Today, however, the economic landscape has shifted. Modern mainstream celebrity involvement has evolved into a lucrative, highly negotiated business where top-tier talent often commands premium, multi-million-dollar contracts. This poses the question: how can casual pro-wrestling fans be created without spending large sums of money? A part of the solution is to utilize new or developing talent.
Long before Eleanor J. Kerrigan became a stand-up comedian known for her sharp wit and relatable storytelling at the Comedy Store and beyond, she didn't have a public footprint. The only times people were seeing Kerrigan's ability to entertain were while she was working as a waitress at The Comedy Store, where she learned the ropes of comedy and made the best comics in the country laugh while in the kitchen of the club. That changed when she joined WOW - Women Of Wrestling and became EZ Rider, being seen on syndicated television. She had already displayed her potential as an entertainer while working as a comedy shop waitress- being a WOW Original enabled her to show it on a national platform in front of live crowds, and helped her move towards acting and eventually become a comedian by honing her showmanship and performance skills. Instead of signing a celebrity, WOW built a foundation for Kerrigan to later become one, while entertaining its audience at the same time.
Today, Eleanor J. Kerrigan is a touring stand-up comedian. She has performed regularly at major West Coast venues in the stand-up comedy industry, like the Hollywood Improv and the Laugh Factory Las Vegas, and she has also performed on the East Coast. In addition, Kerrigan was co-host of "The Comedy Store Podcast", talking about the past, present, and future of The Comedy Store with guests that span the entire history of the store, and she was featured on an episode of "The Ringers", a stand-up comedy showcase series.
While many Western promotions utilize crossover talent as active focal points of the promotion, multiple promotions in Japan present outside talent as an entertainment wrapper. An example is the collaboration between World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana and Shumatsu no Stella (終末のステラ)- a 5-member independent underground pop-rock idol group. In 2026, it was announced that they were appointed as Diana's Official Support Members and would be supporting Diana through the promotion's future tournaments, events, and various promotional activities. Shumatsu no Stella has an intensely dedicated, highly active fanbase who travel heavily and buy merchandise aggressively. Without having to pay premium prices for a top-charting pop-rock star, Diana creates an immediate physical bridge between the promotion and music fans by being associated with the group.
Meanwhile, the Diana-Shumatsu no Stella partnership provides the music group with higher visibility and gives them direct access to an entirely new demographic. The group can now have exposure at notable venues like Korakuen Hall and Shinkiba 1stRING, and since professional wrestling and idol culture have a deeply intertwined relationship with a massive overlap between the fanbases, Diana fans can easily become listeners of Shumatsu no Stella's music.
Promotions like WOW and Diana prove that it's possible for a promotion to be a growth engine for a performer's visibility and future success outside of the pro-wrestling industry, while simultaneously helping itself. Utilizing a performer in the industry whose greatest strengths lie in other skill sets isn't always about paying for the stars of today; sometimes it's about helping the stars of tomorrow.
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