MVP voiced his reservations about celebrity and influencer crossovers in professional wrestling during a May 30, 2025, interview with betideas, highlighting concerns for the authenticity of the craft and the credibility of trained performers. While acknowledging such appearances can attract attention, MVP stated, “I’m not particularly a big fan of the crossovers. I know it puts a lot of eyes on it. But I’ve never been a big fan of the crossover stuff.”
He specifically criticized an incident involving Austin Theory and musician Jelly Roll, where Theory was choke-slammed. “Austin Theory gets choke-slammed by Jelly Roll? Jelly Roll can barely lift a Jelly Roll!” MVP remarked, expressing frustration over how such moments can undermine wrestlers. “I just hate when they bring in an actor or a singer or an influencer, and now here you have trained athletes who put their bodies through the ringer day in, day out, and then all of a sudden, Austin Theory gets choke-slammed by Jelly Roll.”
MVP also shared that this sentiment is common among wrestlers, saying, “I’ve always hated it, and the guys in the locker room would talk about how you bring in these stars or actors who don’t have an athletic bone in their body, but we always have to put them over!”
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However, MVP made a notable exception for music superstar Bad Bunny, lauding his dedication. “I will tell you this, I was incredibly impressed with Bad Bunny. And for the work that he put in to turn in those performances. And for him to be one of the biggest stars on the planet!” MVP recounted approaching Bad Bunny after WrestleMania, initially skeptical: “Hey, I want to be honest with you. I’ve never been a fan of other people coming into my world doing this, because I just didn’t have any respect for them. This was my craft, this was my career. This is what I do. And for you, this is just a fun weekend.’”
His perspective shifted after witnessing Bad Bunny’s commitment. “But in his case, I went and shook his hand and told him, ‘not that you need to hear this, but you’ve earned my respect,’ and we hugged each other and I was like, ‘Yo, you’re the man.’” MVP’s admiration grew further after attending one of Bad Bunny’s concerts. “And then afterwards, having been a guest of his at a Bad Bunny concert, I was blown away. This man is an incredible showman… Afterwards, I went to the back and he confidently said, ‘welcome to my world.’ I said, bro, my respect for you has gone up even more.”
MVP also cited Evander Holyfield’s involvement as a positive example of a celebrity crossover. “But when you get an Evander Holyfield come in, and from a wrestling angle he’s coming in to box, well that makes sense. And that’s a cool thing.”
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