April 27 – Rob Bonnette breaks down ultra important legacy Celebrities as Legends of WrestleMania!

Celebrity involvement in WrestleMania has become a sore spot for many this year, with the inclusion of stars like Jelly Roll and Lil Yachty showing up this Spring, just a year after the disastrous Travis Scott debacle of WrestleMania 41. But as bad as that was, it ‘s not justification to dump all over the very idea of celebrity participation in the biggest show of the year.  WrestleMania wouldn’t be WrestleMania without celebrities. After all, the first one literally had one wrestling in the main event – Mr. T. It also featured Liberace, the Rockettes, Muhammad Ali, and Cyndi Lauper in various roles throughout the show. The next year’s show had a battle royal where NFL players like Refrigerator Perry and Bill Fralic competed against Andre the Giant and Big John Studd.  And in more recent years, there has been Bad Bunny and Logan Paul stepping into the squared circle and doing great jobs.

Vince McMahon had a vision of making the then-WWF as big an entertainment property as Disney. In fact, he even said quite often that his competition was Disney and not Jim Crockett or Eric Bischoff. A big part of that was getting his WWE Superstars in the same spaces as big time Hollywood actors, recording artists, etc. But early on, that meant getting them to show up at his events until such a time when they could extend the invitation in the other direction. By leveraging Hulk Hogan’s Rocky III connections with Mr. T into the latter showing up and getting in the ring, Vince would find his initial gateway into getting his company to become more than just another wrestling company. And it helped that many of them were already fans who jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the show.

41 years later, while this year’s batch is causing a lot of consternation, the reality is that some of the best moments and matches in the show’s history have involved them. Sami Zayn vs Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania 38, Bad Bunny and Damien Priest vs Miz and John Morrison at WrestleMania 37, and other matches have served as launching pads to full fledged wrestling careers. Like Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle vs Stephanie McMahon and HHH at WrestleMania 34, and Logan Paul and The Miz vs Rey and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 38.  And while that’s gone on, the door has started to swing both ways. Whether it’s Hogan and Mr T, to the Rock hosting SNL, all the way to Seth Rollins being a regular on Good Morning Football during the NFL season.

This year’s group is batting 50/50 it seems. Jelly Roll and Pat McAfee are causing a lot of groaning, but at the same time iShowSpeed and Lil Yachty seem to be fitting in just fine. And for all the handwringing about the first two, they have both done well in previous appearances, so don’t be surprised if they find a way to exceed our low expectations this time.

April 26 – PC Tunney breaks down Andre the Giant’s massive legacy as a Legend of WrestleMania!

Any time Andre the Giant comes up, I instantly think about how he is easily the most legitimate professional wrestler EVER. I see Brock in that light as well, which is why that is my number one dream match of all-time. If you have only seen Andre’s Mania era work, I highly suggest finding some of his work from the 1970’s. Young Andre was a site to behold; not just for his size and stature, but his agility and style. This is a WrestleMania series though, and there is plenty to relish in here as well. Let’s dig into each of his six appearances which occurred at each of the first six WrestleManias.

WrestleMania I – Andre the Giant defeats Big John Studd w/Bobby Heenan

This was a Body Slam Challenge for $15,000. Andre and Studd were two of the most well known Big Men of the 1980’s and were no strangers to each other. Studd had been bragging that nobody could body slam him, and offered a cash reward to anyone who could accomplish this heroic feat. Enter the hero: Andre the Giant. Andre easily accomplishes this mission and happily tosses the money into the crowd post match. Quite hilarious to see the Brain’s reaction to money lost.

WrestleMania II – Andre the Giant wins a 20 Man Battle Royal

This Battle Royal included WWF and NFL superstars, including William “The Refrigerator” Perry. This type of match easily highlighted Andre’s unstoppable presence. Could any one man defeat Andre? Let alone the 19 others in this Battle Royal.

WrestleMania III – Andre the Giant pinned by Hulk Hogan (c)

After a very lackluster Mania II, the build to this immeasurably important moment was excellent. Andre had long been the lovable giant, but his jealousy of Hulk Hogan grew and grew over the prior few years. The iconic Piper’s Pit where Andre challenges Hogan and rips his shirt and necklace leaving a bleeding Hulkster in disbelief sets the stage for the most important main event to this day in Mania history. The iconic “Slam Heard Round The World” in front of 93,000 fans at the SilverDome was truly a passing of the torch from pro wrestling’s most important figure to its new undeniable and charismatic leader, Hulk Hogan.

WrestleMania IV – Andre the Giant vs Hulk Hogan ends in a Double DQ

After Andre finally captured the WWF title defeating Hulk Hogan at The Main Event, the title was later vacated. Controversial officiating and interference from The Million Dollar man were given as the reasoning and a stage for a grand tournament to be held entirely at WrestleMania IV. After a frenzy of chaos and some CHAIRSHOTs too, this quarterfinal matchup was deemed a double DQ, opening the door for the Macho Man’s crowning achievement.

WrestleMania V – Andre the Giant DQ loss to Jake Roberts

Let me be frank here… Andre DID NOT LIKE Jake. Now, throw in his fear of snakes and this is a real life feud unfolding before your very eyes. Former rival Big John Studd was brought in as special guest referee, tilting the favor towards Jake the Snake. The DQ victory takes a back seat to Andre’s easily noticeable fear and anxiety. I’ve been lucky enough to interview Jake on a few occasions and I believe him when he says that Andre is the scariest human he has ever encountered.

WrestleMania VI – The Colossal Connection (c) defeated by Demolition

The Colossal Connection is easily one of the most legitimate tag teams in history. We talked about the legitimacy of Andre and Brock earlier. Well, you can add Haku to the list without question. Andre was very much winding down physically by this point, but the tag-team scene gave him one last solid story and a title run. These were two of my favorite tag teams ever in another iconic Mania moment. After the loss, Heenan and Haku turned on Andre, forcing the Giant to fend for himself and fight off the traitors. The crowd reacted appropriately, cheering the longtime heel for turning back into the Giant they had known and loved for years.

“We face each other as God intended. Sportsmanlike. No tricks, no weapons, skill against skill alone.”

Thank you, Andre the Giant. Forever in our hearts!