Justin Bieber’s Scrapped WWE Debut, Explained

Justin Bieber nearly made his WWE debut in 2013, and the story needs to be explained.

In 2013, the world nearly witnessed an unexpected collaboration of pop music and professional wrestling when global sensation Justin Bieber was in talks to not only make an appearance, but potentially even wrestle at WWE’s SummerSlam event.

However, destiny had other plans, and the highly anticipated spot didn’t come to fruition, so join us as we delve into the captivating tale of Justin Bieber’s scrapped SummerSlam 2013 wrestling debut, looking at the build-up, what was supposed to happen, and why it ultimately got cancelled.

Bieber’s WWE fandom

Justin Bieber’s lifelong pᴀssion for professional wrestling, according to various reports, culminated in an invitation from WWE to participate in their SummerSlam event in 2013, usually the second-biggest show of the year behind WrestleMania.

The invitation was then leaked to the press, which created a whirlwind of speculation as fans waited to see how WWE would choose to have Bieber’s role in the show.

Reports of Bieber’s WWE debut

News leaking of Bieber’s potential involvement at SummerSlam sent shockwaves through the industry, with Justin, at the time, being arguably the biggest music star on the planet.

The popular theory was Bieber would be singing at the show, but it quickly emerged that WWE had much bigger plans in store for him.

Shortly after, it was reported that WWE actually was in talks with Bieber over a wrestling match, and while some were really quite excited by the idea, some skeptics voiced concerns about how Bieber wrestling at the show might overshadow the full-time performers, with celebrity involvement in WWE only really being accepted over the last few years thanks to the tremendous work of the likes of Bad Bunny and Logan Paul.

Bieber & Cena tag team

The plan would have seen Bieber team with former WWE Champions Big Show and John Cena to take on The Wyatt Family, consisting of Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, as revealed by Big Show during his Talk is Jericho appearance in 2021, but that didn’t end up happening.

“It was going to be John Cena, The Big Show and Justin Bieber vs The Wyatts at SummerSlam. Bieber was on board. He was excited and wanted to work out with John and I. This was a really, really big deal.”

Upon seeing the backlash, WWE officials began doubting their decision to have Bieber actually wrestle in the match, and that coupled with the fact that the two parties were unable to come to terms on a deal, meant that Justin’s proposed wrestling debut was off the table. The mounting criticism from fans and media outlets intensified the pressure, ultimately leading to the reconsideration of WWE’s plans.

Vince McMahon’s U-turn

It wasn’t just that, as Big Show also revealed that WWE didn’t think Big Show would be able to relate to WWE’s audience, despite being one of the world’s biggest stars.

“One of the people that were making decisions said, ‘I just don’t see how Justin Bieber is going to relate to our audience.’ It’s like, does anyone not see the amount of eyes that Justin Bieber would bring to that match? I think WWE offered to help promote his album or something.”

WWE then decided not even to have Bieber appear on the show in any capacity, meaning that those who were excited to see the music icon at WWE’s event were left somewhat disappointed, despite nothing being officially announced.

Celebrities in WWE: The Impact

Bad Bunny, another major music star, impressed in all three of his matches thus far, in 2021, 2022 and this year, so perhaps WWE was wrong to shut down Bieber’s appearance so quickly.

The story of Justin Bieber’s scrapped appearance and match at SummerSlam 2013 serves as a compelling reminder of the unpredictable nature of entertainment collaborations, and how difficult they are to actually come to fruition.

Although the highly anticipated wrestling debut was canceled for various reasons, Bieber’s admiration for the sport is said to have continued, but the abandoned scrapped will forever stand as a monumental “what if” moment…