In the past 24 years, WWE has done an outstanding job of building the "WrestleMania" brand into an event that basically can sell itself (and if you've seen the card for this year's show, you know that's a good thing; otherwise they'd be in big trouble).
Still, in addition to the big matches, the company likes to pepper the show with celebrity cameos to try and hook in the mainstream audience as well -- such as Donald Trump's successful appearance last year, or the car wreck waiting to happen with Floyd Mayweather this year (and by the way, if that $20 million figure is legit, I'll eat my own foot. Ain't no way, I guarantee you). And then there's the celebrity appearance by which all others are judged -- Mike Tyson's appearance at WM 14 in 1998, when the hugely controversial boxer appeared side-by-side with Stone Cold Steve Austin for Austin's first coronation as WWE Champion.
WWE is already getting the celebrities together for this year's show -- including Kim Kardashian and Raven Symone, neither of whom make me want to spend 50 bucks to see them, or in Mayweather's case, someone who might convince me to change my mind about even ordering the show.
But there's one celebrity who wasn't even on the public's radar at this time last week that if WWE had any sense whatsoever, they'd reach out to and pay any price to secure for the show.
Kristen.
Yes, Kristen -- Eliot Spitzer's "Kristen." Think about it. Has there been a bigger celebrity in the country over the past week? Isn't there a ton of intrigue about what she'll do first, what she'll say?
Let's say, totally hypothetically speaking, that WWE reached out to her and said listen -- we'll give you a million bucks to come to WrestleMania and perform one of your songs in front of 60,000 people, and millions more on Pay-Per-View. You don't have to discuss the Spitzer thing at all -- just be there and sing your song. Maybe do a backstage vignette with Edge or something, just say hi.
Talk about a win-win: She'd get a ton of cash money and the chance to plug her music (which it seems is what she really wants out of all this anyway). And she'd still be able to sell her story for a ton of money afterwards. WWE would get her first public appearance, live and in living color, at their biggest show of the year. They get to show the best of their product to a brand new audience on a grand stage. Imagine the hype. Imagine the coverage.
What Tyson was to mainstream celebrity media then, Kristen is right now. Mania's only two weeks away -- if they strike while the iron is hot, they can back up the Brinks truck.
If you don't think people would plunk down 50 bucks for that, you're nuts.
