Are Celebrities Becoming Too Involved in the WrestleMania 42 Storylines?
It’s no surprise that with WrestleMania 42 just around the corner, WWE looks towards celebrities to hype up the show in any way they can. Since the very first WrestleMania, celebrities have been involved in the show one way or another, whether it’s to have a match or make their presence felt throughout WWE’s biggest show of the year. However, it sometimes feels like WWE puts more focus on the celebrities than on the wrestlers, the ones who are on television every week. This year is no different, with many fans calling out WWE for involving celebrities in situations they should not be involved in. Some of the celebrities listed are either involved very little or involved too much in other wrestlers’ stories.
The celebrity with the least heat on him has to be IShowSpeed. The famous streamer has made a few appearances in WWE over the years, including a viral Royal Rumble appearance that saw him get speared into oblivion by Bron Breakker. Speed’s interactions in a WWE storyline involve him getting cursed by Danhausen, which has made Speed’s life a living hell. This culminated in Speed sitting ringside for the tag team title match between The Usos and The Vision. Speed was dragged into the match midway and accidentally hit LA Knight with brass knuckles, causing a distraction that was enough for The Vision to win the World Tag Team Championship. Even though he was a bit more involved than some of the other celebrities listed, his humorous character work actually does well with the crowd. People know not to take Speed seriously, and WWE can channel his energy on television perfectly.
On SmackDown, Trick Williams made his way to the ring to cut a promo alongside rapper Lil Yachty. After cutting a promo on United States Champion Sami Zayn, Williams asked Yachty if he could accompany him ringside for his match against whoever was the United States Champion at WrestleMania. Yachty agreed, setting up yet another match with a celebrity being involved in some way. Yachty’s presence isn’t really much to complain about, since he hasn’t been factored as much as other celebrities have been in other feuds. Even when Williams attacked Zayn in the main event, Yachty didn’t have any involvement in the attack, making his appearance one of the better uses of celebrities on the road to WrestleMania.
The same cannot be said about Jelly Roll and Pat McAfee. Both men were inserted into the WWE Championship feud between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, and both received mixed reviews. On one hand, you have singer Jelly Roll, who teamed with Orton at SummerSlam and had a match against Kit Wilson in March 2026. Jelly Roll tried to play peacekeeper between Rhodes and Orton after ‘The Viper’ turned on his best friend. Jelly Roll’s appearance in this feud wasn’t necessary, as both men already have a strong history with one another. It didn't help that Jelly Roll would again interfere in a brawl between both men, only to end up eating an RKO from Orton. On the other hand, McAfee was somehow placed as a centerpiece for why Orton was showing off a vicious side of himself. For weeks, Orton was receiving calls from an unknown person. When the caller was revealed to be McAfee, many fans were left disappointed with the end result. WWE could have used other superstars of the past who were involved with both men’s careers, but instead chose a former NFL punter simply because he was a favorite of the higher-ups. Both celebrities weren’t needed to add fuel to the WWE Championship story, and with their involvement, the Rhodes and Orton feud has become convoluted.
Overall, WWE will continue to rely on celebrities to promote the show in an effort to produce more ticket sales. It’s okay to see a few celebrities here and there across multiple shows. However, when the celebrity becomes a focal point in a storyline and takes away from the wrestlers themselves, that becomes a major problem. The fans want to see the wrestlers tell a story in promos and through in-ring action. When a celebrity takes away too much from the wrestling itself, it leads to fans tuning out. Maybe WWE should slow it down on the celebrity involvement every once in a while.
