Dennis Rodman, Bob Barker and More: The 10 Best Celebrity-Wrestling Crossovers

My last pro wrestling article dealt with the worst celebrity-wrestling crossovers of all time.

But not all celeb-wrestling crossovers have been bad. Some of them have actually been pretty good.

A lot of it has to do with the personalities of the celebs, how much they know about the product they're involved with and how they're being used.

Since the WWE has been very good at this and using it well, most of this list is WWE-centric. However, TNA and WCW will also be represented.

Here are the top 10 best pro wrestling-celebrity crossovers.

No. 10: Dennis Rodman

In 1997, the Chicago Bulls and the nWo were arguably the two coolest teams in all of sports.

Dennis Rodman was a small part of that. With the Bulls, his ferociousness on the court, as well as his basketball IQ and savvy, made him an important part of their success on defense and in grabbing rebounds.

In the nWo, alongside good friend Hulk Hogan, he served as a great personality that showed the ability to draw cheers or heat. He also had that ability on the basketball court as well.

With Dennis Rodman, you had an opinion. You either loved him or hated him.

I guess I'm biased since I think he should be in the Basketball Hall of Fame, but I was a huge fan of his, and I was and still am a Miami Heat fan.

Bonus points because he could decently work a match against Lex Luger and The Giant only a couple of weeks after clinching what was his fourth NBA championship.

No. 9: A.J. Pierzynski

I guess Simon Diamond is a Cubs fan...

On December 8th, 2005, White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski appeared on an episode of TNA Impact! Accompanied by White Sox trainer Dale Torborg, a former WWE and WCW wrestler known as MVP, he presented wrestlers AJ Styles, Chris Sabin and Sonjay Dutt with memorabilia from the 2005 World Series.

However, Pierzynski would be interrupted by Simon Diamond, himself a former baseball player drafted by the Padres in 1986, who would mock the Sox catcher for his pedestrian batting average.

Diamond would then slap Torborg, which led to a brawl and the lead-up to a match at TNA Turning Point between the teams of Torborg, Dutt and Sabin with Pierzynski as their manager against Diamond's team, "Diamonds in the Rough," which consisted of Diamond, David Young and Elix Skipper.

Torborg's Pierzynski-managed team wound up winning thanks to interference from then-Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon.

Pierzynski then appeared on ESPN's Cold Pizza (back when it wasn't just about Skip Bayless yelling at sports columnists and celebrities about why TO is terrible and why LeBron is overrated) and while wearing the TNA X-Division title challenged then-WWE Champion John Cena (also a guest that day) to a title vs. title steel cage match. Cena would reply by asking if he got his championship from a gumball machine.

Pierzynski would make another appearance in March when Simon Diamond confronted him at the White Sox spring training (see video above) until Diamond was hit in the back with a steel chair.

(Speaking of Ozzie Guillen, wouldn't he make a great manager if this whole baseball manager thing doesn't work out for him?)

Pierzynski would make another appearance in TNA in 2007, when he and Torborg challenged Lance Hoyt. Hoyt would end up winning the match thanks to interference from David Eckstein.

Pierzynski wound up making an appearance in WWE in 2009. We'll get to that later.

No. 8: Floyd "Money" Mayweather

If only Mayweather were as enthusiastic to get into the ring with Manny Pacquiao as he was to get into the ring with Big Show.

Let's face it—their WrestleMania match sucked, but Mayweather certainly has the personality and skill set to work in the WWE.

No. 7: Shaquille O'Neal

This is another athlete that would've done great as a wrestler, probably better than in his chosen career—and hey, like Jerry Lawler says, he's a "15-time MVP."

All kidding aside, Shaq as a wrestler would've wound up great. Hell, his basketball career has played out like a wrestling career.

He formed his first tag team with Penny Hardaway and then left to LA, where he formed a new tag team with Kobe Bryant, where they won three championships. Then Kobe turned heel and Shaq looked like a major face when traded to Miami, where he formed a new tag team with Dwyane Wade.

He won a championship with Wade. However, he turned heel (in Miami) by bashing the organization, so he was traded to Phoenix and teamed up with Steve Nash (a face) before being traded to Cleveland to team up with then-face LeBron.

Then LeBron turned heel (no need to get into this; we know what happened), which caused Kobe to turn face, while Shaq made another face turn by signing with the Celtics, the team most likely to beat the Heat (biggest heels in the NBA this season).

Count the tag teams and face/heel turns, plus the championships, and a career in wrestling would work out great for Shaq.

Plus Vince McMahon could use him like he does every other big super heavyweight: Just have him dominate smaller guys and then lose the belt to Rey Mysterio.

What does add to Shaq being great is the fact that he's a genuine fan of the business. I know this because I saw him at Survivor Series in 2007. He was shown on the screen prior to the Hornswoggle vs. Great Khali match.

