32 Times Rock Stars Threw Down on ‘Celebrity Deathmatch’
The 25th anniversary of Celebrity Deathmatch got us feeling nostalgic about our favorite battles that involved rockers. So we created this recap dedicated to the claymation show, which ran on MTV from 1998-2007.
Each episode, formatted like a professional wrestling program, featured three fights where, true to the show's title, celebrities fought each other to a gruesome death. Sometimes they were involved in actual feuds in real-life (Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis), while other times they were created as being part of a perceived overall battle between good and evil (Kiss vs. N'SYNC). And then there were those that seemed to be the products of a bizarre imagination (Elvis Presley vs. Jerry Garcia, with Jimi Hendrix as the referee).
Watching from the sidelines were announcers Johnny Gomez and Nick Diamond, and they were joined by legendary boxing referee Mills Lane, who voiced himself for the first few seasons until a stroke forced him into retirement. Other recurring characters were wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin (playing himself); interviewers Stacey Cornbred, Debbie Matenopoulos and Tally Wong; and Diamond's son Nicky Jr.
The episodes featuring rock stars often drew upon their own lore, such as Keith Richards using his own toxic blood to defeat Dave Matthews and Sting's practice of tantric sex. And it was all in service to some violent, gruesome and hysterically inventive contests. Check them out below.