Grading Mike Tyson, Rob Gronkowski and Recent Celebrity Appearances on WWE, AEW

The world of wrestling isn't afraid to dip into the celebrity well. 

Grabbing high-profile names from outside the industry is—at least, ideally—a good way to garner some attention for the product. On paper, more attention means new viewers who wouldn't have eyeballs on the product normally get engaged and potentially become returning fans. That, and wrestling promotions just love their big moments. 

Sometimes promotions get it right, and the unforgettable moments are totally worth it; other times, the ideas flop for a variety of reasons, often trumped simply by the fact that the sport isn't easy for outsiders. 

Here's a look at grades for recent celebrity appearances in WWE and All Elite Wrestling. 

Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury was one of the more notable celebrity names to hit professional wrestling recently. 

And his stint wasn't just a little appearance or two without consequences. Fury, one of the premier boxers on the planet, got into a spat with Braun Strowman, which led to a match. 

Unfortunately for all, the clash went down at WWE Crown Jewel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and WWE apparently didn't want to damage either guy in the process, ending the match in a count-out. 

Fury has since hinted another comeback could be in the works—not that WWE fans needed any suggestions of that happening. He wasn't the worst celebrity appearance in modern times by a long shot, but it's just a shame his brief time wasn't used in a better manner. 

Grade: C

Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez was a big get for WWE at a critical point in time as SmackDown made the transition to Fox. 

It made perfect sense on paper—Velasquez, retired from the world of MMA, would show up and revive a rivalry with Brock Lesnar, making for a must-see match. 

But the whole thing was strange from the start as Velasquez showed up shirtless with Rey Mysterio and announced his intentions. By the time the two fought, the hype was muted at best, and the match at Crown Jewel was brief and downright awful as two well-known fighters pretended to fight. 

The specter of a Velasquez return for a rematch hung over WWE well into 2020, though, until even that went off the rails and WWE released him at the end of April. 

The whole thing could have been handled much better every step of the way, which is a shame because the ideas and potential were at least worth exploring. 

Grade: D

Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson is one of those rare exceptions when it comes to celebrity appearances as he can't really have a bad outing. Even the bad is at least memorable and worth a watch. 

And that's why AEW had the right thing in mind by looping him in recently and having him get involved with Chris Jericho.

Jericho, after all, is money and hilarious no matter what he's involved in—heel or face. If AEW had to do a celebrity appearance, Le Champion was the only option. 

And AEW has proved that plenty in recent weeks with Tyson. His involvement in presenting the AEW TNT Championship during Double or Nothing was a ho-hum thing, but his breaking into a war of words and fight with Jericho on an episode of Dynamite was superb. 

AEW doesn't typically lean heavily into celebrity appearances, but this one was fun and silly enough to work well. 

Grade: B

Rob Gronkowski

WWE had a fun idea with Rob Gronkowski. 

While some fans might like the idea of getting a little more serious with the 24/7 title, throwing it on the former New England Patriots star at WrestleMania 36 wasn't the worst possible idea. But good ideas don't mean good execution, and his ho-hum win pretty much led right into him disappearing from all programming. 

After winning the belt, Gronk then announced his un-retirement from football and landed with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It wasn't long before he predictably lost the belt (though somehow integrating a title change into some sort of NFL programming would have been amazing). 

Timid as this whole ordeal was, the global implications of the coronavirus pandemic probably didn't help the situation. Gronk showing up to win during a pre-taped match hurt things.

And according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton, Ringside News), WWE had big plans for him, including a major part of the promotion for SummerSlam in Boston. 

Taking outside factors into account, Gronk's predictable foray into pro wrestling was still a small splash at best and likely dampened any possible reattempt at this down the line. 

Grade: C