As the match went on, the crowd cheered for Shaq to get involved. Had he done that, it would've been great, and not just because of the fact that I knew he was over the hill and on the hook with the Heat for three more years, and if he gets hurt, then he gets wiped off the cap, but also because a wrestling match with Hornswoggle, Shaq and Khali would probably signal the end of the world. (That and Shaq probably would've carried the match.)

No. 6: Bob Barker

I know "on the marquee it says wrestling."

But in the words of "The Genius" Lanny Poffo, it also says "tickets."

How do you sell tickets? By entertaining—which is exactly what Bob Barker did.

His chemistry with Chris Jericho was great. It also helped that in this case the WWE decided to go with a Price Is Right theme to allow this to transpire. 

Later on in the show, he and the rest of the Raw crew would be joined by No. 9 on the list, A.J. Pierzynski, who received a mixed reaction (this episode was taped in Chicago; Cubs fans booed him, Sox fans cheered him).

Barker also broke the fourth wall very seamlessly too: "Don't boo—you're encouraging him!"

No. 5: Donald Trump

Here's another feud with a long history—well, sort of.

In January 2007, McMahon started a feud with Donald Trump, which was featured on major media outlets. Originally Trump wanted to fight McMahon himself, but they came to a deal: Both men would pick a representative who would fight at WrestleMania 23 in a Hair vs. Hair match.

The man whose representative lost the match would have his head shaved bald.

Donald Trump chose then-ECW champion Bobby Lashley, while McMahon chose Umaga. After the contract signing on Raw, Trump pushed McMahon over the table in the ring onto his head after McMahon provoked Trump with several finger pokes to the shoulders.

Later at a press conference, McMahon, during a photo opportunity, offered a shake of hands with Trump but retracted his hand as Trump put out his. McMahon went on to fiddle with Trump's tie and flick Trump's nose. This angered Trump as he then slapped McMahon across the face. McMahon was then restrained from retaliating by Trump's bodyguards and Lashley. 

At WrestleMania 23, Lashley defeated Umaga, and Vince had his head shaved not only by Trump and Lashley, but also by special guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin. This was followed by Austin giving Trump a stunner.

Trump would return two years later, "buying" WWE Raw. While it was only a story line, it was enough of a problem that the SEC considered investigating the WWE since it affected stock. GE (USA's parent company) and the WWE both released a statement saying that it was a story line.

Trump's "ownership" of Raw only lasted one week (the show was commercial-free as well), but the legacy of it was the beginning of the Guest Host period for Raw.

No. 4: Cyndi Lauper

Now we start with the WrestleMania I section of the countdown (Nos. 4, 3 and 2).

Cyndi Lauper was the poster girl for the "Rock and Wrestling Connection," and to think it started on a flight from Puerto Rico back in 1983.

On that flight, Lauper met Captain Lou Albano. She asked him to participate in her music video for the soon to be hit single "Girls Just Want To Have Fun." Albano agreed, and then Vince McMahon booked Lauper and Albano for a Piper's Pit segment. 

During the segment, the Rock 'n' Wrestling storyline began when Albano called Lauper a "broad," while Lauper retaliated by hitting him with her purse. She then challenged Albano to a match, where the female wrestler of his choice would fight the female wrestler of her choice. Albano chose The Fabulous Moolah, while Lauper chose Wendi Richter.

The match would take place on July 23, 1984 at The Brawl To End It All at Madison Square Garden and would be broadcast live on MTV. Richter defeated Moolah with the help of interference from Cyndi, which won her the WWF Women's Championship, a belt that Moolah had held for 28 years. After that, according to the story line, Albano would turn face and patch things up with Lauper. Moolah, however, recruited a new protege in Leilani Kai.

Then on February 18, 1985 at The War To Settle The Score, Kai would defeat Richter for the WWF Women's Championship, followed by a rematch between the two at WrestleMania I where Richter would win the title back.

Lauper and Albano also helped further another big feud at The War To Settle The Score. On December 28, 1994 she presented Captain Lou with an award. Meanwhile, Rowdy Roddy Piper was angered by the Rock and Wrestling Connection and attacked both Albano and Lauper.

Hulk Hogan then came in to defend the two, which set up the main event at War, where Hogan took on Piper for the WWF Championship, with Lauper and Albano in Hogan's corner. Hogan won via disqualification, setting up the main event of WrestleMania I.

Meanwhile, during that time, more WWF superstars would appear in Lauper's videos for "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough," "Time After Time" and "She Bop."

No. 3: Mr. T

He was in the main event of WrestleMania I.

This wasn't just a one-time appearance, but part of a feud that lasted over a year.

Now after helping to put Hulkamania and the WWF on the mainstream map in the mid-'80s (he co-hosted Saturday Night Live with Hogan and also had a piece on 60 Minutes with Hogan), the question was how could Mr. T top that?

