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15. FRED OLEN RAY

Ever watch the cult classic HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS? EVIL TOONS? Those INNER SANCTUM movies on Cinemax at 2 am in the morning? Well, they're all directed by Fred Olen Ray, a longtime filmmaker who has been creating low-budget but endearing B-movies since the late 1970s. And for some reason, he decided he wanted to get busted open by Terry Funk and Abdullah the Butcher on a regular basis, so in the 1990s, he founded his own wrestling promotion, ACW (All-Star Championship Wrestling) where he performed as "Fabulous" Freddie Valentine. Around the same time, he also created the interesting documentary SOUTHERN DISCOMFORT, a look at a small-town wrestling show.

14. TIFFANY MILLION / SANDRA SCOTT

The worlds of professional wrestling, adult entertainment and reality shows intersect quite often, but few can claim to have participated in all three during their career. Born Sandra Schwab, Tiffany Million managed all three. In the late 1980s, she entered the grappling world when she was hired for the second season of GLOW. Packaged as Tiffany Mellon, she was part of the Park Avenue Knockouts before leaving during the following season. From there, she pursued an adult career, changing her name to Tiffany Million (and about 80 different variations of it) and becoming well-enough known in the business to get a comic book biography (those were a thing at one point). In more recent years, Tiffany emerged into public view again, this time as the subject of the TV reality show WIFE, MOM, BOUNTY HUNTER, where she was billed as Sandra Scott.

13. REBECCA WILD

Another veteran of the adult entertainment industry, Rebecca Wild was one of the bigger stars of the early-to-mid 1990s, often getting the cover spot on the video releases. Retiring in 2001 after a decade working, Wild found a new, albeit brief, calling. In the wake of WCW and ECW's respective demises, a number of promotions popped up to fill the void. One such promotion was WEW (alternately WOMENS EROTIC WRESTLING or WOMENS EXTREME WRESTLING depending on the market). To help fill out their roster, the fledgling promotion brought in a number of adult actresses and one of those women was Rebecca. And to be honest, she showed a decent bit more aptitude and potential for the sport than the other actresses. It was not to be, though, and after a few shows, Wild retired from wrestling as well.

12. LESTER SPEIGHT

The name Lester Speight might not ring many bells, but perhaps the name Terry Tate will. In 2003, Reebok launched a series of television commercials featuring the character "Terrible" Terry Tate, whose antics bodying his office coworkers quickly made him a sensation. While this was a much bigger spotlight for Speight, it wasn't the first time he stood under one as he had previously wrestled as Rasta the Voodoo Man. The character (which predated WWF's Papa Shango) appeared for a time on Global's ESPN show before Speight left, taking the character with him through various promotions (even ECW for one show) for the next few years before retiring from the ring in '98.

11. TERRY CREWS

Remember the time Terry Crews invaded WCW Nitro? Of the hundreds of celebrity appearances that promotion had over the years, this one gets remarkably little mention these days, especially given the star Crews would become later. But in 1999, he was an unknown and after almost signing with the WWF, he instead opted to join the new program BATTLE DOME, a competition show heavily reminiscent of AMERICAN GLADIATORS. As the character T-Money, Crews was among the "Warriors" that would help squash amateur athletes' dreams every week in syndication. Some time into the shows run, a cross-promotion was put together with WCW, leading to a number of wrestlers showing up at a Battle Dome show to heckle the Warriors. In kind, T-Money and his crew would then invade the November 6 2000 episode of Nitro, attacking Diamond Dallas Page. The back and forth continued between the two companies for a time before fizzling out without any real payoff.

10. CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT

Yep, even little Peter Brady has a spot in wrestling history. He only wrestled one match, but it was for WCW.

At a PPV.

And you've never seen a single frame of footage from it. Not even a picture, as far as my research can tell.

At Spring Stampede 1994, Knight stepped into the ring to face fellow former child star Danny Bonaduce (we'll get to him in a moment) in a dark match. Details are extremely sparse but it appears to have been done as a publicity bit for a radio show and I do not believe it was ever even mentioned on WCW television. Bonaduce would end up winning the match. If anyone has pics or footage of this match, I am dying to see it.

