WWE has long been an open door for celebrities -- whether it's living out a lifelong dream to leap from the top turnbuckle or even just to stay in the spotlight.
From one-off appearances on "Monday Night Raw" to competing in the main event of WrestleMania, stars from music, film and sports have stepped into the ring, dating back to Mr. T and Muhammad Ali at the very first WrestleMania.
But the Royal Rumble is a different story.
There aren't many examples from outside the pro wrestling world of people who have entered the ring with an assigned number and were at some point flung over the top rope to be eliminated.
Still, the event holds its own celebrity status among wrestling fans -- a once-a-year spectacle where a win guarantees a WrestleMania title shot. With 30 participants, it's built for surprise entrants, yet celebrity appearances remain rare. It wasn't until 2001, 13 years after the first televised Rumble, that one finally stepped into the match.
Maybe 2025 will usher in a new era of celebrity involvement, as we've already seen internet personalities Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed accept invitations to Saturday's show in Indianapolis.
From Bad Bunny to Drew Carey, here are the most notable celebs to compete in the Royal Rumble.
DREW CAREY
2001 Royal Rumble | Entered: No. 5 | Lasted: 2:54 | Eliminated by: Himself
Six years before Drew Carey replaced the late Bob Barker (who also made a WWE appearance) as host of the "The Price is Right," Carey was the star of the sitcom "The Drew Carey Show" and the host of the improv hit "Whose Line is it Anyway?"
Drew walked to the ring while commentator Jim Ross quipped, "I hope he's got good insurance with the Screen Actors Guild." Matt and Jeff Hardy were battling on the top turnbuckle, ultimately eliminating each other, leaving Carey in the ring alone to soak it all in.
That didn't last long. As the timer hit zero, the buzzer sounded and out walked Kane, much to Carey's dismay. Carey tried to shake Kane's hand, even pay him off, but nothing worked.
Kane lifted Carey up for his signature chokeslam before the next participant, Raven, intervened, and Carey eliminated himself from the match by climbing over the top rope and hitting the floor, slapping hands with fans on the way out.
One of wrestling's fun folk tales is what happened to Carey's money. After Kane swats the wad of cash out of Carey's hand, you can catch WWE referee Jimmy Korderas collecting it.
"Nobody told us to scoop it up. I figured just get it out of the way. So I collected it and put it in my pocket," Korderas told ESPN.
As much as he gets teased for keeping the money, Korderas says he went straight backstage to one of the producers to give it back after the match so nobody would accuse him of stealing it.
In 2011, Carey was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame by Kane.
JOHNNY KNOXVILLE
2022 Royal Rumble | Entered: No. 9 | Lasted: 1:26 | Eliminated By: Sami Zayn
The 2022 Royal Rumble was arguably the most "star-studded"of all time and Johnny Knoxville was the first celebrity to enter on the men's side.
Knoxville, wearing red and white with sporty goggle glasses with red canvas sneakers and a matching cape (with his supporting cast wearing "Johnny Knoxville WWE champion" jackets), is no stranger to stunts that involve a high level of physicality.
That was very much the case during his Rumble appearance, as he took a splash from Montez Ford from the top rope.
Despite being foes in the ring, Zayn praised Knoxville's work ethic, particularly at WrestleMania, on the "Five Star Podcast."
"He went out there at age 50 and put 20 minutes in at WrestleMania and had people on their feet. There's [not a lot of] people on Earth that can do that," Zayn said. "He was part of that. So very proud of that match."
BAD BUNNY
2022 Royal Rumble | Entered: No. 27 | Lasted: 7:41 | Eliminated By: Brock Lesnar
As far as celebrity involvement goes, Bad Bunny is in a category of his own. Not only is he one of the biggest stars on the planet, but he's such a WWE fan that it was a dream come true for him to compete in the ring.
"I want to do it one more time," he told Rolling Stone this month. "I want to put my life at risk in the ring. I felt like I didn't risk it enough in the ring, and I want to do it. I want to scare my mother. When? I don't know. "
Bad Bunny first appeared in WWE at the 2021 Royal Rumble, performing his song "Booker T" with the real Booker T by his side. Then, during the Royal Rumble match, he distracted The Miz and John Morrison, leading to them being eliminated, and followed that up with a cross body from the top rope onto both superstars.
What makes this even more impressive is that Bad Bunny did this with zero fans in attendance, only video screens of fans watching from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a WrestleMania tag-team match with Damian Priest against Miz and Morrison, Bad Bunny returned to WWE and entered the 2022 Royal Rumble, even hitting a couple of eliminations before taking an F5 and being tossed out by Brock Lesnar.
Priest and Bunny would go on to have an incredible match against each other in Puerto Rico at Backlash 2023, which lasted 25 minutes and was highly acclaimed.
LOGAN PAUL
2023 Royal Rumble | Entered: No. 29 | Lasted: 10:57 | Eliminated By: Cody Rhodes
Paul dabbled in boxing, including an eight-round exhibition with Floyd Mayweather, but pivoted to WWE, where he has turned a ton of heads in a short period. In fact, his third WWE match was a title shot against Roman Reigns.
Returning from a knee injury in 2023, Paul linked up with Ricochet, one of the most acrobatic wrestlers in pro wrestling. The result was both men looking at each other on the ring apron behind the ropes, then simultaneously leaping to the top ropes, springboarding off and colliding high above the middle of the ring, crashing to the mat.
"I cannot believe he does what he does. He has no right to be as good as he is, this early. But dammit, he is. My hat's off to him," WWE chief content officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque said of Paul.
PAT MCAFEE
2024 Royal Rumble | Entered: No. 16 | Lasted: 0:38 | Eliminated By: Himself
McAfee is another successful athlete turned media star who is now in the WWE commentary booth every week, along with hosting his eponymous show on ESPN, and he has also wrestled a few matches to boot.
At last year's Rumble, McAfee took a break from his commentary perch to enter the match -- only to see the giant Omos and the intense Bron Breakker staring back at him. The former NFL punter stepped over the top rope, reconsidered for a second, then eliminated himself and walked right back to the commentary table.
Who knows what the future holds in the ring for McAfee -- a match or a run-in always seems like a viable option, but for now, WWE fans can see and hear him at the desk on "Monday Night Raw."