Here at Bronx Pinstripes there are some of us who like the finer things in life…well Chris, Ryan and myself definitely don’t fit into that group. The reason why…we all like love to watch professional wrestling. Now you might roll your eyes and think ‘but guys, that was cool 25 years ago’ and you would be right. However, the three of us are still clinging to the glory days of the powerful wrestlers of the 80s and the Attitude Era of the 90s. What we decided to do for you was to figure out how WWE and the Yankees connect. It stumped us for a bit, but we finally did it. We put together a list of Yankees (past, present and future) and their WWE counterparts! Whether the comparison was based on popularity, storyline or talent, these Bombers and Superstars are connected one way or another.
First let’s jump in our time machine to the past and see what Chris was able to come up with:
Babe Ruth: Andre The Giant
Two of the most dominant athletes of their era in their sport, Andre and Babe Ruth were the poster children of pro wrestling and baseball respectively. They were physically large, Andre weighing in at 520 pounds and Ruth weighing in at 215 officially, but from footage we can tell he gained a lot of weight after wearing those slimming pinstripes. In the Dead Ball Era, Ruth still managed to put up monster numbers, while nobody else in baseball could really compete with him.
In the ring, Andre the Giant struck fear in the eyes of his opponents, remaining undefeated for 15 straight years. He has a WWE Champion belt along with a tag team title. Both Andre and Babe are Hall of Famers, and also became celebrities outside of their respective sports. Andre the Giant appeared in the famous romantic comedy “The Princess Bride,” known for his famous line, “Anybody want a peanut?” Babe Ruth was a character in “The Sandlot” where he uttered those famous words, “Remember kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered but legends never die, follow your heart kid, and you’ll never go wrong.”
Roger Clemens: Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan and Roger Clemens are two athletes who, in their prime, were at the top of their sports. Hogan had a huge feud with Andre the Giant, who were the two literal pillars of pro wrestling. Andre and Hulk had an epic match at Shea Stadium, home of the Mets, which brings us to the feud between Roger Clemens and Mets star Mike Piazza. The famous incident where Clemens threw the baseball bat at Piazza has many people thinking it was an act of “roid rage.” Either way, like Hulk and Andre, it was a feud between stars of both New York baseball teams. Now, both athletes are somewhat disgraced in their sports. Hogan has been disassociated with pro wrestling after some racist comments, and Clemens still will not own up to his “alleged” steroid use.
Mariano Rivera: The Undertaker
Dun dun dunnnnnn. Two dominant, ageless legends of their sports, The Undertaker and Mariano Rivera have the power of sending a chill down opponents and fans’ spines. When the ninth inning rolled around and the Yankees had a lead, you knew it was over. When the lights shut off, that eerie music plays, and you see a coffin being carried into the ring, you know The Undertaker has business to attend to. The Undertaker has arguably the best pure punching power of all time, while Mo had the most effective and evil cutter ever. Both soon-to-be Hall of Famers, these two legends command respect from everybody; fans, enemies, EVERYBODY. You can’t help but to be afraid of them, because you know you’ll need a miracle to survive what they’re about to throw at you. Literally.
Both of these men have a laundry list of achievements; World Series Rings, WWE Championship, All Star appearances, Intercontinental Championship, the list is endless for Bret Hart and Derek Jeter. Hart, known as arguably the best technical wrestler in history, parallels The Captain in that they both were simple technicians of their craft. They weren’t always the flashiest, but they got the job done, often in victories. Heck, Hart’s nickname is “Hit Man” and Derek Jeter being one of the only players in MLB history to eclipse the 3,000 hit mark adds to the similarities. WWE fans miss Hart just as much as Yankees fans miss seeing number 2 grace the infield at Yankee Stadium.
This list could carry on for days with all of the legends in Yankees and WWE history, but let’s move from the past, to the present and see what comparisons Ryan put together.
Alex Rodriguez: Eddie Guerrero
He lies, he cheats, he steals…and while you watched it happen, something inside you said
“Typical Eddie/A-Rod.” When he reaches the mountaintop, you can’t help but soak it all in with cheers and when he went over your line, wherever it stood, you cringed and wondered if you could really cheer this guy on again, but we all did.
Alcohol, knee issues and a giant knee brace; what more is there to say?
Didi Gregorius: The Rock
Upon his arrival, the name made for instant eye appeal, but many Yankees fans could not force themselves to like him, not in place of The Captain. But add in some flash, some dazzle and some good spots and the fans fell in love with him. Despite early issues with him, he has become beloved and fans get stoked when they know he has his chance in the field.