9. DANNY BONADUCE

We have already covered Bonaduce's first foray into pro wrestling, but it certainly wasn't his last. The former PARTRIDGE FAMILY star would enter the ring again in 2008 as part of Hulk Hogan's CELEBRITY CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING reality show, training and taking on other celebrities under the guidance of Hogan and his crew. The following year, he would work another PPV dark match, this one at TNA Lockdown 2009, where he lost to Eric Young in a cage match.

8. TODD BRIDGES

Speaking of CELEBRITY CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING, the truth is, there were only two people on the men's side that didn't have *some* sort of previous pro wrestling experience when the show started - Todd Bridges and Frank Stallone. Unlike Frank, Bridges would attempt to continue his wrestling career after the show ended. At Fog City Wrestling's "Nuclear Winter" event, Bridges would team with Hernandez and Savio Vega before turning on them after winning the match. So I guess he did learn something from Hogan's show.

7. DUSTIN DIAMOND

When I said most of the men on Hogan's CCW had prior wrestling experience, it applies to none more so than the late Dustin Diamond. As early as 2000, the former SAVED BY THE BELL star was turning up in the Memphis promotion as a manager and general nuisance. A couple of years later, Diamond would team with the Blue Meanie in Wisconsin, taking on the team of Gangrel and Luna. That same year, the former Screech appeared at the twelfth TNA weekly PPV, defeating Tiny the Timekeeper. Don't ask, keep moving. Even after CCW, Diamond continued his efforts in the wrestling ring, taking part in AAW Path of Redemption 2011 and FTW Summer of Synn 2012 in tag matches.

6. SAM J. JONES

Admit it: The bass from the theme song just kickstarted in your head. Yes, Flash Gordon himself has gotten involved with rasslin'. At GalaxyCon 2020, one of the events was Fantasy Super Cosplay Wrestling, a promotion that combines, well cosplay and wrestling (as if that wasn't already just wrestling, but whatever) utilizing actual wrestlers in the costumes. At event, one of the heels dressed as Ming the Merciless and while he and a wrestling Loki terrorized a good guy, one particular GalaxyCon guest saw his old nemesis Ming in the ring and had to be a hero one more time. Sam J. Jones, star of 1980's classic FLASH GORDON film walked down the aisle and saved "Star-Lord" from the others, punching Ming in the face before giving him a clothesline, allowing the babyface of the match to win.

5. TOM SAVINI

The various incarnations of what we call "Memphis Wrestling" saw many, many bizarre angles and gimmicks over its time. Few were as bizarre - and somewhat offensive - as one that came at the very twilight of the region's run. In 2010, Jerry Lawler was giving the area another go in one final, futile attempt and wanted something like the Kaufman angle to help light a spark. Never shy of courting controversy, Lawler convinced special effects legend Tom Savini (who would later design the Fiend mask for WWE) to help out. Thus, for the brief existence of this Memphis incarnation, Savini would send in taped promos, accusing Lawler of murdering Andy Kaufman with the piledriver and sending a "monster of the week" after him each show. Each of these rip-off "monsters" were typical Memphis buffoonery complete with Halloween City rubber masks (along with one Joker rip-off). Savini would never actually appear at an event, the promotion dying a quick and painful death. But not by piledriver.

The oddest part of this one for me personally is that the footage of these shows *was* on Youtube at one point and now it seems to have completely vanished.

4. ADAM WEST

I know I've used "bizarre" a few times in this list, but when you're talking Memphis, what else is there? In 1976, Adam West was in Tennessee as a guest of honor for an upcoming car show (DC at the time was allowing West to do special appearances as Batman, complete with a Batmobile), when massive Batman fan Jerry Lawler convinced him (there's that phrase again) to appear on the Memphis studio show to promote it. West arrived at the studio noticeably inebriated and either forgot the rest of the Batman costume or someone with the station's legal department realized putting a drunk Batman in an authorized Batman suit on live TV wasn't a great idea, so he came out for an interview wearing the cowl and generic jump suit to confront Lawler. Just watch it, I can't really describe how strange it gets.

