The 15 Best WWE Celebrity Appearances, Ranked

Stephen Amell is a popular Canadian actor best known for his roles as Oliver Queen in the DC superhero series Arrow and most recently in the professional wrestling-based show Heelz as Jack Spade. Amell makes this list because he got involved with wrestling because he’s such a lifelong fan. I even got to meet him this year (2023) in Los Angeles during WrestleMania weekend at the post-show party. He actually campaigned for an appearance on WWE television before he was given the OK to do so.

He would appear on Raw in 2015 by immersing himself in a rivalry with Cody Rhodes, who was portraying his Stardust character at the time. This would then lead to a tag team match at SummerSlam that year where Amell would team up with Neville to face King Barrett and Stardust. Even though the match and rivalry may not be all that memorable, it’s the fact that he wanted to be there that allowed him to make this list. He continued to wrestle outside of WWE in both ROH and AEW.

There have been many celebrity appearances but not all of them come with the same passion, and excitement attached to Amell, who was surprisingly willing to get as physical as possible in the ring.

Lawrence Taylor was an American Football player and is widely regarded as the greatest defensive player of all time after spending his entire NFL career with the New York Giants. Taylor has two Super Bowl Championship rings, is a three-time defensive player of the year, and has so many more accolades to his name. Oh, and he just so happens to be a WrestleMania main-eventer! And to make that accomplishment even better, he won against the legendary Bam Bam Bigelow! WWE has a long history with football players popping up in the company, which include "The Refrigerator" William Perry to Pat McAfee.

Taylor still holds the honor of main eventing WWE's biggest event of the year, though! The rivalry between Taylor and Bigelow started at the 1995 Royal Rumble with an intense interaction between the two in the crowd. And on the road to WrestleMania XI, they continued to get in each other's faces until it was time to square up in the ring. This angle garnered significant mainstream and sports media attention, which was a definite bright spot for the WWF during a down period for the wrestling business as a whole.

Next up on my list of the best WWE celebrity appearances is a mountain of a man! Tommy Deebo "Tiny" Lister Jr. was an American actor known for his immense size and iconic roles in movies such as Friday and The Fifth Element. Lister began accumulating acting credits in 1984 for both television and movie appearances. He would continue acting all the way till 2022 as he was featured in films that were released after he passed away in 2020.

One of Lister’s earlier acting credits came from a WWF-produced film called No Holds Barred in 1989. He played the film's main villain named Zeus, who was pitted against the popular Hulk Hogan in the film (Hogan played the role of Rip). The WWF chose to bring more attention to the movie by getting the Zeus character to actually appear on regular WWF programming. Lister would debut his monster heel character by instantly hopping into a feud with Hulk Hogan.

Due to his limited ability in the ring, the WWF decided to pair Zeus up with "Macho Man" Randy Savage to clash with Hogan and Brutus Beefcake. Both teams ended up main eventing SummerSlam 1989 in a tag team match. Zeus also competed against Hogan's team at Survivor Series by aligning with Ted Dibiase. In December of 1989, Zeus and Hogan had a rematch at an event named after the movie. But this time, they clashed within the confines of the classic blue steel cage. After that, Zeus made his final appearance in the 1990 Royal Rumble. It was quite a memorable run for Lister, I must say!

Cyndi Lauper is a singer, songwriter, actress, and activist who was on top of the world in the 1980s when her 1983 album She’s So Unusual produced four top-five hits on the Billboard Top 100. The music video for the song "Girl’s Just Want To Have Fun" even had professional wrestling manager Captain Lou Albano star in it as Lauper's dad. Lauper's incredible career has spanned over 40 years and it includes her being an essential pop culture icon relied upon to help launch the WWF’s "Rock N Wrestling" era of the mid-80s.

Hulk Hogan would appear as her bodyguard for many appearances, plus her onscreen time spent opposite "Rowdy" Roddy Piper helped elevate the "Hulkster's" feud with him. Lauper appeared at the WWF events showcased on MTV and even managed Wendi Richter at the inaugural WrestleMania. Lauper's involvement with wrestling sometimes goes underappreciated nearly four decades later, but it will never be forgotten by the fans who lived through it all. It definitely helped the WWF get even bigger during its global expansion period. Lauper would surprisingly return to the WWE 21 years later for the 100th episode of Raw.

