Posts

Wrestling Ring

WrestleMania 36 Will Still Go On Despite Coronavirus Concerns

/in , /by

The coronavirus pandemic is causing all major large gatherings in the United States, and the world, to come to a halt until further notice. However, WWE has decided to take a more creative approach when it came time to discuss what to do about Wrestlemania 36. The SuperBowl of wrestling is scheduled for Sunday, April 5th and according to executives, the show will go on.

Originally, the event was going to take place at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, but now it will be relocated to the Performance Center in Orlando. Currently WWE’s weekly televised installments, RAW, Smackdown, and NXT, are all taking place at the center as well, and being recorded in front of an empty arena of seats. For Wrestlemania 36, for the first time in history, the event will also be recorded in front of a crowd-less arena.

Embed from Getty Images

“In coordination with local partners and government officials, WrestleMania and all related events in Tampa Bay will not take place. However, WrestleMania will still stream live on Sunday, April 5 at 7 pm ET on WWE Network and be available on pay-per-view. Only essential personnel will be on the closed set at WWE’s training facility in Orlando, Florida to produce WrestleMania,” a WWE statement read.

WWE went on in their statement to assure fans who were planning on watching from home anyway that the show would be televised as scheduled, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The event will also be live-streaming on the WWE Network in addition to being available for pay-per-view purchase. There’s still no official word about if the traditional pre-show that WWE hold’s before all of its PPV events will still take place. 

The same exact match card will also be taking place at Wrestlemania this year, meaning the only major change to the event is the fact that there will be no audience, and potentially no pre-show. Here are the most blockbuster matches that fans can still expect to see in April:

Embed from Getty Images

 

Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre – WWE Championship: After Drew McIntyre delivered one of the biggest WWE upsets by winning the Royal Rumble this year, he decided to take on one of the biggest and most ruthless WWE Champions the network has ever seen; Brock Lesner. McIntyre was able to defeat Lesner in the Rumble, but fans are excited to see how the two powerhouses will do when up against one another exclusively. 

Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns – Universal Championship: When Goldberg initially one the Universal Championship at the Super Showdown, he asked the crowd a simple question, “who’s next?” to which Reigns came out from backstage claiming “I am.” It didn’t take long for the two to shake hands and agree to their Wrestlemania match.

John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt: When John Cena made his Smackdown return, he made it clear that he wasn’t ready to make his Wrestlemania return since he hadn’t earned it. However, before he could even finish The Fiend appeared and pointed at the Wrestlemania sign, Cena then tipped his cap and the match was official. 

Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler – RAW Women’s Championship: After a brutal assault on RAW from Baszler. Lynch was determined to seek her revenge, and luckily she had something Baszler wanted, the championship. At Elimination Chamber a month ago the two made it official. 

Wrestlemania 36 is likely to still be the most watched WWE event of the year, while an audience-free crowd may make the overall experience a truly unique one, the matches alone will make up for it. For a list of the rest of the matches on the card for Wrestlemania, and for some fan-predictions, click here.

WWE

Three-Time Super Bowl Champion, Rob Gronkowski, Considering Joining WWE

/in , /by

Rob Gronkowski, more popularly known by fans as Gronk, is a former New England Patriot, three-time Super Bowl Champion, and now, WWE superstar? The 30-year-old who recently retired after his third Super Bowl win with the Patriots, has always been a huge fan of wrestling, and now he may get the opportunity to step into the ring himself. 

Gronk made his initial WWE debut back in 2017 when he appeared at WrestleMania 33 as part of a storyline involving wrestler Mojo Rawley, a long-time friend of Gronk outside of both their given arenas. 

Gronk has widely been considered one of the greatest tight ends in the history of the NFL. Back in 2011 he famously scored 17 touchdowns, the most from any tight end in a single season in NFL history. His unapologetic “meathead” persona made him one of the most lovable athletes to hit the field. He was initially undermined constantly for his less than intelligent mannerisms and goofball personality, however, when it came time to actually perform, Gronk was one of the greatest. 

Embed from Getty Images

Despite missing a total of 29 games throughout his entire career due to a multitude of injuries, Gronk still managed to hold the record for most touchdowns of any NFL player within the past decade; 73 touchdowns in 115 games played. However, it would be his enormous frame and nimble feet that helped him accomplish this goal, that would also lead to the downfall of his football career. 

From 2009 to 2018 Gronk was seriously injured over 15 times. His injuries included a torn ACL, bruised lung, vertebral fracture, multiple concussions, and a herniated disc, and that’s just scratching the surface. During his last season with the Patriots in 2019, his team tried to precariously place him in games less frequently to avoid any further injury. To their surprise Gronk was still able to set up the game winning touchdown at the 2019 Super Bowl, giving the Patriots their sixth win, and a truly proper send off for the future NFL Hall of Famer. 

With all those injuries in mind, it makes sense that Gronk claimed that he would love to be a member of the WWE Universe, however, it would likely be more of a one-time event, rather than a full-time career. 

Embed from Getty Images

“With wrestling, I don’t feel like I would be a full-time wrestler, but there is one thing I’m down for, and that’s to do one crazy match. Practice it for a little bit, go out there – like in a Royal Rumble – go out there, I got my friend in WWE [Rawley], practice it and do a full-on WWE match. I’m not saying when, maybe five years. I got the rest of my life to do that. I’ve always dreamed about doing that, just one time, going in there and going full-out. That may be a possibility, one time, down the road,” Gronkowski said to ESPN. 

Gronk is only 30, so he definitely has plenty of time to make his in-ring debut. Mojo Rawley has made multiple public statements claiming he would be more than enthusiastic if his friend Gronk joined him in the ring for what he would consider to be the ultimate tag-team. WWE executives Triple H and Stephanie McMahon also recently attended Gronk’s 2020 Super Bowl party, where they also expressed their enthusiasm for a possible WWE Gronk debut. 

“Thanks for the invite to the Beach Party @RobGronkowski … maybe you should come to our party in Boston … heard it’s the biggest of the summer,” Triple H tweeted referring to WWE pay-per-view Summerslam.

Since his retirement from the NFL, Gronk has been working with FOX’s NFL Sunday broadcasts, the same studio that also televises some WWE shows. While Gronk is definitely excited for this potential opportunity, it might be some time before we see him actually in the ring, as he knows how much physical and mental effort pro-sports requires, so for now, he’s going to enjoy his three Super Bowl victories and wait for his time in the WWE spotlight.