From football players to musicians, and from actors to game show hosts,WWEhas never shied away from celebrity involvement in their product, and more specifically, in their major premium live events. Perhapsthere is no bigger celebrity on a global scalethat has been a part of WWE thanBad Bunny, the rapper and singer from Puerto Rico with more than 46 million followers on Instagram alone and seven million records sold worldwide.
Some of the biggest and most important moments in WWE historyhave involved a celebrity, a musician, or a notable individualwho helped raise the profile of the product, both in terms of coverage and visibility on a global scale. In arecent interview withRolling Stone,Bad Bunny teased a return to the squared circle. With his performances in all three matches being highly praised and receiving universal acclaim, Bad Bunny has proven himself to be the best celebrity guest in WWE history.
If He Brings the Weapon Cart Again, That Would Probably Do the Trick
In the most recent edition ofRolling Stone,Bad Bunny teased a potential return to WWE, after having his last match at WWEBacklash2023 with an entrance that saw the entire crowd in Puerto Rico singing his theme song for the event, his three-time platinum record “Chambea.” Bad Bunny toldRolling Stonethat he not only wants to do one more match, he wants to be able to leave it all in the ring.
“I want to do it one more time. I want to put my life at risk in the ring. I felt like I didn’t risk it enough in the ring, and I want to do it. I want to scare my mother. When? I don’t know. We stay in contact with the people at WWE, we’re always paying attention to what’s going on.But when, I don’t know. I hope there’s a time where I can really get ready, like I did the last few times. And I’d love to take more time to get ready physically. Butman, just like in music, I do this to get better and to do something different. Sometimes, I say, ‘I’m going to quit everything and just do wrestling full time.’I feel like in wrestling, I just go sporadically as a celebrity. I’m going to go full time and be a heel. That’s what I’d love. I was always a fan of the villains more than the good guys.” - Bad Bunny
It’s hard to argue that he did not, at least in some respects, put everything on the line in the ring on two separate occasions: In his “San Juan Street Fight” match against childhood friend Damian Priest atBacklash, and standing face-to-face with Brock Lesnar followed bybeing on the business end of Lesnar’s devastating “F5” finisherduring the 2022Royal Rumble.No matter how many moments he’s already given the WWE Universe, Bad Bunny clearly feels like he has more to prove to the fans, at least for one last time.
He Didn’t See This As A Quick Paycheck, He Took It Seriously
Although he had no formal wrestling training before his initial involvement in 2021,Bad Bunny trained with Adam Pearce and Brian Kendrickat the WWE Performance Center prior to winning his first (and only) championship as the 24/7 Champion, and prior to his first match atWrestleMania 37in a tag team match, teaming with Priest against The Miz and John Morrison.Bunny’s performance was universally acclaimed,with one of the biggest moments of the night occurring during the match, as Bad Bunny delivered a Canadian Destroyer to Morrison on the outside of the ring, a difficult move for even experienced performers.
Although celebrity involvement with WWE was physical in some instances, most appearances involved a quick cameo, utilization as a ringside correspondent or announcer, or involving very limited physicality - certainly nothing to the level that Bad Bunny brought, save for former NFL star Lawrence Taylor’s main event match against Bam Bam Bigelow atWrestleMania XI.With Bad Bunny being the most physical celebrity in a WWE ring,it set a new tone for celebrity involvement in WWEand what could be expected, and opened the door for Logan Paul and Johnny Knoxville to push the envelope of what a celebrity wrestler could look like.
If Bad Bunny wants to “scare his mother” as he stated during hisRolling Stoneinterview, he certainly has as few options on how to do so, especially as he appears to be a keen student of the game. HisBacklashentrance was complete with a Murderer’s Row of weapons stuffed into a shopping cart,an apparent callback to the infamous ECW entrances of New Jack,one of the most violent and controversial performers in professional wrestling history. WWE has leaned into more violent and bloody spots in wrestling, and, whilethe rating has not changed with the move to Netflix, the Triple H Era has surely upended the restrictions of the McMahon Era. It is thus plausible, if not probable, that Bad Bunny will get his wish and show the world he can push it to the limit.
A hardcore style match in the Triple H Era could either be a full-on call back tothe most extreme ECW moments, a bloody, violent, messy, and sometimes gratuitous style of match replete with weapons and gore, or “Contained Chaos” in the vein of CM Punk and Drew McIntyre’s “Hell in a Cell” match from 2024’sBad Blood.Irrespective of what option WWE decides to choose, based on Bad Bunny’s previous performances,it’s all but certain it will set the modern standardfor what celebrity matches could look like, and fully cementBad Bunny’s status as the best celebrity wrestler of all time.
Sources:Rolling Stone
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is a global entertainment company primarily known for professional wrestling. Founded in 1953, it produces live events, television programs, and streaming content. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, WWE operates multiple brands, including Raw, SmackDown, and NXT.