So the question remains - why isn’t Lauper in the Celebrity Wing of the WWE Hall of Fame yet? Nevertheless, she deserves to be mentioned on my list of the best WWE celebrity appearances.

Johnny Knoxville is a stunt performer, actor, writer, and producer. He is recognized globally known for the wild stunts he and his buddies perform on Jackass. The show, which originally aired on MTV from 2000-2001, would eventually expand into a movie franchise with four different installments. The final film was Jackass Forever, which the WWE got involved in by promoting it on its shows. Knoxville actually made two appearances in the WWE prior to 2022, however. The first being with the entire Jackass crew on a 2008 episode of Raw where they had a run-in with The Great Khali. The second one saw Knoxville pop up all by himself as the Special Guest Host of Raw.

In 2022, he entered the Royal Rumble and shockingly eliminate Sami Zayn to add more heat to their ongoing rivalry. Knoxville would continue to appear on WWE TV and be a constant pain in Zayn’s ass by costing him the Intercontinental Championship. This would lead to an Anything Goes Match at WrestleMania 38 between Knoxville and Zayn. It ended up being one of the most entertaining matches on the entire card thanks to the combined efforts of fellow Jackass members Chris Pontius, Wee Man, director Jeff Tremaine, and new members Jasper Dolphin and his father Compston "Dark Shark" Wilson.

Johnny's outlandish onscreen antics opposite Zayn certainly qualify his inclusion on my list of the best WWE celebrity appearances.

Floyd Mayweather is a professional boxer and boxing promoter. He competed from 1996 to 2017 and retired undefeated with a 50-0 record. He has amassed 15 major world championships during his highly laded boxing career. Other accolades include a bronze medal in the Olympics, three U.S. Golden Gloves Championships, and a US National Championship. ESPN even ranked him the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of the last 25 years. In February 2008, Floyd Mayweather confronted a returning Big Show to aid Rey Mysterio. This confrontation led to a physical altercation at WWE No Way Out 2008 in which Big Show got his nose broken by Maywheather's vicious series of punches.

Big Show would go on to challenge Mayweather to a match at WrestleMania XXIV, which Floyd gladly accepted. The cocky Mayweather took on the role of the babyface due to his smaller size in comparison to the much taller Big Show. Mayweather shocked the world when he defeated Big Show by knockout whilst using a pair of brass knuckles. After that impressive performance, Mayweather returned to WWE to guest host Raw in 2009. And funny enough, he would once again get involved in Big Show's business by costing him the win during a tag team match!

Snoop Dogg is a very popular rapper and actor. Snoop's uber popularity is tied to his timeless music. As he began appearing in movies, on TV shows, and every other form of media you can think of, Snoon eventually into a pop culture icon. He originally popped off in 1992 after being featured on Dr. Dre’s song "Deep Cover." Over the duration of his lengthy career, he has managed to sell over 23 million albums in the US and 35 Million Worldwide. Snoop has continued to stay relevant to fans of all ages ever since.

Everyone knows Snoop is a lifelong wrestling fan and is also the first cousin to Mercedes Mone aka Sasha Banks. Snoop made his first appearance in WWE in 2008 at WrestleMania XXIV as the "Master of Ceremonies" for the Divas matchup between Ashley Massaro (RIP!) and Maria Kanellis against Beth Phoenix and Melina. Then in 2015, Snoop made his return via Raw as he was featured in a segment with Curtis Axel and the "Immortal" Hulk Hogan. At WrestleMania 32, he was a part of his cousin Banks' entrance by rapping during her entrance and walking her down to the ring.

This year (2023) at WrestleMania 39, Snoop worked alongside The Miz to host both nights of the show. On Night One, he accompanied Rey Mysterio to the ring as he rode along in his low-rider and proceeded to force the Miz to wrestle Pat McAfee. On Night Two, when Snoop goaded The Miz into wrestling Shane McMahon, Shane suffered a quad injury. This led to Snoop improvising on the spot and doing a fantastic job in the process.

All of those aforementioned accomplishments should clue you into how much respect Snoop has for wrestling - anytime you have someone as globally recognized as him on your program, it’s a good move. Snoop just had to make my list of the best WWE celebrity appearances!

