5 Times major celebrities stole headlines at WWE  events

From Mike Tyson to Floyd Mayweather to Tyson Fury, the involvement of celebrities at WWE events has been the norm for decades.

Such is the popularity of WWE and its unique blend of sports and entertainment, it is only natural that it has gained a huge following all around the world - with celebrities being a big part of it.

From those who grew up watching the product themselves to those who just know a good business opportunity when it presents itself, the lure to appear on WWE programming has proved too strong for a string of big names over the years.

From cameo roles to major matches, celebrity involvement at big WWE events has taken all forms - most notably of course at the company's biggest event of the year, WrestleMania.

The whole idea of the very first WrestleMania was, of course, to gain mainstream attention for WWE, and the involvement of the likes of Mr. T from the A-Team back in 1985 did that job superbly.

In the 35 WrestleManias that have followed - plus other pay per views and RAW and SmackDown on television, we've been treated to plenty of memorable moments featuring major names who hadn't established themselves in WWE to find their fame.

Here, we take a look at five times major celebrities grabbed the headlines at WWE events:

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#5. Floyd Mayweather Jr

Mayweather rocks The Big Show at WrestleMania

Floyd Mayweather Jr was undoubtedly the biggest name in boxing for a generation when he made the switch - albeit temporarily - to become a WWE Superstar ahead of WrestleMania 24.

'Money' Mayweather took on the mammoth Big Show in Orlando, Florida, in a hard-hitting no disqualification match. It's interesting to note, however, that Mayweather didn't just turn up for 'Mania and do a few minutes' work for his payday - he actually did plenty of work in building the feud before the show.

At No Way Out, one of the events before WrestleMania, he aided good friend, Rey Mysterio, from a post-match beat-down by Big Show. The boxer turned the tables and left the seven-footer laying instead.

Mayweather then appeared at RAW shows in the build-up to WrestleMania and was there for a 'weigh-in', too.

#4. Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson alongside Stone Cold Steve Austin

If Mayweather was one big name who put in a real shift to cement and solidify his storyline ahead of a major event, then Mike Tyson would certainly be another.

Possibly one of the most famous boxers of all time, Tyson's involvement with WWE began at Royal Rumble 1998 when he appeared as a 'fan' to support his favorite Superstar, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin went on to win the Royal Rumble match that night, punching his ticket to WrestleMania along the way.

The match was set to be Austin v Shawn Michaels for the WWE title, with Tyson all ready to be announced as the 'special guest enforcer' for the bout on Monday Night RAW - that is before Austin gatecrashed the announcement by confronting Tyson and ruining the moment.

Seemingly, as a result, The Baddest Man on the Planet then aligned himself with Michaels as a member of D-Generation X, thereby stacking the deck against the challenger.

The major sensation came at WrestleMania itself when, with the match's regular referee knocked down, Tyson rushed into the ring to deliver a fast count after Austin had delivered the Stone Cold Stunner to the champ, thus gifting him the victory in an apparent double-turn!

#3. Pete Rose

Pete Rose was left in a heap at WrestleMania in 1998

In early 1998, there were few bigger heels or more sinister Superstars in WWE than Kane.

The Big Red Machine had made his debut just months prior as the younger brother of The Undertaker and quickly set about doing all he could to get a match against him - which he finally got for WrestleMania 14 in 1998.

Ahead of the show in Boston, baseball great Pete Rose appeared in the ring, seemingly to act as the ring announcer. First, though, he set about baiting the local fans with criticism of the Boston Red Sox. Kane, never one for messing around, shut Rose up by scooping him up and Tombstoning him in the middle of the ring - much to the delight of the crowd.

The 'feud' between Rose and Kane would become a running joke of sorts, with the two clashing at future WrestleManias, almost always at the expense of some severe pain for Rose. Rose appeared at WrestleMania in 1999 and 2000, and was even inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame four years later - by Kane, of course!

#2. Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury, right, with Braun Strowman

As was widely expected, WWE's high-profile debut on FOX with Friday Night SmackDown was a massive hit. With The Rock in attendance, the show earned over 3 million viewers.

One of the other key, standout moments from the night was the clash between WWE Superstar - and current Universal Champion - Braun Strowman and British boxing powerhouse, Tyson Fury.

Dubbed the Gypsy King back in his homeland, Fury was at ringside for the SmackDown show and didn't take kindly to Strowman getting in his face. A tangle ensued and before we knew it, a match between the two was set for a few weeks later at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.

Fury would win by count-out after flooring Strowman with a hefty punch, before appearing to patch things up with the Monster Among Men on a subsequent episode of SmackDown when he suggested the two of them team up as a tag team.

Fury's stint with WWE was rumored to have pocketed him a cool $15 million.

#1. Rob Gronkowski

Rob Gronkowski runs through Jinder Mahal at WrestleMania

American football star Rob 'The Gronk' Gronkowski is no stranger to WWE. He is, after all, WWE 24/7 Champion at the time of writing.

Gronkowski defeated good friend, Mojo Rawley, at WrestleMania 36 to claim the title. He had already been making a big impression as the host of the two-day spectacle.

However, Gronkowski first made headlines in the world of WWE three years ago at the same event, when he was present for WrestleMania 33 in Orlando, Florida. There to support Rawley in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, he was less than impressed when Jinder Mahal confronted him at ringside.

Keen to gain a measure of revenge for Mahal throwing a drink in his face, he entered the ring, floored Mahal with a huge football tackle, aiding Rawley to what was the biggest win of his career to that point.

Prior to his return to the WWE spotlight ahead of the 2020 version of Mania, it was reported that Gronkowski had signed a contract with the company.