3. MACAULAY CULKIN

While Culkin had some WWF appearances over the years, we're not here for those. Instead, let's go to December 2015, when the PARTY MONSTER star got involved in a Bar Wrestling match involving Hornswoggle, deploying a number of his HOME ALONE tricks against the former WWE star before being given an assist on a splash from the turnbuckle to help his friends win the match. And he did it while wearing rabbit ears.

2. BOB SAGET

The world was stunned in 2022 with the news of comedian Bob Saget's sudden passing. As many paid tribute to him, one aspect of his life and career stood out to me, as I was already in the process of putting this list together and until then had no idea Saget had a connection to wrestling. A couple of strong ones, actually. In 2006, he was named Commissioner of the promotion CHIKARA, appearing via video to announce upcoming matches. A few years later in 2010, he filmed an episode of his show STRANGE DAYS focused on wrestling by visiting a number of small wrestling shows, culminating in a Dragongate event where he would interview Roddy Piper; this would lead to Saget being confronted in the ring by a very young Jon Moxley. Thankfully, another wrestler intervened and Bob departed, remembering he left something in his car. Sigh. I miss him.

1. JACKIE GLEASON

And finally, the Great One. In 1975, Gleason - still a couple of years from his turn in SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT - attended an Eddie Graham-promoted show in Miami Beach, Florida (at the time, Gleason's residence). Gleason's presence was noticed and he was brought into the ring to acknowledge it. This didn't sit well with Harley Race, who entered the ring and confronted Gleason. Calling Jackie a bum over the house mic, Race received in return two quick punches from Gleason before others intervened. Obviously, while everyone involved claimed innocence, this was absolutely worked out ahead of time. But consider that Harley Race, who - at the time - was in-between his first two NWA World Title reigns, let Gleason go over on him in front of a large crowd in a new arena on home territory with zero potential for any payoff. THAT is how tough Harley was.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

TOYAH – Toyah Willcox is a British singer and actress with eight Top 40 hits and dozens of film and television appearances. She starred as Tanzi in the original UK run of the above-discussed TRAFFORD TANZI.

SABRINA (aka NORMA SYKES) – British 1950s pin-up model and actress, some sources note she had a brief career in professional wrestling, but the little I found appears to be more of a photo-shoot/publicity stunt for a local gym.

GEORGE REEVES - In the wake of his Superman fame, Reeves found few opportunities to break the typecast. Trying to capitalize on it, he partnered with "Judo" Gene LeBell to put on a stage show, with elements similar to a wrestling match (with LeBell training Reeves for the bumbs). There have been reports that Reeves also appeared at actual wrestling shows in Superman garb as a special guest and/or participant but appears unsubstantiated and may be confused with the LeBell project.

RAY "CRASH" CORRIGAN - I found one single reference to the famous stuntman-actor appearing at an Alabama show, possibly as a referee, but source may be dubious.

SANTANA JACKSON - Remember that viral video of the Michael Jackson impersonator taking down a belligerent drunk on a sidewalk? Remember that viral video of a wrestler dressed like MJ doing a moonwalk-into-DDT on an opponent? Same person.

DAVID ARQUETTE - I really wanted to start this list with "...so no Deenis Rodmans or David Arquettes" and then immediately list Arquette at #50 for his return to wrestling years after WCW, but ultimately decided his story was slightly different from what I was going for here.

LOU FERRIGNO - I know he's made at least one locker room-type appearance for an independent promotion (beyond his WWF appearances) but I was having trouble pinpointing it/them.

JACK JOHNSON - This was an "almost" as a promoter booked a Johnson vs. George Hackenschmidt bout on a tour both were partaking, but it never actually came to be.

++++++++++++++++++

Written by Madison Carter (August 2023)

Thank you for reading this (very long) piece. It's a little dumb but I'm very proud of it as well (typos and all. IMPACE. Sigh.) - I have 10 years experience with Marvel Comics, writing or co-writing over 60 books, many within the OFFICIAL HANDBOOK field. This is one of the first things I've written in the 10 years since due to crippling writers block.

