Rob Gronkowski In WWE? ‘SmackDown Live’ Star Says Gronk’s ‘Dying To Get In Ring’
Rumors of Rob Gronkowski joining WWE and giving pro wrestling a try are nothing new, especially since he’s close friends with SmackDown Live wrestler and former NFL defensive lineman Mojo Rawley. And if Rawley’s recent words are to be believed, it may be a matter of time before the New England Patriots’ star tight end enters the world of sports entertainment.
Speaking to former WWE announcer Jonathan Coachman on his Off the Top Rope segment, videos per WrestleZone, Mojo Rawley touched on multiple topics, starting with his transition from college football star and NFL hopeful, to professional wrestler in the WWE. Known outside the ring as Dean Muhtadi, Rawley was a star in the classroom and on the football field at the University of Maryland, but went undrafted in the 2009 NFL draft, getting signed by the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals, but never playing a down in the regular season.
When asked about the difference between football and wrestling, Mojo told Coachman that the lack of an off-season in WWE is the biggest difference. Still, it was arguably more interesting when Rawley talked about his good friend Rob Gronkowski’s WWE aspirations. In April, 2016, “Gronk” told Draft Kings that he was impressed with Rawley’s performance in NXT, and that he’s interested in doing something for WWE sooner or later, as Forbes reported.
“I love watching him. We were just chilling and we cut a promo together and we had a blast. I can definitely see something in the future. Hopefully Mojo Rawley starts wrestling a lot and starts doing what he has to do and makes it to Monday Night RAW, if my boy is there, I’m there for an appearance.”
About three months after Gronk made those comments, Rawley made it to the main roster from NXT, but instead of joining RAW, he ended up on SmackDown Live, via the July, 2016, brand draft. Gronkowski, on the other hand, went on to win Super Bowl 51 with the Patriots, and remained in the spotlight with his wild and crazy antics. Will he be able to parlay those antics into a pro wrestling career, where he may be a natural fit? As he’s just 27-years-old and has lots of NFL games left in him, a full-time wrestling gig might not be an option, but Rawley said that Gronkowski remains open to a WWE stint at this point in his career.
“Robbie G and I have been talking about this one for a very long time and we’re planning our moves very carefully, because Rob’s dying to get into the squared circle.”
Furthermore, Rawley also dropped some hints about Rob Gronkowski’s WWE stint including an appearance at WrestleMania 33, with Coachman quipping that the comments were a “tease of the highest order.”
“I gotta say WrestleMania is around the corner. My tag partner is hurt.”
Rawley’s Hype Bros tag teammate, Zack Ryder, is currently recovering from a knee injury, but as Mojo claims, he’s “healing up well.” Ryder suffered the injury on a December, 2016, episode of SmackDown Live, and Fox Sports noted at that time that he is expected to be out until the second half of 2017.
“We came up here, we finally got some momentum going, strung together some wins, and we finally win the number one contender battle royal to go after the tag titles, and Zack got hurt … He gave his knee for this team, he gave his knee for me because he believed in us.”
Currently, there aren’t any rumored WrestleMania plans of note for SmackDown Tag Team Champions American Alpha, and Mojo Rawley is focusing on singles competition, having also entered himself in WrestleMania‘s annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. And while it’s an extreme longshot at this point, it won’t be the strangest thing ever if Rob Gronkowski makes a WWE guest appearance, subbing for Zack Ryder as the Hype Bros compete for the blue brand’s tag titles at WrestleMania 33.
[Featured Image by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images]