Andrew Miller & Dellin Betances: The APA (Bradshaw & Faarooq)
Your big men, your authority, your protectors. When they made their march, you knew something big was about to hit.
Chase Headley: Sin Cara
You expect good things and it looks good at first then, botch! Then a part of you attempts to remain optimistic,-he’s on a good team and proven to be capable of good things then, botch! Everyone needs to continue hoping for the best because that’s all you can really do…
Michael Pineda: Roman Reigns
When the Yankees traded their top prospect for Pineda, the expectation was high. Passing up on the proven pitcher, Pineda has plenty to prove. Can he live up to the hype? Can he reach the mountaintop and be elite? He has shown glimpses of it but…time will tell if he can reach it.
Brett Gardner: Randy Orton
When he is doing well, he is the star of the team, cheered and sought for to come through. But when he’s doing work for the bad side, he frustrates you and is hated, people cannot stand him. But watch out, success can pop in and hit you like an RKO!
Jacoby Ellsbury: Daniel Bryan
When he’s good, he is easy to love. Whether he’s racing around the field or sparking offenses with his bat. But, when he’s injured, it frustrates you because you know what he’s capable of.
Mark Teixeira: John Cena
The MVP. He is reliable when healthy and when he is absent, his presence is severely missed. He’s the backbone of everything that works when he is there.
So far we’ve seen the past and the present Yankees matched up with their WWE legends and current stars, but if there is one thing the Yankees fans are all excited about, it has to be the talent in the minor league system. For years, fans have begged management to focus on nurturing youth for the betterment of the franchise in years in to come. Well, in step the Baby Bombers, a group of talented, exciting prospects that give the Bronx Faithful something to look forward to when the magnitude of some robust contracts come off the books. The same can be said for the young talent that WWE is grooming in NXT. With talents that have been learning the ropes by working their way in the shadows of the WWE main roster, the future is bright. Some wrestling fans (myself included) would say the product in NXT is more exciting that what is aired on Monday Night Raw each week. There seem to be a lot of similarities between the Baby Bombers and the NXT roster as a total group, but when you break it down to individuals, more parallels present themselves.
Greg Bird: Kevin Owens
This year was our big league introduction to Mr. Bird. The young first baseman made the jump to the big leagues when Mark Teixeira went down with a leg injury. His impact was felt immediately and was an important part of the Yankees offense in their push to the playoffs (technically that Wild Card play-in game is counted as the playoffs for some reason I cannot understand). Before making the jump to the Bronx, Bird was named the Yankees Minor League Player of the Year in 2012 and the MVP of the Arizona Fall League in 2014. Accolades under Bird’s belt can only be rivaled by one NXT (former) star, Kevin Owens. KO has won all the major titles in smaller wrestling promotions has he made his way to WWE. He headlined NXT as their champion before making his way to the main roster to challenge the company’s biggest star, John Cena. After beating Cena, his role in the company was cemented as the next big thing. After some big feuds, Owens has somewhat been lost in the mix, by no fault of his, but rather by terrible writers and creative teams.
The same can be said for Greg Bird this off-season as Brian Cashman has said the plan is to have Bird start in AAA. Both guys have shown their value to their big league programs, but need the stamp of approval from ownership before getting their full push. It is only a matter of time before Bird and Owens are cornerstones of the Yankees & WWE.
Luis Severino: Sami Zayn
Severino is another guy that made the jump to the Bronx this season after a quick trip up the Yankees minor league system. He showed his promise and talent in his 11 appearances and fans have already labeled him the next ace of the staff. He has a variety of ways to get batters out with his power fastball, sweeping slider and change up. Severino has been labeled ‘the future’ and because of this has been held out of any trade talks the Yankees have had about many top quality aces around the league. He has the potential to lead the Yankees to the promised land years down the road and become the anchor of the next edition of the Core Four. Because of his rare abilities and future prospective, no one other than Sami Zayn is Severino’s NXT counterpart. Zayn was deemed the next superstar to come through the WWE system, as he was a crowd favorite everywhere he wrestled and had all the talent in the world. He is a high-flier, he has power and his in-ring technique is second to none. Zayn held the NXT Championship for a short time as he lost it to his former best friend, Owens a few short months after he claimed the title. Quickly after, he made the jump to Raw but unfortunately suffered an injury a few short weeks after his debut. Hopefully, Severino doesn’t get the injury bug Zayn did, but the hype around these two stars are almost unmatched.