Try by competing in a boxing match with his rival from WrestleMania I, Rowdy Roddy Piper, and starting Piper's face turn by not being able to box as well as Hot Rod, leading to the crowd turning towards Piper at WrestleMania II.

His work aside, Mr. T would make sense in the WWF anyways. He was a larger than life character and had the look that Vince McMahon loves. He would've fit in well had he been a full-time performer.

Then there's the special guest referee in that match...

No. 2: Muhammad Ali

Ali's first foray into professional wrestling could also be considered the very first MMA match.

On June 26th, 1976, Antonio Inoki took on Muhammad Ali in Tokyo. At first, Inoki promised Ali that the match would be a work. However, after agreeing to the fight, Ali's camp feared that Inoki would turn it into a shoot, which many thought was Inoki's original intention.

The rules of the match were announced several months in advance. Two days before the match, however, several new rules were added that severely limited the moves that each man could perform. A rule change that had a major effect on the outcome of this match was that Inoki could only throw a kick if one of his knees was on the ground.

In the match, Ali landed a total of six punches to Inoki, and Inoki kept to his back in a defensive position almost the full duration of the match of 15 rounds, hitting Ali with a low kick repeatedly. After the match, which after 15 rounds ended in a 3-3 draw, Ali left without a press conference.

This match is considered by many to be the first widely promoted Mixed Martial Arts match

The match was partly promoted by Vince McMahon Sr.

Nine years later, Ali would make another impact, as he was the special guest referee for the main event at WrestleMania I between Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against Rowdy Roddy Piper and "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff.

Part of what made Ali great and so iconic is also some of the techniques he learned from pro wrestling as far as getting publicity. He is said to have learned a lot from Gorgeous George. It can be argued that Ali would be considered a "heel" in his early years and even be considered an "anti-American heel" when he refused to enlist in the Vietnam War, and then turned face towards the end of his career and is now considered one of the most beloved people in the world today.

No. 1: Andy Kauffman

Despite Ali-Inoki being the precursor to MMA, this isn't an MMA list. It's a professional wrestling list—and there was no better celebrity-wrestling crossover than Andy Kaufman.

It all started when comedian and star of Taxi Andy Kaufman, a lifelong wrestling fan who was inspired by the theatrics of kayfabe and the staged nature, along with his own penchant for playing practical jokes and hoaxes, began wrestling women and proclaimed himself the "Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion of the World."

Initially, Kaufman took his idea to Vince McMahon Sr. of the WWF in New York. However, McMahon found the idea to be too gimmicky and advised Kaufman to take it instead into the southern territories.

Kaufman did just that and would find himself in Memphis, where he was challenged by Jerry "The King" Lawler. Lawler challenged Kaufman to step into the ring with a man, that man being Lawler himself. Their ongoing feud would feature Kaufman, who was tremendously over as a heel, aligning with other heels in the territory, such as manager Jimmy Hart.

During the course of Lawler and Kaufman's first match, Lawler gave Kaufman two piledrivers and was disqualified (at the time, piledrivers were illegal in the Memphis territory and in most other territories). These piledrivers would send Kaufman to the hospital with a broken neck. They would later appear on Late Night With David Letterman, where Lawler would slap Kaufman in the face, causing Kaufman to throw coffee at Lawler and then threaten a lawsuit and curse out Lawler.

For some time after that, Kaufman would wear a neck brace and continue to defend the Inter-Gender title in Memphis, where he also offered an additional prize: $1,000 to the woman that beats him, plus she would be married to him and he would shave his head bald.

In real life though, Lawler and Kaufman were good friends. While many took this feud to be real, it was actually an elaborate work. Kaufman's neck injury was real; however, it was played up to be worse than it actually was. Lawler even stated in his book It's Good to Be the King...Sometimes that Kaufman's outburst and Lawler's slap of Kaufman on Letterman were all Kaufman's idea.

Lawler also revealed in his autobiography that after Kaufman's death, family members discovered numerous uncashed checks from his wrestling tenure, suggesting that Kaufman participated in wrestling purely for the love of the sport and not for money.

Kaufman's affect on professional wrestling is still felt today. At least with me, I see Kaufman's inspiration in The Miz, the former reality show star who's now a legitimate WWE superstar (although he is nowhere near Kaufman's level).

Kaufman was also great at drawing heat, a skill that many heels that have been in the business their whole lives still struggle with.

For this reason and how revolutionary his angle with Lawler was, Andy Kaufman is the best celebrity-pro wrestling crossover of all time.

The best part is, neither Vince McMahon, Eric Bischoff nor Vince Russo had anything to do with it. 

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to YouTube for the videos, as well as the celebs that participated in their respective angles and the people who booked them.

Extra special thanks to you, the readers, who made the top 10 worst celebs such a success that I had to do a best list.

Also for both, special thanks to all of the websites and Google for helping me get all of the information I needed on these subjects. This and the last project took a good while, and it would be impossible without the proper research.