Ahead of Triplemania Night 1 in Las Vegas, WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio said he has no problem with celebrities and professional athletes stepping into the wrestling ring, pushing back against fan fatigue over the growing mix of pro wrestling and mainstream entertainment.
Over the past few years, WWE has drawn a steady stream of outside stars into the squared circle, including Jason Kelce, Bad Bunny, Jelly Roll, Ryan Garcia, Mike Mathews, Cam Skattebo and Lil Yachty. Tom Brady even said he would consider a WWE storyline before getting in the face of Logan Paul and attempting to slap the wrestler.
Speaking with OutKick Dropkick, Mysterio said the trend brings new attention to the sport.
“I really don’t mind it at all. We always had celebrities pop into our world and maybe they were fans prior, maybe they weren’t fans and they came over and they saw our craft, they respected it,” he said. “And people back then, I believe, didn’t really respect wrestling and then they got into the ring, and they felt it, and they were like, ‘Whoa, this s— is real. We thought it was fake.’ No, it’s not fake.”
He added that the collaborations benefit both sides.
“But overall, I think it’s always fun and cool to have collaborations from celebrities jumping on over to our craft as well as us to their craft, their sport, whatever it is that they’re doing. That makes things much more interesting. We engage with much more fans and I think that’s the goal of it all – to get as many eyes as possible.”
Celebrity crossovers with wrestling go back decades. Mr. T, Muhammad Ali and Cyndi Lauper appeared at the first WrestleMania. NFL great Lawrence Taylor competed in a battle royal, Steve McMichael went from Super Bowl champion to in-ring performer, and David Arquette once won a championship at World Championship Wrestling.
The traffic has also flowed in the other direction. Hulk Hogan and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson both became major film stars, and current WWE talents Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns and Liv Morgan have taken on Hollywood projects of their own. Insane Clown Posse rapper Violent J has also spoken about his connection to pro wrestling, which led him to compete and found Juggalo Championship Wrestling.
Mysterio’s comments came as Las Vegas hosted Triplemania Night 1, part of a broader moment in which wrestling promotions continue courting audiences from music, film, sports and other corners of entertainment.