50 CELEBRITIES YOU (MAYBE) DIDN'T KNOW HAD TIES TO PRO WRESTLING

Even before Mr. T got involved in the first Wrestlemania, celebrities of one form or another have been stepping into the squared circle. A list of those well-known famous folks appearing just on WWE shows over the decades would be near-infinitely long, let alone once you add the ones that showed up in WCW, ECW, IMPACE and, now, AEW. But this list/article, which I first started putting together over five years ago, is an attempt to go beyond the more mainstream publicity stunts. With only a couple of exceptions, this list is going to be a little different, covering 50 of the movie stars, athletes and even politicians who who appeared outside of those notable promotions. Now, in fairness, some on the list were wrestlers first and foremost, but I feel their connections with popular culture outside of the squared circle qualifies them for such a list. And now, the list:

50. BELA LUGOSI

Kicking things off is Dracula himself. One of the earliest examples of a celebrity taking part in a wrestling show, Bela Lugosi appeared on one show managing/seconding NWA legend Lou Thesz. While this may sound unreal considering Thesz' stance on theatrics in wrestling, Lou himself verified it on his old message board. It was essentially a publicity stunt (as all these things are, honestly) arranged by Sandor Szabo, as all three men with ties to Hungary had been acquaintances prior. Sadly, beyond Thesz confirming it happened, little else of the match and event have surfaced; no date, venue or opponent (possibly Szabo?) is known, nor is whether or not Bela wore his famous Dracula cape to the ring.

49. KIWI KINGSTON

Lugosi wasn't the only Universal Monster to get involved with pro wrestling. Unlike Bela, New Zealand-born Erine "Kiwi" Kingston was a wrestler first - with a 20+ year career stretching back to the late 1940s. - but his turn as the Frankenstein Monster in the Hammer/Universal co-production THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1964) late in his career is undoubtedly what he is most well-known for today. He would have two more unremarkable cinematic outtings and wrap up his wrestling career by 1969. He may not have been the most well-known Frankenstein Monster in either the Hammer or Universal series, he is technically the final Universal one, so that counts for something.

48. MAX PALMER

One of the legit giants of the wrestling ring, Max Palmer's billed height ranged anywhere between 7'7" and 8'2 While neither is likely accurate, he was still a tall, tall boy. Palmer originally took his massive frame to Hollywood, but only managed to snag a handful of (known) roles while there. Mostly used for sight gags on comedy shows starring the likes of Martin & Lewis as well as Jimmy Durante, Palmer would become somewhat iconic as one of the more prominent Martians in INVADERS FROM MARS (1953).

Palmer was also the titular monster in the B-movie KILLER APE (1953), sparring with Johnny (Tarzan) Weissmuller's Jungle Jim. Leaving Tinseltown behind, Palmer would soon find another calling in the squared circle. Originally billed under his real name, he would soon alternate between it and Paul Bunyan (and later, a third gimmick - Hercules) as he worked territories across the country, including (what would eventually be known as) Mid-Atlantic, CWF, AWA and Tri-State/Mid-South often taking part in battle royals and 2-or3-on-1 matches, but also working with the likes of Verne Gagne, Bobo Brazil, Dory Funk and Angelo Poffo. While it lasted longer than his acting stint, wrestling was also not Max's ultimate calling; he would retire from the ring after only five years. After that, he became an evangelist billing himself as Goliath For Christ. Most of us just know him as a classic movie monster.

47. TOR JOHNSON

An icon to bad movie buffs everywhere, Tor Johnson's wrestling career isn't *that* big a secret, especially if you watched Tim Burton's ED WOOD (1994). However, I'm a petty bastard and I want to use this as a platform to set one of that lovely film's many, many factual errors straight. While the movie shows the inept director discovering the brutish Johnson at a wrestling show and convincing him to be in a movie, the truth is Johnson's acting career (and to a degree, his wrestling career) were much more robust than Burton's take on things. In truth, by the time Wood and Johnson met, Tor had not only been wrestling for 23 years, but had been acting for 21 of them as well. With over two dozen film credits to his, er, credit prior to the Wood films, Tor had appeared (albeit often uncredited) in the films of W.C. Fields, Erroll Flynn, Abbott and Costello, and Bob Hope. His rasslin' career was nothing to sneeze at, either, with Buddy Rogers being the wrestler Tor worked with the most during his career. Very little of his actual ring work exists (the image used above is from a movie in which he portrayed a wrestler), which is a shame, but how many wrestlers can say they were a Don Post mask?