Maria Menounos is a journalist, host, presenter, and actress. Over the course of her career, she's worked on shows such as Extra, E! News, Access Hollywood, and Today. Menounos is also a dedicated wrestling fan, which makes her run in the company even more special. Menounos originally appeared in WWE in 2009 as a special guest host for Raw alongside Nancy O'Dell. During this first appearance, she made her in-ring debut in a six-woman tag match where she teamed with Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim against Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes, and Beth Phoenix. Jaws dropped everywhere as fans witnessed Maria slapping the much more dominant Beth Phoenix, which was a great showcase of her fearlessness.

Maria returned to the ring at the 2011 Tribute to the Troops by teaming up with Alicia Fox, Eve Torres, and Kelly Kelly against The Bella Twins and the Divas of Doom. Menounos would pick up the win after shockingly pinning Phoenix. That rivalry would eventually conclude at WrestleMania XXVIII when Menounos and Kelly went on to defeat Phoenix and Torres. All the props in the world to Maria for staying in the match while wrestling with two cracked ribs!

Although this would be her last match, Maria continued to appear in the company until 2018 as a host and interviewer, even hosting the Hall of Fame red carpet from 2014-2019. Maria's immense work in and outside the ring for the company makes her eligible for my list of the best WWE celebrity appearances.

Nowadays, Donald Trump is known as the 45th President of the United States. Outside of being a politician, he is a businessman, television personality, and real estate mogul. He owned plenty of casinos, was the face of The Apprentice reality TV series, and has been relevant to American pop culture since the 80s. He also has a long-standing friendship with fellow billionaire, Vince McMahon. Trump first worked together with Vince's company in the 80s when his Trump Plaza venue became the home for both WrestleMania's IV and V. He also popped up at WrestleMania XX in 2004 and was interviewed by Jesse "The Body" Ventura at ringside and even made hints at running for President right then and there!

In 2007, Trump got even more involved with WWE as he made multiple appearances leading up to the marquee "Battle of the Billionaires" match at WrestleMania 23. Trump chose Bobby Lashley to represent him, whereas Vince selected Umaga to represent him. And hilariously, the losing billionaire (who ended up being Vince!) got their head shaved! Trump reappeared in 2009 when he actually bought the rights to Raw, only to sell it back to Vince by the end of the night and kicking off the guest host era.

In 2013, Trump got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for the Celebrity Wing and is prevalent enough to earn a spot on my list of the best WWE celebrity appearances.

Mr. T was the man back in the 80s! He was an actor most popularly known for his roles as B.A. Baracus on the television series The A-Team and as Clubber Lang in the movie Rocky III. Mr. T's distinctive mohawk and look with the gold chains made him stand out during a decade when standing out was everything for a mainstream personality. He's also known for popularizing the catchphrase "I Pity the Fool!"

Mr.T was pivotal during the early days of WWF’s attempts to garner more mainstream credibility. In 1985, Mr. T got involved in the world of professional wrestling as a friend of the super-popular Hulk Hogan. He got involved in Hogan's rivalry with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orondorff. The feud became a little too real with Piper as he mentioned during shoot interviews - at the time, he and many other wrestlers didn’t like the idea of a celebrity getting involved in the wrestling business.

Of course, this was during the era when protecting the business meant everything to the people working in it. Mr. T made his way into the first-ever main event of WrestleMania when he teamed with Hogan to defeat Piper and Orondorff. He would soon return in 1986 to have boxing fights with Orton on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event and Piper at WrestleMania 2. Mr. T would appear again decades later just by sitting in the front row for an episode of Raw in 2001.

He eventually get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014 and appeared at WrestleMania XXX during a backstage segment that saw Mr. T make amends with Piper. The man with one of the greatest mohawks I've ever seen props him up high on the list of the best WWE celebrity appearances.

Pat McAfee is a former American football player as a punter for the Indianapolis Colts, a sports analyst, a successful podcaster, a professional wrestling color commentator, a kickoff specialist, and a professional wrestler (WHAT A CAREER!). McAfee was even part of the Super Bowl finals in his rookie year. His post-football career has led to him having a successful career as an analyst/broadcaster that's helped him transition into one of the most popular voices in the field.

