I Think You Should Leave, our nation’s premiere vehicle for aggressively weird sketch comedy, fits unbelievably well into the world of professional wrestling. Not only does the show make use of an over-the-top commitment to childlike logic in the tradition of wrestlers like Chris Jericho, but many of its greatest sketches involve a man addressing the camera through screams of rage or anguish — not unlike the legendary promos once cut by “Macho Man†Randy Savage. It was no surprise, then, when actual professional wrestlers started popping up in some of the show’s most memorable sketches.
In season two, All Elite Wrestling star Brody King made an appearance as Mike “the Rock†Davis, a friend of Calico Cut Pants founder Rick. But season three is when ITYSL wrestling cameos hit their peak — first featuring Aron Haddad, known in the WWE as Damien Sandow, in episode three’s drive-through sketch, then even more in “Pacific Proposal Park†from episode four. In the latter sketch, Sam Richardson plays a man who “loves love†but, in creating a soft-grassed garden perfect for getting down on one knee, accidentally builds the perfect wrestling ring. Scenes of proposals being interrupted by body slams and highspots are interspersed with Richardson’s pleas for the wrestling to stop, culminating in a veteran wrestler’s penis exploding (off-camera). The sketch was directed by Zachary Johnson and Jeffrey Max — the duo behind both “Coffin Flop†and “Darmine Doggy Door†— with help from stunt coordinator Nito Larioza and producer Madison Woodward, a booker for Brain Slam Wrestling who was tasked with populating the set (which was created in a small dog-walking area next to the Hotel Burbank) with the ideal wrestlers for the scene.
Two of those wrestlers were Slice Boogie and Ryan Nemeth, who each spoke with me briefly about their experiences during filming. Boogie plays Jerry “the Jet †Jones, the first wrestler to get body-slammed next to a proposing couple. When Woodward invited him to be in the sketch, he assumed he’d be the only wrestler there, and if all you see of this sketch is the final cut, you might think that he was, at most, one of five or six. “I get there, and there’s fucking 20 wrestlers, and I know almost all of them,†he said. “It was almost like a little reunion.†As both a wrestler and comedian, Nemeth was a little more savvy as to what the shoot would entail (and an ITYSL fan before getting the job). He was one of the lucky few wrestlers to make the final cut as the combatant, a wrestler named Toilet Truck, forces him to pretend he’s a truck — an idea Robinson and Kanin came up with on the spot.
There are two things everyone I spoke with about this sketch agrees on: Since it was the final sketch of the season that was filmed, the vibe on set was “wrap party,†and there was a lot of really good wrestling — along with bonus moments — that never made it into the final cut. For one, Nemeth participated in photo shoots in various costumes that came together during the 12-hour day to explain the backstories of numerous fictional wrestlers. (“I had giant mustaches and a wig,†he remembers.) Boogie says he was oiled up with another wrestler and taped promos as twin luchadores. “They also had a couple pretending to get married,†Nemeth says. “But Sam comes up and goes, ‘You’re wrestlers, aren’t you?’ And they’re like, ‘No, we’re not, brother. Please.’†(“Brother†is a common term of endearment in the wrestling community, popularized by Hulk Hogan.)
While we may never get to see an extended version of this sketch, what we can do is take a minute to appreciate the sheer number of pro wrestlers now technically part of the I Think You Should Leave Cinematic Universe, regardless of whether they made it into the GIFs.
Aaron Aguilera
His WWE ring names include Jesús and Uno, and he has wrestled in All Japan Pro Wrestling as Zodiac and in Lucha Libre USA as Lujo Esquire. He does not appear to have an Instagram, nor did he appear in the final cut of the sketch, but he did fight John Cena.
Al Burke
In the “Pacific Proposal Park†sketch, Burke portrays a veteran wrestler named King Larry (who is also Scarecrow). He gets the last laugh when he sells his penis popping off-camera at the end. Burke wrestled in the WWF from 1988–94, where he was known as Mr. Outrageous. You may recognize him as the “Large Billy Idol fan†in The Wedding Singer and as the wrestler punching Eminem in his “Without Me†video. He now works as a stuntman, actor, and animal wrangler.
Chris Bey
While he does not appear in the final cut of the “Pacific Proposal Park†sketch, Bey is a member of New Japan’s Bullet Club, which is a big deal! You can also see him on Impact Wrestling, where he and Ace Austin are the current Impact World Tag Team Champions — also a big deal!
Dawn Aneada
Dawn Aneada does not appear in the final cut of the sketch, but she does seem to have somewhat recently started her wrestling career under the name Shaina Showtime. She is also an actress and stunt performer.
