If you are familiar at all in the sports world, you know exactly who Rob Gronkowski is. The former three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro is on his way to the WWE, according to a report by Ryan Satin on WWE Backstage on Tuesday night. Gronkowski made his WWE debut at WrestleMania 33 when he aided his friend Mojo Rawley to win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal by pouncing Jinder Mahal and weakening him for Rawley to eliminate him.
Per: @ryansatin 🚨BREAKING NEWS:🚨@WWE rumored to be close to a deal with @RobGronkowski #WWEBackstage pic.twitter.com/xnD7HV2UrX
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) March 11, 2020
More has been reported since, as PWInsider’s Mike Johnson has confirmed that Gronkowski has already signed a contract with the WWE. In the PWInsider report, Johnson made it clear that Rob Gronkowski will be signing to a professional wrestler contract rather than a personality. It was compared to the contract of Ronda Rousey who had come over from the UFC and ultimately main evented WrestleMania 35 in 2019.
PWInsider added in their report that Gronkowski will make his television debut on the March 20 edition of SmackDown in New Orleans. He is not expected to have a match at WrestleMania this year but begins his first storyline, whatever the story may be.
What’s even more interesting about the Gronkowski news is that the retired tight end has yet to close the door on his NFL career, with many New England Patriots fans wishing that he would eventually come back as early as the 2020 season. With this contract, Gronkowski seemingly squashes that possibility and becoming a pro wrestler seems like his next huge step with this contract.
He suffered a lot of injuries in his nine-year NFL career. Gronkowski took the 2019 season off in a shockingly early retirement at the young age of 30 as injuries cited as the main reason. If he is joining the WWE, clearly his many aches and pains have eased and he is ready to get back into a physical environment once again. With his charisma that he has shown on and off the football field, this seems like a natural fit.
Who could be his first opponent? A returning Jinder Mahal or Braun Strowman comes to mind. Mahal is the man who has a history with Gronkowski. While Strowman has been used as the WWE’s attraction with the most recent match coming against boxing champion Tyson Fury at Crown Jewel.
Something worth noting is that SummerSlam will be in Boston, MA this year. The same place Gronkowski became a mainstay and future NFL Hall of Famer. The timing seems to be perfect for the WWE by making this media attention-grabbing move. This could be a spot for Gronkowski to have his in-ring debut for the company. That’s if they can hold on that long.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. WWE fan? Check out the WWE Network to fulfill all of your WWE needs!
