--- description: "It's nice to be back in reality" title: Watch Jon Stewart Hit a WWE Wrestler With a Chair image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b5d2c0bb3262018/6988609435ba6f4725c0ed14/john-stewart.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Watch Jon Stewart Hit a WWE Wrestler With a Chair by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 24, 2015 2:01 PM CUT  Jon Stewart gets into the action at WWE SummerSlam 2015 Barclays Center in New York City on Aug. 23, 2015. Jon Stewart gets into the action at WWE SummerSlam 2015 Barclays Center in New York City on Aug. 23, 2015.JP Yim—Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 24, 2015 2:01 PM CUT A grizzled, white-bearded Jon Stewart appeared Sunday night at a WWE fight in Brooklyn, N.Y. for a cameo more raucous than most moments on the comedian’s 16-year-long show. “Let me tell you the difference between politics and what you’re going to see tonight,” Stewart said during his introduction as he worked up the audience. “WWE performers you’re going to see tonight, they respect their audience.” After riling up the crowd and introducing wrestlers including John Cena, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker and Sheamus, Stewart went backstage for the fights. But during a match between Cena and Seth Rollins for World Heavyweight champion, Stewart ran out with the lethal weapon of the WWE, the chair. Prowling the ring like a caged comedian, Stewart eyed the two wrestlers before hitting Cena with a chair. Rollins won the match. “I’ve spent the last 16 years talking about politics,” Stewart said earlier when he introduced the WWE wrestlers. “It’s nice to be back in reality.” ### Steve Carell  LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 08: Steve Carell attends the EE British Academy Film Awards at The Royal Opera House on February 8, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage) Mike Marsland—WireImage/Getty Images One of two participants in the long-running “Even Stevphen” debate sequence, Carell graduated to a career in episodic TV with a Golden Globe-winning role on NBC’s _The Office_. While on that series, he began a movie career, which hit a new peak this year when he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in _Foxcatcher —_ one that took subtle advantage of his comic timing. ### Stephen Colbert  Television personality Stephen Colbert smiles while taping the "The Colbert Report" with U.S. President Barack Obama, not pictured, in Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014\. This is President Obama's third appearance on "The Colbert Report" that will broadcast its final show on Dec. 18\. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg/Getty Images The other Steve who loved debating in the early years of Stewart’s tenure, Colbert was installed in the post-Stewart timeslot in fall 2005\. As Colbert developed his showily ignorant character over time, he came to overshadow Stewart in some aspects; in 2013, _The Colbert Report_ (both terminal T’s are silent) broke _The Daily Show_‘s streak in the Best Variety Series category at the Emmys, and the series won again in 2014\. Colbert preceded his onetime boss in leaving Comedy Central, but his future plans are definite: He’s to replace David Letterman on CBS’s _Late Show_ this year. ### John Oliver  LATE NIGHT WITH SETH MEYERS -- Episode 156 -- Pictured: Comedian John Oliver during an interview on February 2, 2014 -- (Photo by: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images) NBC/Getty Images Another Stewart acolyte to enter the late-night arena, Oliver did so well as a guest host while Stewart was on hiatus filming his directorial debut _Rosewater_ that Oliver was offered his own show. _Last Week Tonight_ _with John Oliver_, on HBO, routinely sets the internet on fire on Monday mornings with Oliver’s impassioned monologues on subjects he deems under-covered by the U.S. media. ### Larry Wilmore  NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 23: Television personality Larry Wilmore attends Viacom Inc. & Comedy Central's "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore" ring the Nasdaq Stock Market Closing Bell at NASDAQ on January 23, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images) Slaven Vlasic—Getty Images The onetime “senior black correspondent” on _The Daily Show_, Wilmore has gotten great reviews in the early going of _The Nightly Show_, his 11:30 p.m. show on Comedy Central. Even without Stewart as a lead-in, it’s easy to imagine Wilmore continuing to attract positive attention for his frank panel conversations about little-discussed issues. ### Kristen Schaal  NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 15: Actress Kristen Schaal attends 2nd Annual Paleyfest New York Presents: "Bob's Burgers" at Paley Center For Media on October 15, 2014 in New York, New York. (Photo by Monica Schipper/FilmMagic) Monica Schipper—FilmMagic/Getty Images The loopy correspondent bolstered her comedy credentials with spots on _The Daily Show_ beginning in 2008; she went on to a role on _30 Rock_ and today, she’s perhaps the most popular voice actor on Fox’s animated series _Bob’s Burgers._ ### Olivia Munn  PHOENIX, AZ - JANUARY 31: Actress Olivia Munn attends the 2015 NFL Honors at Phoenix Convention Center on January 31, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images) Taylor Hill—Getty Images Her brief stint on _The Daily Show_, beginning in 2010, was controversial at the time given the star’s pedigree as the host of the silly G4 series _Attack of the Show!