Pat has always been a fan of professional wrestling. That fact became pretty clear when he made his first appearance in WWE by getting involved in an NXT Championship match between Aleister Black and Adam Cole, which resulted in Pat costing Cole the match. Soon enough, McAfee would appear as a pre-show analyst for NXT TakeOver events. He would continue his rivalry on-air with Cole and work in various roles in WWE after officially signing with the company in 2019. He would go on to wrestle Cole in a surprisingly good singles match at NXT TakeOver XXX and then formed a stable dubbed The Kings of NXT to face the Undisputed Era in a War Games match at NXT TakeOver War Games.

He would eventually become a beloved commentator on SmackDown due to the high energy and unpredictableness he regularly brought to the table. At WrestleMania 38, Pat stepped into the ring with Austin Theory and Vince McMahon on the very same night. And to top it all off, he caught a Stone Cold Stunner from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Pat went on to feud with Happy Corbin, which led to a match between them at SummerSlam 2022.

He returned to commentate on the Men's Royal Rumble in 2023 and even have a quick surprise match with The Miz at WrestleMania 39. McAfee fits the WWE Universe like a glove and is worthy of being on my list of the best WWE celebrity appearances.

Ronda Rousey changed the landscape for women involved in combat sports. Rousey is a former judoka, mixed martial artist, actress, and is now known as a professional wrestler. However, it was her success before entering the WWE that I always consider one of the key factors in the WWE’s "Women's Revolution," changing the way women were presented in WWE. Rousey was the first American woman to win an Olympic Medal in judo and is a former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion with six successful title defenses. Rousey is considered one of the defining athletes of the 21st Century.

It almost felt inevitable that Rousey would potentially one day join the WWE after her UFC career as she has stated to be a longtime fan of the wrestling business. Rousey even asked Piper for permission to use the "Rowdy" moniker for herself in the UFC, which he knowingly approved of. Rousey made her first appearance on WWE television by being shown in the crowd during SummerSlam 2014 with her fellow "Four Horsewomen" mates. In 2015, she made her first major appearance entering the ring to assist The Rock during a segment with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

In 2017, Rousey made multiple appearances with her friends in the audience for the Mae Young Classic (which her friend Shayna Baszler was participating in). In 2018, Rousey made her official WWE Superstar debut at the Royal Rumble and the rest is history. Rousey won the 2022 Royal Rumble, was in the first-ever women's main event of a WrestleMania, is a two-time Smackdown Women’s Champion, a Raw Women’s Champion, a Women’s Tag Team Champion, and is recognized as one of the most dominant female athletes in WWE. All those accolades define someone that's worth adding to my list of the most memorable WWE celebrity appearances.

Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He has taken the world of pop culture by storm in the last few years as one the most popular artists recognized worldwide. Regardless if you speak Spanish or not, the popularity of his Latin Trap/Reggaeton music cannot be denied. He has collaborated with the likes of Cardi B, Drake, J Balvin and many others. He was the most streamed artist on Spotify in 2022 and was crowned Artist of the Year by Apple Music in 2022. He has also accumulated three Grammys, four Latin Grammy Awards, eight Billboard Music Awards, and thirteen Lo Nuestro Awards. And like many of the picks on this list of the best WWE celebrity appearances, Bunny is a diehard fan of professional wrestling.

Bad Bunny first showcased his love for wrestling by having the "Nature Boy" Ric Flair appear in his music video for the song "Chambea." He then produced a song called "Booker T," which he performed at the 2021 Royal Rumble alongside Booker T himself! Bunny started sporadically appearing on Raw soon after. He won the 24/7 Championship before getting involved in a rivalry with The Miz and John Morrison. Bunny, alongside fellow Puerto Rican Damien Priest, faced The Miz and Morrison at WrestleMania 37. Bunny would then make a surprise return at the 2022 Royal Rumble, where he would be part of the final five until he was eliminated by Brock Lesnar.

Bunny went on to appear at WrestleMania 39 in 2023 to join the Spanish announce team for Rey Mysterio versus Dominik Mysterio. During the match, he stopped Dominik from cheating by using a chain. This moment ended up planting the seeds for Bunny's rivalry with The Judgment Day stable. On the following night of Raw, Bunny was attacked by his old friend Priest. This led to them wrestling each other at the 2023 Backlash event in a San Juan Street Fight in front of a rabid crowd in Puerto Rico. That match ended up being off the charts as Bunny was assisted by the LWO (Latino World Order), Carlito, and even Savio Vega to even the odds against The Judgement Day.

