Lil Yachty Reacts to Backlash After His WWE SmackDown Appearance

Lil Yachty is a die-hard wrestling fan, and he lived out every WWE fanatic’s dream during Friday night’s (April 3) episode of SmackDown when he stepped into the ring for the first time in St. Louis.

Lil Boat’s WWE debut came through an alliance with WWE superstar Trick Williams, as the rapper helped execute an attack on Sami Zayn during a promo. Yachty’s appearance seemed to draw positive reviews, while wrestling purists typically want the WWE to shy away from celebrity cameos.

The “One Night” rapper came across a “revised” WrestleMania poster mocking celebrities aligning with the WWE brand, which saw Yachty in the graphic sitting alongside streamer iShowSpeed, Jelly Roll, ESPN’s Pat McAfee and NFL legend Tom Brady with WWE’s head of creative, Triple H.

Yachty defended himself from backlash and fans trying to make it sound as if he’s not worthy of being associated with the brand, as Boat watches RAW and SmackDown “religiously” and attends live events across the U.S. regularly.

“i understand yall upset but don’t try and step on my f—king moment, i’m at the tv screen every monday and friday religiously,” he wrote to X while resharing the poster on Easter Sunday (April 5). “I’ve been to more ple’s than most. i probably know more history than most of yall. who’s to say i don’t deserve to be apart of something i love so dearly?”

However, much of the commentary around Yachty’s involvement looked to be positive reviews. “Lil Yachty was actually pretty entertaining on SmackDown,” a fan wrote on X. Another chimed in: “Ngl man nobody really mad at your involvement because it don’t feel forced, other celebs tho? We can’t say the same.”

Perhaps WWE fans are holding last year’s rap infiltration into wrestling against Yachty. Travis Scott played an integral role in the Cody Rhodes, The Rock and John Cena storyline through 2025’s WrestleMania. There was speculation La Flame reportedly had a “falling out” with WWE following his involvement.

Trick Williams invited Yachty to join him at WrestleMania 42, which will take place in Las Vegas once again on April 18 and April 19.

Watch Yachty’s appearance on SmackDown above.