10 Most Unlikely Main Event Acts In WWE History
4. Zeus
The WWF’s use of celebrities was vital in establishing WrestleMania’s early success, and without Mr. T’s appearance, it’s hard to imagine the inaugural event being as big a hit as it was. Unfortunately, T’s tag bout with Hulk Hogan encouraged the WWF to push a number of other celebrities into high profile matches over the years, and while Lawrence Taylor likely stands as the most egregious example, Zeus isn’t far behind him.
Zeus was a terrible wrestler, and was only given a contract because he played Hogan’s rival in No Holds Barred, a 1989 wrestling movie funded by the company. Later that year, WWE decided to turn the film into a wrestling storyline, with Zeus spending several months as an active roster member.
His usage as a one-off novelty act wouldn’t have been a huge surprise, but Zeus wrestled three matches over his five months in the WWF. The company thrust an inexperienced actor into a main event storyline for close to half a year, with Zeus and partner Randy Savage eventually defeated by Hogan and Brutus Beefcake, ending the story.
Zeus later showed-up as WCW’s Ze Gangsta in 1996, but his wrestling career came to an end shortly after.