Over the years, WWE welcomed its fair share of celebrities who set foot in the ring. Some obviously had no business wrestling in a real match, while others impressed greatly under the pressure and spotlight of an unknown world. The past two years have seen special matches featuring crossover celebrities and sports stars, including Bad Bunny and Pat McAfee, but the Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show match at WrestleMania 24 is still WWE’s best celebrity contest ever. this day.
The greatest against the best had a great feeling of combat
Floyd Mayweather is one of the closest boxers to hitting the big time in recent memory, with an intact 50-0 record in the sport. In 2008, he had just had a huge win over Ricky Hatton, so he was really at the top of his game at the time, so seeing him step foot in the world of pro wrestling was a big surprise, especially that he hadn’t been associated with WWE before, like other celebrities had, but it still seemed major, especially since he faced the “world’s greatest athlete.”
At No Way Out, Big Show came back from a break, targeting the already injured Rey Mysterio until Mayweather easily jumped the barricade and the ropes, before legitimately breaking Show’s nose. Their tensions grew at WrestleMania, with Mayweather even taking a risky move by being thrown over the top rope and into a sea of individuals on the outside. The billing of “The Biggest Vs The Best” was one of the simplest yet most effective marketing pieces, with such a clash of superstars grabbing mainstream attention.
In the build-up to the match, Big Show was introduced as the heel and Mayweather the face – which is how celebrity matches tend to go in WWE. However, when it comes to the match itself, with many fans on Show’s side, him technically being the “hometown” contestant, given that it’s a WWE ring, the WWE very smartly allowed Mayweather to be himself – arrogant, confident, with such an amount of flair, flaunting his wealth. It was the perfect WWE call-up, which benefited Show immensely, which was a weird but welcome occurrence when it came to some of his awful Wrestlemania moments.
Their WrestleMania match was perfectly executed
With huge entrances, the incredible WrestleMania stage and a hot crowd, there was a big fight feeling from the start. It was pure sports entertainment, with Mayweather using all the classic wrestling tropes to get the upper hand – using his speed and size to avoid contact, using his managers and cleverly orchestrating his tactics to take down the big man.
Something that made this matchup stand out was the logic behind the match. At first, Show tried to throw hands at Mayweather but was easily outclassed despite the height difference. When that failed, Show used his size and awareness of the wrestling ring to stop Mayweather in his tracks and attempt to injure the boxer’s dangerous right hand. In the meantime, Mayweather’s team was used as a punching bag to allow Show to perform all of his signature maneuvers, without endangering Mayweather’s well-being. That said, Mayweather made a few moves and sold them well, especially when his hand was stomped.
Mayweather looked genuinely at home in the ring, whether it was switching up his style using kicks and a sleeper grip, or wielding a steel chair like a pro, he thrived in the spotlight and looked like a high quality performer. The match protected both men well, with Mayweather having to use brass knuckles to deliver the knockout blow to the giant, but it still looks like he could have gotten the win another way. Showing that he survived several punches to the head, in addition to chair punches and a low blow, and that he had to be taken down by other means, helped him look strong. In fact, it was one of Show’s best Mania matches of his entire career.
Mayweather vs. The show was the most entertaining celebrity matchup yet
Other celebrity matches have certainly been more impressive when it comes to pure in-ring action, with the Adam Cole and Pat McAfee match exceeding all expectations with a fantastic wrestling match, although without a full crowd it is difficult to say if the match had reached greater heights. At WrestleMania 37, Bad Bunny shocked the world with a stunning performance in a tag team match, in a performance that deserved a lot of credit.
However, the structuring of the match between Show and Mayweather is to be applauded, as it was as close to perfect as it could have been with the two men involved, and it made incredible use of the organized chaos of sports-entertainment. It was awesome, the crowd loved it, and it was different from many other highly acclaimed celebrity matches, which set it apart from other impressive performances by non-wrestlers. It was a great show and one that has yet to be beaten.
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