46. HAROLD SAKATA

Since we're kind of in the "actual wrestlers, just more well-known for some one-off in Hollywood" zone, let's continue with one of the most famous examples. First gaining some amount of fame winning a silver medal in weightlifting for the U.S. at the 1948 Olympics, Sakata began a wrestling career that would span nearly 30 years, working under his own name and as Tosh Togo. During that time, he traveled the world, worked over 2000 matches on record, feuded with the likes of Nick Bockwinkel and helped introduce Rikidozan to the business during a tour of Japan. In 1964, Sakata was cast in his first acting gig as the villainous henchman Oddjob in the James Bond film GOLDFINGER (1964). The film proved a massive hit, eventually amassing $124 million off a $3 million budget. With his sudden demand in Hollywood, Sakata would lighten his grappling schedule over the years as he took on more rolse; while most of the films he appeared in were most of the B-movie nature, he fared better on television, where his instantly-recognizable appearance saw him cast in everything from the ROCKFORD FILES to GILLIGAN'S ISLAND. A memorable parody of Sakata's Oddjob would appear decades later in the first AUSTIN POWERS film, proving this great wrestler's legacy in the cinematic world doesn't look too shabby, either.

45. MACH FUMIAKE

Mach Fumiake (born Fumie Watanabe) is a legitimate legend of the ring. Starting off as a teenage singer and television personality, Mach would joining All-Japan Women's before she was 15. While her career was brief, she became a legend - winning (and losing) their top title, the WWWA World Championship before she turned 16 and retired before 18, leaving behind a legacy that influenced a number who followed and flourished.

BUT...as that may all be well and good and awesome, she's mostly known to western audiences as the lead superhero alien Kilara in the 1980 kaiju film GAMERA SUPER MONSTER. Sadly, little footage of her in-ring work has survived, so even many of those who know of her career have only ever seen her in this film.

44. / 43. LITTLE MAN MACHAN / LITTLE FRANKIE

Moving from Gamera to Godzilla, we have two wrestlers most widely known for portraying the Big G's son. Portraying Minya throughout the original Showa era staring with SON OF GODZILLA (1967), Masao Fukazawa - better known professionally as Little Man Machan - had been a theater performer and professional wrestler before stepping into a rubber suit and his most famous role. Sadly, very little is known about Fukazawa's wrestling career other than he apparently had one.

On the other hand, his successor Little Frankie (real name Masanobu Okamoto) had a very well-documented 10-year career, working for All-Japan, DDT and FMW. Two years into his wrestling career, he was hired to portray Little Godzilla in GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA (1994), essentially the same character as Machan's Minya in the rebooted continuity.

42. PAT ROACH

Another ring veteran with a long and storied career, Pat Roach enjoyed four decades as a mainstay on the British wrestling scene, stretching from 1960 until he retired in 1998 and holding the British World Championship in the mid-'80s. Nearly a decade into his grappling career, Roach was hired to play a small role in Kubrick's A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971) and spent the next thirty years working the two professions concurrently with pretty decent success. He ended up appearing in a number of notable films including three different Robert E. Howard adaptations (CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984), RED SONJA (1985) and KULL (1997), Harryhausen's CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981) and the James Bond vehicle NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN (1983). But there would be two roles in particular that would imprint Roach in wider social awareness, the German Mechanic in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981) and WILLOW (1988)

Roach's appearance in the first Indiana Jones film - he actually appeared in all three of the original trilogy in different roles - was brief but memorable, as his eager but ill-fated hulking mechanic spars with Indy for a few before eating an airplane propeller. It would prove memorable enough that his character received action figures, including a vintage Kenner release at the time of the film. Toward the end of the '80s, Roach would step before the camera again as General Kael for WILLOW, and while the film did not reach the heights of Lucas' previous STAR WARS, it was still marketed heavily and Kael's fearsome visage was plastered all over it.

