Ranking All 16 WWE WrestleMania Celebrity Matches

You’re forgiven if you read that and said, “Who?” at the screen.

Continuing the theme of celebrity involvement being a spectacle more than a competition, former sumo champ Akebono battled Big Show in a sumo match… inside a ropeless wrestling ring. The two went through the pre-match rituals, salted the ring and locked up… for an action-packed 63 seconds until Akebono threw Show out of both rings. The pre-match shenanigans and “psych-out” antics before they made contact lasted longer than the physical part of the match itself.

Thankfully, WWE did not try to play this for laughs with Big Show wearing traditional sumo garb. One has to wonder if Vince McMahon was tranquilized or if Akebono has it stipulated in his contract that the company couldn’t make a mockery of his sport if he competed.

Akebono did go on to a lengthy wrestling career in Japan, winning titles in ZERO1 and All Japan Pro Wrestling.