In a few short hours, the curtain will raise on Wrestlemania 32, the biggest date on the Sports Entertainment calendar, and yes, we can all agree it’s a bit silly and fake, but there’s no denying that, more often than not, it is a tremendous amount of fun. And none more so, that when the world of movies and the WWE collided, creating some absolutely crowd pleasing moments. Check out below for just five, and feel free to share your favourites in the comments below.
Hugh Jackman vs “Magneto”
Wrestler Damian Sandow has had a hard time of it in the last few years, with the promotion finding less and less time for him on their programming. But at the height of his popularity, he had an amazing gimmick as stunt man to follower wrestler, and actor, The Miz. As ‘Mizdow’, he would mimic the Miz’s actions perfectly, in and out of the ring. The seeds of this gimmick were sowed with Sandow interrupting promo’s dressed as famous characters. And the best of these were when he burst in on Hugh Jackman’s time in the ring, dressed in a cut price Magneto costume. And fair play to Jackman for really getting into the bit.
Finn Balor becomes Leather Face
This one is just hot off the presses. Irish wrestler Fergal Devitt was one of the hottest indie wrestlers in the world, delighting fans with his theatrical entrances, dressing up as everyone from Freddy Kruger to The Joker. Once he entered NXT, WWE’s developmental brand, he became Finn Balor, taking on the persona of The Demon, tapping into the darkest parts of his soul with some scarily impressive body paint. With NXT branching out and leaving its home at Full Sail University in Florida more and more, Balor has been upping the ante. Which brings us nicely to last Friday, and NXT Takeover: Dallas, which sees Balor, chainsaw in hand, channelling the state’s most famous cinematic boogeyman.
The Muppets visit Raw
Around the time The Muppets hit the big screen, WWE’s flagship show, Raw, had a rotating cast of hosts week in, week out. So of course, Kermit and co. would turn up, pimping their big screen return, and delivering some hilarious moments, including Beaker meeting fellow redhead, Irishman Sheamus.
Chris Jericho vs. Mickey Rourke
Anybody who knows wrestling know Chris Jericho is one of the best heels (that’s wrestling talk for bad guy) out there, rarely slipping out of character when he’s charged with being an asshole to the audience and his opponents. One of the all time classic moment has to be in his feud with Mickey Rourke at Wrestlemania 25, right around the time The Wrestler was making its run for Oscar glory. The feud would see Jericho take on a slew of WWE Legends, ending with Rourke getting in the ring and knocking Jericho out. But in the run up to the event, the wrestler sold his part a bit too well when the two were on Lerry King Live, convincing the actor that he genuinely had a problem with him. This led to Rourke hiring two bodyguards to accompany him to the event in case Jericho stepped out of line.
Hugh Jackman vs “Magneto”
Wrestler Damian Sandow has had a hard time of it in the last few years, with the promotion finding less and less time for him on their programming. But at the height of his popularity, he had an amazing gimmick as stunt man to follower wrestler, and actor, The Miz. As ‘Mizdow’, he would mimic the Miz’s actions perfectly, in and out of the ring. The seeds of this gimmick were sowed with Sandow interrupting promo’s dressed as famous characters. And the best of these were when he burst in on Hugh Jackman’s time in the ring, dressed in a cut price Magneto costume. And fair play to Jackman for really getting into the bit.
Finn Balor becomes Leather Face
This one is just hot off the presses. Irish wrestler Fergal Devitt was one of the hottest indie wrestlers in the world, delighting fans with his theatrical entrances, dressing up as everyone from Freddy Kruger to The Joker. Once he entered NXT, WWE’s developmental brand, he became Finn Balor, taking on the persona of The Demon, tapping into the darkest parts of his soul with some scarily impressive body paint. With NXT branching out and leaving its home at Full Sail University in Florida more and more, Balor has been upping the ante. Which brings us nicely to last Friday, and NXT Takeover: Dallas, which sees Balor, chainsaw in hand, channelling the state’s most famous cinematic boogeyman.
Frank Drebin solves the mystery of the two Undertakers
In the Rumble Royal that took place on January 22nd 1994, the wrestler you have all probably heard of, The Undertaker, lost a Casket Match with Yokozuna, and went missing for several months. In reality, he was given time off to let a back injury heal. His return was pencilled in for 94’s Summerslam, and in the run up to the event, two Undertakers were introduced, with the event playing host between the two. For ages, the mystery of the two Undertakers was built up, and who else could be brought in to solve it but Leslie Neilsen’s Frank Drebin, taking centre stage in some hilarious Naked Gun parodies.
The Muppets visit Raw
Around the time The Muppets hit the big screen, WWE’s flagship show, Raw, had a rotating cast of hosts week in, week out. So of course, Kermit and co. would turn up, pimping their big screen return, and delivering some hilarious moments, including Beaker meeting fellow redhead, Irishman Sheamus.
Chris Jericho vs. Mickey Rourke
Anybody who knows wrestling know Chris Jericho is one of the best heels (that’s wrestling talk for bad guy) out there, rarely slipping out of character when he’s charged with being an asshole to the audience and his opponents. One of the all time classic moment has to be in his feud with Mickey Rourke at Wrestlemania 25, right around the time The Wrestler was making its run for Oscar glory. The feud would see Jericho take on a slew of WWE Legends, ending with Rourke getting in the ring and knocking Jericho out. But in the run up to the event, the wrestler sold his part a bit too well when the two were on Lerry King Live, convincing the actor that he genuinely had a problem with him. This led to Rourke hiring two bodyguards to accompany him to the event in case Jericho stepped out of line.
