19 Unforgettable Celebrity Moments In WWE

In early 2011, Jersey Shore fever was still white hot, so many were surprised that WWE struck the iron and recruited Snooki to not only appear at WrestleMania, but actually partake in a match, teaming with women's wrestling stalwart, Trish Stratus, and then-star, John Morrison, against Dolph Ziggler, Layla, and Michelle McCool. Snooki — who had been getting much more flack on social media than her reality television costars — had something to prove, and prove she did, exhibiting some really cool and acrobatic moves to silence her critics in fairly short order.

Cyndi Lauper is notable for being one of the first mainstream celebrities to bridge the gap between wrestling fans and general pop culture through the "Rock 'n' Wrestling" connection, which included the musical star featuring Capt. Lou Albano as her father in the iconic video for "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." While Lauper's physicality was fairly limited in the world of wrestling, she did show up in the corner for legendary women's wrestler Wendi Richter in her championship match against Leilani Kai, during which Lauper prevented Richter from an attack by standing up to the Fabulous Moolah. Lauper may not have stayed with the business, but her impact and influence on sports entertainment have inspired fans to continue calling for her WWE Hall of Fame induction to this day.

With Wrestlemania 35 coming to the New York/New Jersey area, WWE was bound to bring in some local flavor for the show, especially considering that the New York Metropolitan area is so tied into the history of the company. I don't think anyone could have predicted that Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" duo, Michael Che and Colin Jost, would be the names that came to mind, but when the two began cutting heel promos on WWE's resident "Monster Among Men" Braun Strowman, it became clear that the pair would be getting in the ring in some capacity. While their time in WrestleMania's annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was brief and largely uneventful, it did end in a particularly memorable manner as Che eliminated himself in the name of self-preservation shortly before Strowman sent Jost flying into a sea of previously-eliminated entrants outside of the ring.

Logan Paul has been a divisive figure in the media landscape for years, so WWE fans were naturally skeptical when news broke that the notorious influencer was dipping his toes into the pool of pro wrestling. Initially debuting at WrestleMania 38 as The Miz's tag partner against Rey and Dominik Mysterio, Paul would shift his performances into next gear with riveting in-ring performances at Summerslam, Crown Jewel, and the Royal Rumble, in which he was part of a show-stopping mid-air collision with WWE's high-flying thrill-seeker Ricochet. It's a borderline miracle that even Logan Paul's most vocal detractors have to admit his wrestling career has turned out even better than imagined, with his upcoming WrestleMania bout with Seth Rollins being widely considered to be one of the most anticipated matches on the grandest stage of them all.

Jon Stewart has not tried to hide his fandom of professional wrestling, but in 2015, the former Daily Show host brought that passion in front of the camera by engaging in an on-screen feud with WWE's villainous Seth Rollins that crossed between WWE programming and The Daily Show itself. Eventually, Stewart would be announced as the host of Summerslam at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, but Stewart shocked the crowd by helping Rollins and striking John Cena with a chair during their championship match. However, Stewart made sure to do the favors for Cena the next night on Raw, taking John Cena's finishing move after an on-air explanation of his actions.

In the summer of 1999, professional wrestling was riding high as a cultural phenomenon in the midst of the "Monday Night War," bringing in record ratings and generating controversy on a weekly basis. Of course, the wrestling audience became a sought-after consumer base, leading to a number of interesting crossovers, from the killer doll Chucky appearing on WCW Nitro to, yes, Ben Stiller taking part in a promo with the volatile Jeff Jarrett on Raw to promote his latest film, Mystery Men. While Stiller managed to avoid Jarrett's dreaded guitar shot (unlike 2023 Emmy winner Paul Walter Hauser), the then-Intercontinental Champion locked Stiller in the Figure 4 Leg Lock, which the actor effectively sold like pure torture.

Before Jon Stewart got involved in the main event, a different celebrity turned heads at Summerslam in 2015, as Arrow's Stephen Amell entered the ring with the gravity-defying Neville to take on Stardust (aka this year's WrestleMania headliner, Cody Rhodes) and King Barrett. Though the match itself was set up to be a colorful affair, all four performers put on one hell of a show, with Amell displaying some strong offense and taking bumps like a ring veteran. While this remains Amell's sole WWE match to date, Amell would remain a presence in the world of wrestling for years to come, joining the "Bullet Club" stable in Ring of Honor in 2017, challenging independent wrestling icon Christopher Daniels at All In in 2018, and starring in the Starz drama series Heels.

Both Mr. T and Hulk Hogan had become massive stars after appearing in Rocky III together, so when Hogan became the biggest name in the World Wrestling Federation, Hogan recruited Mr. T as his tag-team partner for the company's biggest show to date, WrestleMania. However, Mr. T had no formal wrestling training, and many on the roster didn't know what to make of his involvement, including his opponent, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. The real-life animosity between Mr. T and Piper made for compelling entertainment, so much so that Mr. T was invited back for a worked boxing match against Piper at WrestleMania II.

The Super Bowl-winning tight end for the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has had a somewhat complicated history with the WWE, signing a contract with the company mere weeks before COVID-19 sent the country into lockdown, leading him to host WrestleMania 36 in front of no crowds and eventually ditch his contract to return to football. But his journey with the global wrestling company actually began three years prior, as Gronkowski jumped from the crowd to help his longtime IRL friend, Mojo Rawley, eliminate Jinder Mahal with a booming tackle in that year's Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Leading up to WrestleMania 25, rumors swirled that Mickey Rourke would parlay his critically-acclaimed performance in The Wrestler into an actual wrestling match with longtime WWE standout Chris Jericho. Sadly, this match never came to be, with insurance concerns being the scapegoat for the match falling apart while others have claimed Rourke's own paranoia about Jericho taking liberties with his body was a primary reason for kiboshing the match. However, Rourke did appear at the show and sent the fans into a frenzy after hitting Jericho with a knockout blow after Y2J won in a handicap match against several retired WWE legends. 

Though you would think Arnold Schwarzenegger would have crossed paths with the wrestling world during the height of his bodybuilding days (especially after acting alongside Jesse Ventura on multiple occasions), Schwarzenegger wouldn't make his WWE debut until 1999, appearing on Smackdown to promote End of Days and eventually becoming involved in the main event angle. Schwarzenegger would remain involved with the company for the years that followed, including a Raw appearance alongside his Sabotage costar and noted wrestling superfan, Joe Manganiello. But Schwarzenegger's most memorable moment in the wrestling industry was probably his surprisingly touching induction of the legendary Bruno Sammartino into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.