41. MIKE LANE

Mike Lane may not be that well-known in either the wrestling or film worlds, but he definitely deserves a spot on this because, let's face it - how many wrestlers got to be villains on the 1966 Batman TV show? (Spoiler: There was at least one more, featured later on this list). Lane was a tall man - billed at 6'8" - and turned his size into a career, starting off as a circus act before getting into wrestling, where he was billed as Dick Hollbrook for a time before switching to Tarzan Mike. Throughout the 1950s, Lane worked mostly California promotions, battling the likes of Mad Dog Vachon, Hard Boiled Haggerty and Duke Keomuka.

But not long after getting into wrestling, Lane's height landed him a role as a boxer in THE HARDER THEY FALL (1956), which was Humphrey Bogart's final film role. While still wrestling, Lane picked up a sidegig as an actor, parlaying his frame into multiple roles as the Frankenstein monster (FRANKENSTEIN 1970 (1958) and the 1976 television show MONSTER SQUAD) and Hercules in one of the many peplum films made in Italy at the time. Oh, and he was a Batman villain. Sure, he was just one of the "goons," as Tallulah Bankhead's Black Widow was the main villain for the two-episode story, but Lane's goon was a rarity in that he got his own villain name: Daddy Long Legs. Mike would bring his wrestling career to an end at the start of the '60s, devoting more time to appearing in the likes of KOJAK, KNIGHT RIDER and THE MONKEES, though he apparently returned for one single match in 1985, facing Outlaw Ron Bass.

40. RUSS FRANCIS

Moving away from movies to sports, here's one that has some of you saying "Wait, I thought we weren't counting WWF appearances and everyone knows this guy was in the Wrestlemania 2 battle royal." Well, yes, that's true, but here's what's also true: Russ was something of a "ringer" for the match. Russ was the son of wrestling promoter Ed Francis and teamed with his brother Bill for a number of years in the mid-1970s (all while playing football at the same time), even winning the NWA Hawaii Tag titles.

39. ERNIE HOLMES

And Russ wasn't the only ringer on the football side of that WM2 battle royal. About five years before taking part in that spectacle, two-time Super Bowl winner Holmes had previously dabbled in the wrestling territories, working a little over a dozen matches for the Georgia territory (feuding mostly with Baron Von Raschke), a tag team match with Buck Robley against the Freebirds (Hayes & Gordy) in Mid-South and a few sporadic appearances at a smaller Texas territory.

38. OTIS SISTRUNK

From a Super Bowl-winning Steeler with ties to the Freebirds, we turn to a Super Bowl-winning Raider with ties to the Freebirds. A Pro Bowler, Sistrunk's time in professional wrestling was fairly short. After a one-shot for Mid-Atlantic against Big John Studd, Otis went to Georgia, where he was recruited by Michael Hayes to help him against Terry Gordy and Jimmy Snuka. The ad hoc pair ended up winning the tag titles, but the business proved not to be for Sistrunk, as he would suddenly vacate the title and retire from wrestling after half a dozen or so matches.

37. WOODY STRODE

Few of the football players on this list are as legendary as Woody Strode. When the NFL finally allowed Black men to compete, Strode was one of two such men who broke the race barrier in 1946. Alongside a healthy film career (Woody was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in SPARTACUS (1960)) that saw him appear in around a hundred roles in 55 years, Strode featured in Tarzan/jungle and Hercules/peplum movies, westerns, and was even a Batman villain at one point, as the Grand Mogul (told ya Mike Lane wasn't the only Bat-Villain on this list).

But before Woody ever played professional football, he was a pro wrestler. Strode first jumped into the squared circle in 1940, working the California area for a short time before his football career took off. Once touchdowns were in the past, Strode would again return to wrestling in 1949, spending the next eight years working the likes of Gorgeous George as he traveled everywhere from Hawaii to Canada. After a brief comeback half a decade later, Strode finally hung up the boots and focused on acting.

36. ALEX KARRAS

Few football players on this list had a more controversial career than four-time Pro Bowler Alex Karras. For about six months, Karras turned to pro wrestling between his college and NFL careers, having matches with the likes of Wilbur Snyder, Dick the Bruiser, the original Nicoli Volkoff, Don & Jackie Fargo, and Bronco Lubich. In the early '60s, Karras admitted to gambling on NFL matches, a serious no-no for an NFL player. With nothing else to do while serving out his suspension, Karras went back to his old grappling stomping grounds, joining the AWA for a losing effort against Dick the Bruiser before returning to the gridiron. Now, while a 4-time Pro Bowl player might be enough to get someone like Karras on the list, it's really what happened after both of his sports careers ended. See, Karras discovered he was only a pawn in the game of life.

