The legendary rivalry between Andy Kaufman and Jerry "The King" Lawler in the early '80s resulted in one of the first appearances where a celebrity has gone head to head with a wrestler in the ring. Since then, there have been countless celebrities who have followed in the comedian's footsteps.
While a handful of celebrities have faced opponents one on one, most of them have had wrestlers by their side when doing so. While many of these partnerships produced some iconic moments, there have been just as many forgotten over the years.
10 Seth Green & Triple H & John Cena
Seth Green has an impressive resume which includes starring roles as a voice actor in Family Guy and Robot Chicken. Green added an appearance as the special guest host of Monday Night Raw to his stacked list of achievements after hosting the show on July 13, 2009.
Green competed in the show's main event that saw him team up with Triple H and John Cena to take on Legacy, whom they defeated by disqualification. He may have looked like a pre-pubescent teenager compared to all of the other competitors in the match, but that did not stop him from mixing it up with Rhodes and Orton in the contest, and he became one of the company's most memorable guest hosts in the process.
9 Hugh Jackman & Zack Ryder
Hugh Jackman served as the guest host of Raw on September 19, 2011, where he helped his friend Zack Ryder beat Dolph Ziggler. The A-Lister was another celebrity host who got involved in the action when he blasted Dolph Ziggler with a blow that left Blonde Perfection drowsy, allowing Ryder to hit his finishing move and pick up the victory.
Jackman was another celebrity who managed to entertain the audience in the role of guest host, which is more than most could say. If Jackman failed to find success in Hollywood, he surely could have done so in the wrestling ring. I mean seriously, Hugh is jacked, man. I'll see myself out...
8 Karl Malone & Diamond Dallas Page
Many remember Dennis Rodman's WCW debut alongside Hulk Hogan at the 1997 Bash at the Beach pay-per-view, where he and his NWO partner Hulk Hogan lost to Lex Luger and The Giant. However, it is often forgotten that the two men also went head to head against basketball Hall of Famer Karl Malone and his partner Diamond Dallas Page at the same event a year later.
Malone, who was less than a month removed from the loss to Rodman's Bulls in the 1998 NBA Finals, lost to The Worm once again in the ring. The clash was poorly received, but the company still cashed in on the two players' massive popularity as the event was one of the most profitable events in company history.
7 Snooki & Trish Stratus & John Morrison
Snooki, who is best known for being the star of Jersey Shore, was one of the most profitable figures in the entertainment industry in 2011. WWE attempted to capitalize on her popularity, so she began making frequent appearances on Monday Night Raw in March 2011.
She developed a rivalry with LayCool throughout her brief appearances on Raw, which culminated in a six-person tag match at WrestleMania XXVII. With the help of her partners John Morrison and Trish Stratus by her side, Snooki came out victorious against LayCool and Dolph Ziggler in an underwhelming 3-minute squash bout.
6 Jay Leno & DDP
Jay Leno has a laundry list of accomplishments that includes being an award-winning stand-up comedian and host. With that said, one of the often forgotten achievements of Leno's extraordinary career was his victory against Hulk Hogan and Erich Bischoff in the main event of the 1998 WCW Road Wild pay-per-view.
The match was universally panned as Leno, who had the ever-popular-with-celebrities Diamond Dallas Page by his side, had nearly no muscle definition and or in-ring talent. Nevertheless, that did not stop him from holding The Hulkster at bay with a laughable arm lock (pictured above) after Hogan shamelessly sold the move.
5 Kevin Federline & Johnny Nitro (& Umaga)
Kevin Federline defeating John Cena in anything other than a rap battle would result in a shocking upset. Nevertheless, that is what happened when the two went head to head on Monday Night Raw on January 1, 2007. Federline would not have come out victorious without assistance from his cornerman Johnny Nitro and Umaga, who was slated to face Cena at the New Years Resolution pay-per-view later that week.
While K-Fed may have won the battle, he did not win the war. Following the contest, Cena, who was upset by the match's outcome, delivered two Attitude Adjustments to the rapper before the show ended.
4 Mike Tyson & Chris Jericho
It should come as no surprise that WWE has coveted Mike Tyson, who has wrestled in multiple a handful of matches with the company since the mid-90s. One of his often forgotten bouts occurred on an episode of Monday Night Raw on January 11, 2010, where he teamed with Chris Jericho to go head to head against his former running mates, D-Generation X.
Tyson was supposed to join forces with Jericho, but he ended up removing his black shirt to reveal a DX T-shirt midway through the contest before striking Y2J with one of his signature knockout blows. The match produced an exciting outcome, but it is not the incident that comes to mind when reflecting on Tyson's WWE career.
3 Stephen Amell & Neville
Stephen Amell, who had a starring role in the CW superhero television show Arrow, had been an avid wrestling fan for years before making his debut on WWE television on the episode of Monday Night Raw on May 25, 2015, where he began a rivalry with Stardust. He later teamed up with Neville to face off against Stardust and King Barrett at the 2015 SummerSlam pay-per-view.
Amell not only came out victorious in his debut, but he also had one of the most impressive performances by a celebrity in wrestling history. He won a 2015 Slammy Award for the Celebrity Moment of The Year after pulling off a diving attack onto his opponents midway through the match (pictured above).
2 Kevin Greene & Steve McMichael
Former All-Pro defensive tackle Steve "Mongo" McMichael, who was a key player on the famous 1985 Chicago Bears team, enjoyed a successful 14-year NFL career before he decided to try his hand at wrestling. McMichael introduced himself to the wrestling industry when he appeared in Lawrence Taylor's corner against Bam Bam Bigelow at WrestleMania 11 in 1995. McMichael signed a contract with WCW later that year, and it was there that he began a second career that spanned four years as a professional wrestler.
NFL Hall of Famer Kevin Greene was another former football player who found success in the wrestling ring. Green and McMichael both made their in-ring debut at the 1996 Great American Bash pay-per-view, where the two men faced off against Ric Flair and The Giant. They lost the contest after McMichael hit Greene with a briefcase and joined forces with Flair's Four Horsemen stable.
1 Maria Menounos & Kelly Kelly
Award-winning television personality (and wrestling superfan) Maria Menounos, who is a huge wrestling fan, has made countless appearances with WWE over the past decade. She is currently an ambassador with the company, where she has frequently interviewed wrestlers at various events and pay-per-views.
Menounos may be most known for her ability as an interviewer, but she also has taken part in a handful of matches in her standout career. Her most famous bout, which is forgotten due to its place on a standout card, occurred at WrestleMania XXVIII, where she teamed with Kelly Kelly to go head to head against Eva Torres and Beth Phoenix. Kelly and Menounos came out victorious in the contest, which gave the latter a surreal WrestleMania moment.