wrestling's Overall Top 5 Celebrities in Wrestling.


HONORABLE MENTION – Cyndi Lauper: 17 points (3 1st place votes, 1 4th place vote, 1 Honorable Mention)

5. Lawrence Taylor - 17 points (1 1st place vote, 1 2nd place vote, 1 3rd place vote, 2 4th place vote, 1 5th place vote)

4. Floyd "Money" Mayweather - 18 points (2 2nd place votes, 1 3rd place votes, 3 4th place votes, 1 5th place vote, 2 Honorable Mentions)

3. Mike Tyson - 20 points (4 2nd place votes, 1 3rd place vote, 1 5th place vote)

2. Mr. T - 26 points (3 1st place votes, 1 2nd place vote, 3 4th place votes, 1 5th place vote)

1. Andy Kaufman - 38 points (5 1st place votes, 1 2nd place vote, 3 3rd place votes)