Aaron Judge: Finn Balor
One Yankee farmhand and NXT star match the hype of Severino and Zayn: Aaron Judge and Finn Balor. Judge has been the biggest name in the Yankees minor leagues for the past few years. His size and raw power make Yankee fans salivate just thinking of him crushing David Price changeups over the Green Monster for years to come. Judge has produced a highlight reel of home runs that have fans begging for his arrival in the Bronx. Unfortunately, the wait is still ongoing as he continues to make adjustments and improvements to his swing and fielding. Being as tall as Judge is, this creates a long swing with many holes. As pitchers scout him more and more, this could become an issue unless adjustments are made. Once those are made and the swing is shortened, the big man will make his appearance. As for Balor, well he is the reigning, defending, current NXT Champion. As we have seen before with Owens & Zayn before, having this belt means you are destined for big things. Balor is a showman as he has one of the most elaborate and unique ring entrances and attires. His face and upper chest are painted in a demonic way that makes his opponents tremble before the match. Every time Balor has a match he leaves fans in awe and wanting more. Everyone is awaiting the day when Balor makes his debut on Raw, and the same can be said for Judge in the Bronx. When these two finally get their names called to the big leagues, judgment day has arrived for their opponents.
Rob Refsnyder: Neville
As of time of writing this, the Yankees just made a trade for Starlin Castro that impacts the future growth and prospects of Refsnyder. A second baseman who fans clamored for last season finally got his shot and showed what he could do in the bright lights. There were questions about his defense, but his offense was solid as he hit for power, average and had speed on the base paths. Going into the off-season it looked as though Refs would get his shot to split time at second base to try to prove his worth. With this deal for Castro, the platoon at second base becomes more of a one-man show, with Refs left out. That is if Refs remains a Yankee as the off-season proceeds. This seems eerily similar to another former NXT champion, (Adrian) Neville. This high-flying wrestler made his jump to Raw after conquering NXT with his fast-paced offensive arsenal. Once Neville made the transition to the main roster, he was quickly lost in the shuffle of the mid-card division with no direction. He was thrown into tag team action (kind of like a Refs’ platoon at second) and even left off TV shows. The question remains if Neville can find a role each week to make fans notice his talent. Refsnyder is trying to do the same thing with Yankees coaches and management, but the opportunity may no longer be there. Does Refs make it through the winter? Does Neville get sent back to NXT to find a defined role? Seems like these two are connected at the hip.
Gary Sanchez: Samoa Joe
Here is another name the Yankees fans have been hearing for years and it is a surprise that we haven’t seen his full time call up to the major league yet. His time may finally be hear as he has torn up the Fall League, being named MVP and the big league team trading back up John Ryan Murphy to the Twins. It seems as though the roster spot is there for Sanchez to grab and run with. Sanchez had a cup of coffee with the Yanks this past season including an appearance on the Wild Card Game roster (woohooo!). His minor league power numbers are impressive, highlighted by his monster performance in the Fall League. His defense is lacking at this point in his young career, but with more time behind the plate learning from Brian McCann, the future of the catching position is his for the taking. The most powerful talent in NXT right now is none other than Samoa Joe. The body slamming, power-bombing Samoan has been a former champion for TNA wrestling- the closest thing WWE has to competition since Vince McMahon bought WCW. When Joe came over to WWE and made his debut on NXT, he has been steam rolling the competition showing his power and experience. It is only a matter of time before he makes his Raw debut and challenges the top tier talent. Joe and Sanchez are big, powerful guys that are on the cusp of making it big.
And there you have it! Yankees and their WWE counterparts. Who would have ever thought that these two worlds would ever collide? We didn’t either, but we managed to pull off the impossible.
Hold on, hold on, hold on!!! There’s one more we can’t forget to include:
George Steinbrenner: Vince McMahon
This might be the most obvious connection of them all. The Boss and The CEO go hand-in-hand as the Bronx Bombers collide with WWE Universe. Whenever things weren’t going good for their team/business, these guys stepped in to do whatever they could to lead the charge. Whether it was Steinbrenner verbally calling out the team or firing Billy Martin for the tenth time, or McMahon getting in the ring thus creating the biggest feud the company has ever seen between him and Stone Cold. They were the ultimate ‘team first’ guys, mostly because… well, it was their team! Both men were rewarded with championships, a winning battle in the Monday Night Wars, and billions of dollars. Their legacies will last longer than their team, or company because of the leadership they each exhibited when times were the darkest.
Now, we can finally put a ribbon on this Yankees-WWE mashup. Again, thanks to Chris and Ryan for helping put this fun piece together. Let us know what other Yankee/WWE comparisons we might have missed!
