Since its inception, Hollywood and WWE have had a long and intertwined history. It all started with the first WrestleMania, where Cyndi Lauper made an indelible impact with her vivid showmanship alongside Wendi Richter, and her proactive promotion of the spectacle even before the venue’s lights were switched on.
The WWE has perpetually invited household names, spanning from the fearsome Mike Tyson, famously known as ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet,’ who entered into a pact with D-Generation X, through to social media mogul and YouTuber, Logan Paul, securing the title of United States Champion.
Continuing the tradition, global superstars such as Bad Bunny and Damian Priest have also marked their place in WWE history by delivering an unforgettable performance in a San Juan Street Fight. The wrestling ring and Hollywood glam, both exaggerating in nature, indeed interlink seamlessly.
But, the amalgamation of these two dynamic industries and the larger-than-life personas can sometimes lead to friction. Majority of the time, these disputes originate on digital platforms, with one party launching a verbal jab at another.
These feuds can progressively meld into a narrative arc on WWE programming and could even culminate in a main event, eventually leading to both celebrities and wrestlers burying the hatchet. However, occasionally, the virtual showdown remains confined to keyboards with no definitive conclusion, sparking only news items and piquing fan interest.
There are instances where celebrities are oblivious to the fact that WWE figures may be subtly setting up a potential storyline with their edgy social media posts. On the flip side, some stars become too immersed in the on-screen narratives, posting their sentiments publicly just like any ordinary viewer, not foreseeing a response from the involved wrestlers.
Professional wrestling is a world where the line between ‘work’ – the pre-determined outcomes and ‘shoot’ – the unscripted, real incidents, often becomes blurry. This poses a constant challenge in discerning the authenticity of these disputes.
At times, the disagreement is resolved allowing all parties to collaborate for the sake of entertainment, whilst in other instances, the bitterness lingers, tainting the relationship between both the celebrity and the WWE entity.