10 Huge Pops WWE Fans Gave To Outsiders

8. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger is pretty great, the more you think about it. Born in 1940s Austria (not a great time for Austria, let it be said), Schwarzenegger had conquered the bodybuilding world by the age of 20, was a Hollywood star before he turned 40 and eventually became Governor of California, ticking off life goal after life goal. He’s recently turned his attention to global warming, so best of luck to climate change.

The Austrian Oak is also a WWE Hall of Famer, receiving his induction as part of the Class of 2015. His links to the wrestling world are numerous, such is the life of a bodybuilding and ‘80s action movie star, but there is always a fear that the notoriously cynical modern WWE audience may not be thrilled to see him. His legendary 1999 SmackDown appearance makes a mockery of such worries.

Okay, so his work at the commentary table was pretty wretched, his wooden delivery making Michael Cole sound positively smooth, but Arnold came to life when action was required. Triple H had resorted to villainous means in an elimination match, low-blowing Test, knocking out Earl Hebner and luring The Rock into a chair to the head. Arnold could take no more, getting a big pop from the crowd after handing the weapon to Stone Cold Steve Austin.

That pop grew exponentially when the Governator delivered a series of punches to Triple H. Sure, delivering punches to The Game is a surefire way to get the crowd onside, but Arnold performed better than most non-wrestlers do in such situations and the crowd responded in kind. All those fight scenes came good in the end.