Alex turned to acting, and in-between smaller roles in films like M*A*S*H (1974) and PORKY'S (1981) had two breakout roles that endeared him to millions. His supporting role of Mongo in 1974's BLAZING SADDLES and later starring with Emmanuel Lewis on the hit show WEBSTER (1983-87) as George Papadopolis. Oh, and he was the Hooded Fang in the children's cult classic JACOB TWO-TWO MEETS THE HOODED FANG (1978). Not bad for a guy that started off making some bad bets.

35. JACK DEMPSEY

While football is the most common sport one transitions from to wrestling, boxing isn't far behind it and some of the biggest names in the game have dabbled in wrestling as well. In the modern era, we have the likes of Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali and Tyson Fury, but the legacy goes way back. In the 1920s, Jack Dempsey - while still World champion - would take part in public exhibitions with his friend Luigi Montagna, aka Bull Montana the wrestler to entertain crowds before his title matches. In 1925, the two fought at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as part of a celebration for military athletes and personnel, with Dempsey tossing Bull out of the ring to win the match. After his heyday, Dempsey would do some referee work in wrestling, apparently reffing at least one match between Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers, and by the 1940s, he would occasionally pop up on North Carolina wrestling cards in straight-but-semi-worked boxing matches.

34. JOE LOUIS

Dempsey was only a pioneer in the pugilist-to-wrestler field, and many World champions would follow. Joe Louis, whose title reign still holds the record for length, found himself in the same place as his boxing career drew to a close. Shortly after retiring from one ring, Louis stepped into a new ring in 1954, working across the Midwest, but his life as a grappler would be short-lived, as an injury in '56 led to his retiring from active competition as well. Joe would then become a referee before he returned to active wrestling in later '60s, usually as part of tag matches, and retire from the ring for good in the mid-70s.

33. JOE FRAZIER

Knocking out the boxing round of this list, Joe Frazier. The first man to defeat Ali, once Frazier was done in the ring (for a time, he attempt multiple comebacks), he found himself in the world of wrestling. While many are aware of his shots as referee for the Flair/Dusty match at the second Starrcade and as cornerman for Mr. T at Wrestlemania 2, Frazier had been part of wrestling for years prior. As early as 1979, he was reffing for Carlos Colon in Puerto Rico. He would put on the tights himself in April of 1984, having matches against Colon and Victor Jovica before refereeing a match between Colon and Bruiser Brody that same month (with the finish seeing Brody taking a punch from Frazier).

32. BABE RUTH

Few names on this list - or many lists, for that matter - are more legendary than the great Bambino, Babe Ruth. Still considered by many to be the greatest baseball player ever, Ruth remains an icon many decades later. After his days as a slugger were over (and even during them, according to the Bleacher Report), Ruth spent some time in 1945 as a celebrity referee in the Maine, Boston and Portland areas, and as pics suggest, would get more physical with the wrestlers than many refs of the era would.

31. TONYA HARDING

After finding herself exiled from figure skating after her husband orchestrated an attack on a fellow skater, Tonya Harding became a tabloid regular in the mid-'90s. Seeking to exploit her notoriety, wrestling promoters quickly began courting her. Weeks after the attack, the WWF made her an offer to appear at Wrestlemania X (she declined) and soon after, Takashi Matsunaga offered her $2 million to work for All-Japan, but for whatever (likely legal) reason, that did not pan out. That didn't stop wrestling from wooing the disgraced skater.

On June 24, 1994, Harding would make her wrestling debut in less grand fashion in Oregon, agreeing to appear on a bizarre show comprised of Portland-territory regulars and lucha libre stars, with even the press conference for that getting air time on CNN. For one night only, Harding was the manager of Los Gringos Locos (Eddy Guererro and Art Barr) and their trios partner Brian Cox, facing off against Blue Panther Jr, Perro Aguayo and Konnan. Things got really odd, as the promoters never had time to procure a manager's license for Harding, so after the ring introductions, she had to spend the match sitting in a chair halfway down the entrance aisle. That would be it for Harding's time in wrestling for over a decade, during which she found a new calling as a professional boxer. Around 2008, while competing for a boxing promotion in Arkansas, Harding was confronted in the ring by local wrestling personality Boss Campbell, who trash-talked the crowd and Tonya before she punched him out.

