Peanut butter and jelly. Kim and Kanye. Gronk and WrestleMania. Some things just belong together.
On Sunday, the inevitable became reality, when Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski was worked into an undercard match of professional wrestling's greatest spectacle.
The backstory: Gronk is buddies with wrestler Mojo Rawley (this bond appears to be legitimate, based on a post-match interview). During the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale (actual title), Rawley was having some trouble with a large grappler named Jinder Mahal. When Mahal douses Gronk with his own beer, it got real. Well, you know what I mean.
Let's be honest here: There's no way Bill Belichick is down with his injury-prone tight end dropping the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Jinder Mahal with a shoulder-block, especially when said injury-prone tight end is just a few months removed from back surgery. That said, the physicality didn't go beyond that one move and a couple of boot stomps, so we don't imagine Gronk will be summoned to Patriot Way over the stunt.
Gronk isn't the first NFL superstar to participate in WrestleMania. Back in 1995, Lawrence Taylor, two years removed from his playing days with the Giants, defeated Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event of WrestleMania XI. You're not going to believe this, but the mid-90s were a down period for Vince McMahon's enduring operation.
Can't believe Gronk didn't take his undershirt off, by the way. Biggest upset in WrestleMania (human?) history.