_, but Munn proved her mettle. She works consistently as a movie actress to this day, and was among the standouts on HBO’s controversial drama _The Newsroom_. ### Michael Che  NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 20: Actor Michael Che attends 2014 American Museum Of Natural History 2014 Museum Gala at American Museum of Natural History on November 20, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/WireImage) Bennett Raglin—WireImage/Getty Images His time on _The Daily Show_ was brief — just a few months in 2014 before he was announced as the new co-anchor of _Saturday Night Live_‘s “Weekend Update” segment. But his appointment proved just how porous the comedy world had become: As though anyone needed reminding, it was newly clear that _The Daily Show_ was making stars. Ongoing debate over whether Che is right for the “Weekend Update” spot has gone on to prove that in many cases, Stewart’s format is a great end in and of itself. ### Jessica Williams  PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 26: Jessica Williams attends the "People, Places, Things" Premiere during the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2015 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by George Pimentel/Getty Images for Sundance) George Pimentel—Getty Images Williams looks to be the latest breakout star from Stewart’s _Daily Show_. The speculation that she’d take the post-_Daily Show_ spot was so intense that the star, known for her sharp commentary on feminist issues, addressed it on her personal blog. Even without a show of her own, Williams has emerged as a generationally defining star, recently appearing on the cover of _Wired_ — likely her first magazine cover of many. _Read next:_ [_Over 100,000 People Want Jon Stewart to Host a Presidential Debate_](http://time.com/4005480/jon-stewart-presidential-debate-petition/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day_](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ### See Jon Stewart's Career Over the Years  Jon Stewart takes the reins as anchor of The Daily Show in 1999. Comedy Central/Everett  Stewart gets a cameo as Kevin Gerrity in the 1999 Adam Sandler movie Big Daddy. Columbia  Jay Leno interviews Jon Stewart on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno in 2000. NBC/Getty Images  Stewart plays Marion Frank Stokes in the 2002 black comedy Death to Smoochy Warner Bros.  Jon Stewart and his team win the first of many Emmys for The Daily Show in 2003. Chris Weeks—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Jon Stewart hosts the 78th Academy Awards in 2006. Academy of Motion Picture Arts—WireImage/Getty Images  Stewart has a cameo as himself on The Simpsons in 2008 in the episode "E Pluribus Wiggum." Fox  Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart host the Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear on the National Mall on Oct. 30, 2010 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Jon Stewart interviews President Barack Obama on The Daily Show at the Harman Center for the Arts in Washington, DC, Oct. 26, 2010. Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images  Jon Stewart speaks at the 51st USO Armed Forces Gala & Gold Medal Dinner on Dec. 13, 2012 in New York City. Michael Loccisano—Getty Images  Stewart makes his directorial debut in the 2014 drama Rosewater. Open Road Films  Jon Stewart announces his retirement for the end of 2015. Comedy Central ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4007813/jon-stewart-wwe-wrestler/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4007813/jon-stewart-wwe-wrestler/"},"headline":"Watch Jon Stewart Hit a WWE Wrestler With a Chair","datePublished":"2015-08-24T14:01:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:57.986Z","description":"\"It's nice to be back in reality\"","url":"https://time.com/4007813/jon-stewart-wwe-wrestler/","keywords":["2016 Election topic","WWE","Television","Jon Stewart","wrestling"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b5d2c0bb3262018/6988609435ba6f4725c0ed14/john-stewart.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6b5d2c0bb3262018/6988609435ba6f4725c0ed14/john-stewart.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 23: Jon Stewart gets into the action at WWE SummerSlam 2015 Barclays Center of Brooklyn on August 23, 2015 in New York City. 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