The first WrestleMania featured Mr.T, Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali, Billy Martin and Liberace and the tradition of using actors, actresses, musical artists and traditional professional athletes has continued for the last four decades.
WWE, for instance, has used Jelly Roll, Lil Yachty and others recently for roles even outside the WrestleMania spectacle.COMPLETE PRO WRESTLING COVERAGE ON OUTKICKMr.T and Hulk Hogan attend a press event during WrestleMania 1 on March 31, 1985, at Madison Square Garden in New York.
(WWE via Getty Images)Major League Wrestling (MLW) openweight champion Austin Aries admitted he’s more of a "traditionalist" when it comes to professional wrestling.He told OutKick in a recent interview he understands the entertainment aspect of his sport, but shudders at the possibility of those outside the ring taking away opportunities from those putting in the work."I think balance is key, right? I'm probably more of a traditionalist in a lot of sense, but I also understand at the end of the day this is entertainment," Aries said.
"And so, even going back to, the first WrestleMania, I mean, it was about bringing in celebrities.I grew up more of a rasslin’ fan as opposed to a sports entertainment fan.
So, I'll always kind of skew towards being more traditional.ZERO BS.JUST DAKICH.
TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD.DOWNLOAD NOW!Lil Yachty speaks during SummerSlam at U.S.
Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., on Aug.2, 2026.
(WWE via Getty Images)"And also, I think the important part is, for a lot of us who have, like, this has been our career, we've had to work very hard for a very long time to perfect what we do.And to take someone because they're a celebrity and roll out a red carpet and let them take shortcuts and let them do things in a way that kind of skirts all that hard work that a lot of us men and women have put in, frankly, it can be insulting.
It can be disrespectful at points.I understand about wanting to sell more tickets and g...