5 Alternative roads to WrestleMania 

Time to get pointing
Time to get pointing

#3 Challenge a celebrity

Mr. T and Piper clashed at two WrestleManias
Mr. T and Piper clashed at two WrestleManias

Celebrities vs wrestlers is an idea that stretches back to the first WrestleMania when Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff challenged Hulk Hogan and television star, Mr T.

Other famous instances of celebs getting in the ring include Laurence Taylor challenging Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event of WrestleMania 11 and Floyd Mayweather knocking out The Big Show at WM24.

The last time WWE tried to get a celebrity into the ring was when they attempted to arrange a Mickey Rourke vs Chris Jericho match at WrestleMania 25. Rourke was the star of The Wrestler, the best depiction of pro wrestling on the silver screen; the movie earned numerous accolades. Jericho was coming off the year of his career in 2008 after reinventing himself as a self-righteous heel.

Rourke challenged Jericho at a red-carpet event in January 2009. Shortly after, Rourke’s representatives stepped in and called the match off, possibly fearing that if Rourke competed at WrestleMania, it would hurt his chance at winning an Oscar.

The match was changed to a three-on-one handicap match with Jericho facing a legends team of Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and a returning Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat.

Rourke did end up in the ring with Jericho after the match, KO-ing Y2J with a mean punch but an actual one-on-one bout between the two would’ve been the ‘WrestleMania Moment’ Jericho never got.

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Edited by Riju Dasgupta
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