Shane Helms Shuts Down Criticism of Celebrities in WWE

Shane Helms has a message for anyone complaining about celebrities stepping into a WWE ring—look at your history.

With Logan Paul set to battle AJ Styles at WrestleMania 41, there’s been the usual online outrage about “celebrity wrestlers” being handed marquee matches. But Helms, who’s helped train Paul behind the scenes, doesn’t see the problem.

“There is always people that, when celebrities come in, they have things to say,” Helms told Gabby LaSpisa during her Gabby AF podcast. “I’m like, ‘WrestleMania was built off of that.’ Are you sure that’s a bad thing? Maybe it’s not.”

He’s not wrong. WrestleMania 1 didn’t just feature Mr. T in the main event alongside Hulk Hogan—it also packed in names like Cyndi Lauper, Muhammad Ali, and Liberace. Since then, the star power hasn’t slowed down. Floyd Mayweather fought Big Show. Johnny Knoxville suplexed Sami Zayn into a pile of mousetraps. Even Snooki landed a win at WrestleMania 27.

Helms went one step further and challenged the entire idea that celebrity guests are separate from wrestlers at all. “I think pro wrestlers are celebrities. We’re on TV as much as anybody. I don’t even like the term ‘Celebrity Wrestling.’ We’re celebrities too,” he said.

Then he threw in a little flex: “I’ve done autograph signings on six continents. There are a lot of TV stars you can go over there and they don’t know who the hell they are.”

WrestleMania thrives on spectacle, and Logan Paul—love him or hate him—has proven he can deliver it. Now with Shane Helms in his corner and AJ Styles in the opposite ring post, Paul has yet another chance to show he belongs on the big stage.