Edge on HavenThere are instances galore of wrestlers crossing over to T.V shows – Vader did a great job as a guest star on ‘Boy meets the World’, The Rock on That 70’s show before he became a big star in Hollywood and Edge seems to have carved a niche for himself on Haven.While these illustrious names have been successful, there are many other wrestlers whose association with T.V shows haven’t landed them in good light. Triple H and John Cena’s movie career might not ever take flight and there are many queuing up to be in the same situation.This list takes a look at four times wrestlers embarrassed themselves on T.V shows
#4 Roddy Piper on \'It\'s always sunny in Philadelphia\'
I’ll admit it; Roddy Piper was pretty good in his role as a washed-up wrestler in an episode of ‘It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’.
The show follows five friends with questionable moral codes, who regularly turn on each other to achieve things. One episode has the friends recruit Piper in an attempt to create their own wrestling show.
The episode isn’t cringeworthy, but Piper did embarrass himself by showing off his bulge which had been a regular topic of conversation among the WWE Commentators every time he came back to the WWE during the last decade.
#3 WCW Maineventers on Baywatch
There is no denying that Baywatch was the best show to watch for teenage boys during the nineties. The same demographic was also WCW’s biggest fan base and when the chance to crossover came in 1996, top WCW superstars did not think twice before obliging.
Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Vader and Ric Flair all jumped at the chance to guest star in an episode. Sure, the chance to work with Pamela Anderson and the other Baywatch girls would have been a temptation too great for anyone to resist.
The episode isn’t actually all that bad, with Flair appearing as the villain wanting to buy off the beach plot and Hogan playing the predictable hero, who saves the damsels in distress.
There was the usual angle where the girls had to save Hogan from drowning after he got hit on his head with a surfboard too. Hogan’s performance in the episode may just be an indicator as to why he couldn’t branch into Hollywood quite like the Rock.
#2 Lita on Dark Angel
Dark Angel was a pretty good show – it was the television debut of James Cameron and has Jessica Alba play the title role of a genetically enhanced super soldier running away from the government in a post-apocalyptic Seattle.
It has a number of stars making guest appearances and one episode had Lita make one as well. It did not go well for the Diva, though, as she was injured during the shoot and would miss a year of wrestling.
Totally unrelated to the Lita incident, Dark Angel’s ratings would drop in the second season and a planned third season would be cancelled.
#1 Jeff Hardy on Fear Factor
Now Fear Factor is not a show to be taken lightly. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, the show makes the participants undertake terrifying challenges to test their will power. Challenges over the previous years have included getting into a snake pit, jumping off cliffs and eating live insects and spiders.
So when Fear Factor aired its WWE edition back in 2002 with Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Lita, Test, Jacqueline and Molly Holly as participants (for a prize of $50000 to a charity of the winner’s choice), people were excited as to how the WWE superstars would fare in real life.
If at all there was one favourite, it was the daredevil who was Jeff Hardy. Hardy had made a name for himself as a lunatic risk taker in the WWE, falling off ladders, jumping from the top of cages and prompting Jim Ross to exclaim more than once that ‘This kid won’t live to see himself as an old man’.
The first round of the competition seemed to be well in the Hardy Boyz’ alley: climb up a ladder. The ladder was swung down from a moving helicopter over the ocean, though!!
Contrary to all expectations, Team Extreme did not acquit themselves well in the challenge. While Matt qualified for the next round alongside Test, Molly and Jacky, Lita was too slow to climb up and was eliminated.
But the worst performance was from Jeff, who could not hold on to the ladder and fell 30 ft into the ocean!!! Matt Hardy did make amends for his brother, winning the competition by beating Jackie in the final round.
