I don’t watch wresting, but even I know that WrestleMania is a big deal. New England Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski played a part in deciding the champion of the Battle Royale as he entered the ring to throw a thunderous shoulder block to knock Jinder Mahal to the ground and allow Mojo Rawley to claim the victory.
Gronk just went HAM at WrestleMania!!! pic.twitter.com/CEk111smgY
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) April 2, 2017
Rawley, also known as Dean Muhtadi, is a former NFL defensive lineman that played for the Packers and the Cardinals from 2009-10. He graduated from the University of Maryland alongside Gronkowski’s older brother Dan and overlapped with Gronkowski’s other brother Chris.
Somewhere along the line, Rob Gronkowski and Mojo Rawley became close friends.
EXCLUSIVE: @RobGronkowski and @MojoRawleyWWE are pumped up after Rawley emerged victorious from the #AndreBattleRoyal at #WrestleMania 33! pic.twitter.com/wChzB9RLIw
— WWE (@WWE) April 2, 2017
“It was just an unbelievable experience,” Gronkowski said about participating in WrestleMania. “First off, my first WrestleMania, and see my good friend Mojo in the WrestleMania Battle Royale, it was just an unbelievable experience. To be in the front row, to be a part of it, it’s unreal. So much fun, my adrenaline rush, Mojo’s just going HAM, adrenaline rush probably going for 20 minutes, but for my minute or two it was up there, I was loving every moment of it, it was just so awesome to be a part of it. Mojo’s worked so hard to be here, he definitely deserves it.”
Gronkowski must’ve been healthy enough to get the green light from the coaching and training staff to participate in such a physical event, which is a good sign for the tight end’s availability in the coming months.
Congrats homie! Well deserved, ya been working hard! Thank you for letting me be part of it! https://t.co/MBT7A92bF7
— Rob Gronkowski (@RobGronkowski) April 3, 2017
I’m just certain that head coach Bill Belichick hated every moment of it.
Let’s take one last look:
Gronk just destroying in the ring pic.twitter.com/1Z2jMQnbGZ
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 2, 2017
[UPDATE 10:00 a.m. ET] For those asking, the team did not oppose Gronkowski being a part of the show.