Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski hasn’t taken part in any physical activity on a football field since leaving a November 27 game against the Jets early because of a back injury that led to season-ending surgery.
He was active in a football stadium on Sunday, however. Gronkowski tried the sports entertainment game on for size by making an appearance at the WWE’s annual Wrestlemania event at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Gronkowski was ringside during a battle royal when a participant named Jinder Mahal brought him into the action by taking a break from brawling with Gronk’s buddy Mojo Rawley to throw water on the Patriots star. Gronkowski jumped the barrier and lined up in a three-point stance before nailing Mahal with a shoulderblock.
Rawley, who played with Gronkowski’s brother Dan at Maryland and had offseason stints with the Packers and Cardinals under his given name Dean Muhtadi, went on to win the match.
Gronkowski said recently that he has “no doubt” that he’ll be ready for the 2017 season and that he wants to keep playing for as long as he’s physically able to keep going. Sunday’s stint in the ring shouldn’t do anything to get in the way of that — assuming it was met with approval by Bill Belichick, a.k.a. the Classy Freddy Blassie of New England — and may have even opened a door for post-NFL life for a player with a personality that’s long seemed suited for the professional wrestling world.