On Wrestlemania weekend, a look at baseball players in wrestling
Wrestlemania, the “showcase of the immortals,” originates from New Orleans this weekend. The 30th installment of the event will feature present day WWE stars like Daniel Bryan and the Shield, while bringing back household names like The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan.
Athletes from the four major pro sports have long been a part of the pro wrestling scene, going back to former AFL standout Ernie “Big Cat” Ladd, and probably even before that. But, like Ladd, usually football players were the ones to make the jump: from William “The Refrigerator” Perry at Wrestlemania 2 to Lawrence Taylor in the main event of Wrestlemania 11, former Atlanta Falcon and WCW Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg and countless others.
But baseball players have been in the mix, too, one being among the greatest pro wrestlers of all-time. Here’s how…
The game’s all-time hits leader and persona non grata hasn’t been enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but he is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame for his sporadic appearances and inevitable run-ins with “The Big Red Machine,” Kane.
Rose’s first appearance was at Wrestlemania 14 in Boston. In the guise of “guest ring announcer,” Rose came out, grabbed the microphone and started cracking jokes about the Red Sox, only to wind up eating a Tombstone piledriver from the masked monster. The fans so enjoyed Rose’s misfortune that he was invited to the next two Wrestlemania events, laid out by Kane on each occasion.
Classic
Macho Man Randy Savage
By my measure, the greatest combination of skill and charisma in wrestling history, the Macho Man (real name: Randy Poffo) spent time in the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox farm systems before becoming a world-famous grappler. A catcher by trade, Savage eventually moved to the outfield and fashioned himself into a fine power hitter, finding himself near the top of the Florida State League in homers and RBI in 1974.
Savage’s perfectionism and competitiveness in the ring have been well-documented. Well, how’s this – after suffering a severe injury to his throwing shoulder in a home plate collision, he spent an entire winter learning to throw with his other arm.
Thinking of that home plate collision, it’s terrifying to think of the Macho Man, who popularized the diving elbow drop as a finishing maneuver, tearing around the bases.
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The current Red Sox catcher’s time with TNA Wrestling probably wouldn’t rate among the greatest moments in sports entertainment history, but A.J. Pierzynski did mix it up a little bit in the ring, even placing a few measured shots on opponents with illegal foreign objects.
Coming off a 2005 World Series win with the White Sox, Pierzynski seconded Chicago strength coach Dale Torborg, son of Jeff Torborg and himself a former pro wrestler, in a “Base Brawl” with TNA wrestlers that was attended by then-Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon.
The former Red Sox and current Oakland A’s outfielder hasn’t stepped in the squared circle yet, but he is a huge fan, with his own custom championship belt and blasting pro wrestling theme songs as his walk-up music.
In 2013, Reddick even engaged in a “beard off” with folically gifted WWE superstar Daniel Bryan — loser gets shaved. Bryan won the contest behind a healthy vote of confidence from wrestling fans. Bryan, still sporting the beard that is part of his popular persona, will attempt to take the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 30.
Abe “Knuckleball” Schwartz
We’ve seen baseball players mix it up with wrestlers, and a wrestler who tried his hand at baseball, but what about a wrestling baseball player?
Portrayed by Steve Lombardi (otherwise known as the Brooklyn Brawler), Abe “Knuckleball” Schwartz was a heel character at the time of the 1994 baseball strike, blaming fans for the labor situation. While Schwartz didn’t win too many matches during his brief tenure, the character, face painted white with “seams” like a baseball, remains one of the true “what were they thinking?” gimmicks of the cartoonish early 90’s WWF.