#wrestling #pro wrestling #wwe #wwf #wcw #celebrities #jackie gleason #macaulay culkin #bob saget

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blogofblogofblogs · 8 months

Text

15. FRED OLEN RAY

14. TIFFANY MILLION / SANDRA SCOTT

13. REBECCA WILD

12. LESTER SPEIGHT

11. TERRY CREWS

10. CHRISTOPHER KNIGHT

Yep, even little Peter Brady has a spot in wrestling history. He only wrestled one match, but it was for WCW.

At a PPV.

And you've never seen a single frame of footage from it. Not even a picture, as far as my research can tell.

9. DANNY BONADUCE

8. TODD BRIDGES

7. DUSTIN DIAMOND

6. SAM J. JONES

5. TOM SAVINI

The various incarnations of what we call "Memphis Wrestling" saw many, many bizarre angles and gimmicks over its time. Few were as bizarre - and somewhat offensive - as one that came at the very twilight of the region's run. In 2010, Jerry Lawler was giving the area another go in one final, futile attempt and wanted something like the Kaufman angle to help light a spark. Never shy of courting controversy, Lawler convinced special effects legend Tom Savini to help out. Thus, for the brief existence of this Memphis incarnation, Savini would send in taped promos, accusing Lawler of murdering Andy Kaufman with the piledriver and sending a "monster of the week" after him each show. Each of these rip-off "monsters" were typical Memphis buffoonery complete with Halloween City rubber masks (along with one Joker rip-off). Savini would never actually appear at an event, the promotion dying a quick and painful death. But not by piledriver.

The oddest part of this one for me personally is that the footage of these shows *was* on Youtube at one point and now it seems to have completely vanished.

4. ADAM WEST

3. MACAULAY CULKIN

2. BOB SAGET

1. JACKIE GLEASON

HONORABLE MENTIONS

RAY "CRASH" CORRIGAN - I found one single reference to the famous stuntman-actor appearing at an Alabama show, possibly as a referee, but source may be dubious.

LOU FERRIGNO - I know he's made at least one locker room-type appearance for an independent promotion (beyond his WWF appearances) but I was having trouble pinpointing it/them.

JACK JOHNSON - This was an "almost" as a promoter booked a Johnson vs. George Hackenschmidt bout on a tour both were partaking, but it never actually came to be.

++++++++++++++++++

Written by Madison Carter (August 2023)

I am recently unemployed for the first time in 23 years, my unemployment is tied up in bureaucracy (haven't seen a dime) and I will be unable to pay my bills or rent by next month. If you are a publisher and liked what you read (again, forgive the typos), I write over a wide variety of nostalgia-related topics (wrestling, comics, cartoons, toys and action figures, etc) and do more than just lists. Please DM me as I am always looking for *paid* work.

If you're just reading this and wouldn't mind helping someone in need, I have a GoFundMe set up (named after my toy account here - 1980sActionFigures) that you can donate to. I appreciate any help that can be afforded.

Thank you all again for reading this.

50 CELEBRITIES YOU (MAYBE) DIDN'T KNOW HAD TIES TO PRO WRESTLING

50. BELA LUGOSI

49. KIWI KINGSTON

48. MAX PALMER

47. TOR JOHNSON

46. HAROLD SAKATA

45. MACH FUMIAKE

44. / 43. LITTLE MAN MACHAN / LITTLE FRANKIE

42. PAT ROACH

41. MIKE LANE

40. RUSS FRANCIS

39. ERNIE HOLMES

38. OTIS SISTRUNK

37. WOODY STRODE

36. ALEX KARRAS

35. JACK DEMPSEY

34. JOE LOUIS

33. JOE FRAZIER

32. BABE RUTH

31. TONYA HARDING

#wrestling #wwe #wwf #pro wrestling #wcw #celebrity #celebrities #harley race #bob saget #jackie gleason #macaulay culkin #adam west #blondie

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