Bunny's commitment to WWE is certainly admirable. In the span of just two weeks, he performed at Coachella for two nights, appeared at the Met Gala, and wrestled his first WWE singles match at Backlash in a Street Fight. You can't help but respect that man's commitment!

Logan Paul is a social media personality, YouTuber, podcaster, actor, and content creator. Paul originally rose to popularity on Vine in 2013 and started his YouTube channel that same year. Since then, he has amassed over 23 million YouTube subscribers. He was the highest-paid YouTube creator in 2017, 2018, and 2021. Paul has also dabbled in boxing, music, and acting. He now is one of the hosts of the popular "Impulsive" podcast and one of the creators of the Prime beverage line.

Paul made his first WWE appearance on an episode of SmackDown as the special guest for Sami Zayn’s red carpet premiere of his conspiracy theory documentary. Zayn ended up inviting Paul to be at ringside for his match against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania 37. That bout would result in Paul catching a vicious Stunner from Kevin Owens for his transgressions. Paul would return soon after as Corbin’s special guest on The KO Show to beat down Owens. The Miz went on to select Paul to be his partner to face The Mysterios at WrestleMania 38. Miz and Paul would win, only for the Miz to attack Logan after the match. This would lead to a match between the two at SummerSlam 2022, in which Logan ended up winning.

Afterward, Paul went on to challenge the Undisputed WWE World Champion Roman Reigns to a title match at Crown Jewel 2022. Logan was unsuccessful in capturing the championship but finally gained the respect of wrestling fans across the globe for his praiseworthy performance. It was reported that Logan sprained his ACL and meniscus during the match, but toughed it out and finished it. Paul would make his grand return by entering the 2023 Royal Rumble, which saw him produce a memorable high spot with Ricochet and shockingly eliminate Seth Rollins. That last action kicked off his rivalry with Rollins, which would come to a conclusion at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles. Months later, Logan participated in his first Money in the Bank Ladder Match and went all out to put on another amazing performance.

It appears that we’re going to be seeing a lot of Paul sporadically in the next few years. Although he is a controversial figure, there is a generation of kids that grew up watching his content that has been encouraged to watch him compete in WWE. It also seems as if wrestling came naturally to Paul, which makes him a perfect fit for the WWE Universe. He’s a natural heel as the outsider yet he understands the business and puts in the work, which is why he's essential for my list of the best WWE celebrity appearances.

“Iron” Mike Tyson was dubbed the baddest man on the planet during his run at the top of his sport. Tyson is a former professional boxer who competed from 1985-2005. Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round. He holds the record of being the youngest professional boxer to win a World Championship. Tyson's final boxing record is 50-6. Tyson's life wasn’t without controversy - he was always in the media spotlight for a variety of reasons (both positive and negative). His iconic career has afforded him the opportunity to be featured in video games & movies, plus he has remained a fixture in pop culture for over 40 years. ESPN even ranked Tyson the number one most outrageous character in modern sports history.

In 1990, Tyson was supposed to appear in the WWF to be the special guest referee for a WWF Championship match between Hulk Hogan and “Macho Man '' Randy Savage on Saturday Night's Main Event. However, when he suffered his first upset loss to Buster Douglas, he backed out only for Douglas to take that spot. It wouldn’t be until eight years later that Tyson would appear in the WWF. He made his first appearance in January on Raw where he was confronted by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. It was later announced that Tyson would take on the role of special enforcer for the WrestleMania XIV main event between Austin and WWF Champion Shawn Michaels.

Leading toward the event, it looked as if Tyson's bias toward D-Generation X would result in him screwing over Austin. But to everyone's surprise, he turned on DX and helped Austin win the WWF Championship on the grandest stage of them all. Tyson would make his next appearance in WWE in 2010 as a special guest host where he would reunite with DX and help them win a match. He was eventually inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Eric Bischoff has stated multiple times that he knew the WCW was in trouble during the Monday night rating wars once the WWF secured Mike Tyson to appear. Tyson helped change the tide of the "Monday Night Wars" - I couldn't choose anyone else to top my list of the best WWE celebrity appearances!