Where Does Bad Bunny Rank Among the Greatest WWE Celebrities of All Time?

International music star Bad Bunny will return to the squared circle Saturday for WWE Backlash, where he will face former tag team partner Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight.

The pay-per-view, the first to be held in Puerto Rico since New Year's Revolution in 2005, has been sold heavily on the singer's presence on the card, but where does he rank among the best celebrity performers of all time in WWE? And which names are near the bottom?

The Worst

The worst instances of celebrity usage in pro wrestling typically involve those who have something to promote but are unfamiliar with the product or the industry as a whole.

They are there simply to put themselves and their projects over and show little personality or awareness of the tone.

During the late 2000s and early 2010s, WWE routinely had special guest hosts on Raw. Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Reverend Al Sharpton, Jerry Springer and Jeremy Piven all stepped up to the plate but struck out swinging, with their appearances being more awful than memorable.

Fast-forward a few years to LaVar, LaMelo and Lonzo Ball's appearance on Miz TV in which LaVar was overbearing, overshadowed his sons and removed his shirt in readiness to fight The A-Lister at one point.

In every case, though, the celebrities either seemed disinterested or out of their comfort zones.

It is not a new phenomenon, either. In 1986, as Vince McMahon continued the same recipe of pop-culture celebrity that helped make the inaugural WrestleMania a success, he had television star Susan St. James sit in on commentary at WrestleMania 2. It did not go well.

The same can be said for Art Donovan, the former Baltimore Colt who was on commentary at the 1994 King of the Ring and was so bad that "Macho Man" Randy Savage's mounting frustration could be heard clearly in his voice.

Thankfully, there have been some incredible celebrity displays over the years, often leading to them finding a place in the WWE Hall of Fame.

The Best

Without Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper's involvement at the inaugural WrestleMania, the huge sports-entertainment event we know today may never have gotten off the ground.

They were major mainstream celebrities who staked their own reputations to join Vince McMahon's vision for the combination of popular culture and professional wrestling, and it worked, thanks to their understanding of their roles.

Mr. T played the same badass he did on The A-Team, siding with Hulk Hogan to battle "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff. Lauper seconded Wendi Richter in her battle with Leilani Kai and The Fabulous Moolah over the WWE Women's Championship.

A decade later, Lawrence Taylor squared off with Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event of WrestleMania 11, with incredible pressure on him to perform to the level of that spot on the card. There was no safety net in the form of a tag team partner, just Taylor, Bigelow and the eyes of the mainstream media focused on his performance.

The former New York Giants star rose to the occasion and became the measuring stick for celebrity in-ring performances in WWE. He is still somehow not in the Hall of Fame.

Mike Tyson helped turn the Monday Night Wars back in the favor of WWE, his star power meshing with the in-your-face attitude of the company's product to capture the attention of the pro wrestling audience and direct them back to McMahon's product. He was hugely influential in wrestling history, not just the lineage of celebrity appearances.

Then there was Maria Menounos, who may not be the first celebrity most think of in this discussion, but whose love for the industry is apparent every time she appears on camera for WWE. Her WrestleMania 28 match, with Kelly Kelly against Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres, is deceptively good and proved she took her performance seriously.

Bob Uecker, former MLB star, actor and longtime voice of the Milwaukee Brewers, was phenomenal at WrestleManias 3 and 4. The Price is Right presenter Bob Barker was equally as good, understanding the comedic timing of his interactions with Chris Jericho during a memorable Raw skit.

Snoop Dogg has been a bunch of fun in his appearances in the ring, most notably at WrestleMania 39, when he had to improvise following an injury suffered by Shane McMahon in an impromptu match with The Miz.

He rose to the occasion, dropped the People's Elbow on The A-Lister and helped save what could have been a disastrous segment.

Snoop represents what has developed into a golden age of celebrity involvement in wrestling, thanks to the dedication and respect those from outside the industry have for it. That is the realm Bad Bunny finds himself in ahead of his Backlash headliner against Priest.

Bad Bunny and the Golden Era of Celebrity Involvement

The celebrities who make their way into a WWE ring today do so not only with the intent of selling products but also actually getting physical.

This has its roots back in 2015 with Arrow star Stephen Amell teaming with Adrian Neville to defeat Stardust and King Barrett at SummerSlam, but it has really ramped up in recent years.

Sure, Bad Bunny had a hit in "Booker T" when he first appeared at the 2021 Royal Rumble, but he did not need to come to WWE to strengthen his star. He was already one of the most streamed artists in the world at that time.

If anything, WWE benefited more from having him involved, even more so once he showed out at WrestleMania 37 in a tag team victory with Priest against The Miz and John Morrison.

That the singer continues to come back, show intensity and genuinely cares about what he does between the ropes has not only endeared him to fans but also laid the groundwork for what makes a successful celebrity in modern wrestling.

Johnny Knoxville, a longtime wrestling fan dating back to the days of Abdullah The Butcher, immediately recognized the showmanship aspect of professional wrestling and leaned into it during his rivalry with Sami Zayn.

The Jackass star worked a match with Zayn that was comedic but would not have worked if he didn't care about what he was doing and benefit from a dance partner as talented and trusting as The Master Strategist.

Then there is Logan Paul, a young social media star who has exceeded every expectation to wrest the crown away from Taylor as the best in-ring performer of the bunch. His work with The Miz, The Mysterios, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins has been some of the best in a WWE ring over the last two years.

He has two Match of the Year candidates to his name and gets better every time he wrestles a match. He was born for this, and his love for the industry was readily apparent in his 2022 interview with B/R.

The success of those celebrities will only further encourage others to make their way to WWE.

Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce recently told TMZ Sports he has been in talks with The Miz about doing something with WWE. This comes after fellow tight end George Kittle laid out The A-Lister at WrestleMania 39.

Others will see the attention that an appearance in WWE brings on social media and mainstream news outlets as an opportunity for exposure. As history suggests, the success of their involvement will be determined by the respect they have for wrestling and their willingness to step out of their comfort zone and roll with the punches.

If they are, the fans will appreciate their efforts. If not, Aldrin, Sharpton and Piven will be getting some company on the not-so-great list.

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The Best Celebrities in WWE History

1. Logan Paul
2. Bad Bunny
3. Mike Tyson
4. Lawrence Taylor
5. Johnny Knoxville
6. Bob Uecker
7. Bob Barker
8. Cyndi Lauper
9. Mr. T
10. Maria Menounos

Honorary mention: Andy Kauffman, who did not appear in WWE but would be at or near the top of this list for his extraordinary work with Jerry Lawler.