Dom Kubrick
You won’t see him in the sketch, but he’s an indie wrestler who has appeared on the much-beloved indie Game Changer Wrestling and numerous other promotions. He and Lucas Riley make up a team called the Krusty Krew.
Dylan Kyle Cox
Also known as “the DKC,†he doesn’t appear onscreen, but he can be seen in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and recently appeared on Ring of Honor.
Jay tha Gawd
We do get to see JTG (as he was known in the WWE) do a high-flying spot in the middle of the “Pacific Proposal Park†sketch — right through a table. “Every time he did it, everyone stopped what they were doing just to watch him, because it was probably the craziest thing,†Boogie told me. If you want to see more of him, he’s currently signed to NWA.
Joseph Ruud
In the “Pacific Proposal Park†sketch, Ruud plays Toilet Truck, the guy who puts toilet seats on people’s heads and makes them pretend to be a truck. But in the WWE, he was known as Erick Rowan, a member of the very scary Wyatt Family who kept a giant spider in a cage. He was released from WWE during the pandemic and returned to the indie scene as Erick Redbeard, a name he used during a story line on AEW. He’s now working as an actor and continuing to make appearances on the indie scene.
Joey Janela
Any indie-wrestling fans who saw this man’s name in the credits were immediately gasping. He doesn’t appear onscreen in “Pacific Proposal Park,†but if you follow the scene at all, you know who he is. A regular presence in GCW, Joey Janela’s Spring Break is a show started in 2017 that has since become a beloved yearly tradition for indie promotion.
Josh Barnett
Josh Barnett is the guy who slams Jerry “the Jet†Jones to the ground in the first wrestling scene of “Pacific Proposal Park.†In real life, he’s an MMA fighter and wrestler known as “the Warmaster†who began his pro-wrestling career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Barnett can still be seen there or on GCW. Warning: He’s very hard-core.
J.R. Kratos
When he’s not playing the villainous Baby Duff in the ITYSL sketch, he’s signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling as part of the Team Filthy stable. He also wrestles in the NWA.
Misterioso Jr.
He doesn’t appear in the sketch, but this nephew of Misterioso is a luchador currently signed to CMLL (Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre — a thing you should absolutely behold in its full glory next time you visit Mexico City). He has worked in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, AEW, and Ring of Honor.
Reyna Velarde
Reyna Velarde doesn’t appear in the “Pacific Proposal Park†sketch, but you can catch her on Women of Wrestling, which is streaming on Pluto and airing on regular TV if you check your local listings. She wrestles as a character named Chainsaw, whose gimmick is that she owns a chainsaw!
Royce Isaacs
Despite filming a moment when he hits Slice Boogie in the back with a chair, Royce Isaacs doesn’t appear in the final cut of “Pacific Proposal Park.†He’s a member of New Japan’s Team Filthy and has appeared on GCW and made an appearance on AEW’s Rampage.
Ryan Nemeth
You’ll recognize Ryan Nemeth as the wrestler in “Pacific Proposal Park†who gets his head put through a toilet seat by Toilet Truck, but in real life, he’s known as “the Hollywood Hunk.†He can currently be seen on AEW, where he’s a heel who often acts as comic relief for the show. When he’s not wrestling, he does stand-up around Los Angeles and makes videos supporting the WGA strike. He’s the younger brother of WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler.
Slice Boogie
Boogie plays Jerry “the Jet†Jones and is the first wrestler we see take a bump next to a proposal. In real life, he’s a wrestler and Queens native who can be seen wrestling at promotions across Los Angeles’s vibrant indie scene. He also has very good T-shirts, which is so important.
Twana Barnett
Twana Barnett fully throws a guy in “Pacific Proposal Park,†which won’t surprise anyone who has seen her work in Women of Wrestling. Barnett goes by the ring moniker “the Beast†and is a Krav Maga black belt, bodybuilder, and EMT. So she can beat you up and save your life.
Taya Valkyrie
She doesn’t make it into the final “Pacific Proposal Park†sketch, which is wild, because Valkyrie is very famous and particularly hot right now. She’s the current AAA Reina de Reinas Champion, former Impact Knockout, and most recently came thiiiis close to ending AEW’s Jade Cargill’s streak and winning the TBS Women’s Championship.
Tuna Tardugno
She doesn’t get her moment in “Pacific Proposal Park,†but she’s a DJ, punk singer, and an indie wrestler, so you can check out her stuff even if you aren’t into the art of working inside the squared circle.
Viva Van
While Viva Van doesn’t appear in “Pacific Proposal Park,†there are lots of ways to see this indie star. She’s currently the PCW Ultra Women’s Champion and FSW Women’s Champion and has appeared on Ring of Honor, AAA, and AEW.