One of the most polarizing figures in sports history, Pete Rose had a long, complicated relationship with baseball. But he also was a star in another sport: wrestling.
MLB’s all-time hits leader − who later earned a lifetime ban − died on Monday at the age of 83. While he is known for what happened during his baseball career, he made history in WWE.
In 1998, Rose appeared as the guest ring announcer at WrestleMania 14 for the match between The Undertaker and Kane. He came out to the ring and taunted the Boston crowd at the TD Garden, gloating about when he and the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Red Sox in the 1975 World Series. Kane then made he made his entrance and when he got to the ring, Kane hit Rose with a tombstone piledriver in one of the most iconic wrestling moments involving a celebrity.
The next year at WrestleMania 15, Rose tried to attack Kane by disguising himself as the San Diego Chicken. Instead, Rose was dealt another tombstone piledriver.
At WrestleMania 16 in 2000, Rose then tried to attack Kane from behind with a baseball bat, but his plans were thwarted. He got a chokeslam from Kane and a stink face from Rikishi.
Rose returned to WWE in 2010 as the host of Monday Night Raw, and of course, he had another run-in with Kane where he dragged him into his office and appeared to attack him.
Aside from the hilarious relationship between Rose and Kane, the baseball star made WWE history in 2004 when he was the first celebrity inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
‘For fans of WWE, he created another extraordinary legacy with some of the most memorable celebrity appearances of all time,’ WWE said of Rose. ‘Rose’s appearances at WrestleMania 14, WrestleMania 15, and WrestleMania 2000 are classic moments that stand among the celebrity highlights of WWE’s annual spectacular.’
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
