Jason Kelce Defends Pro Wrestling, Loved WWE WrestleMania Appearance
Jason Kelce loved his WrestleMania cameo.
On night one of WrestleMania 40, Rey Mysterio and Andrade got the better of Dominik Mysterio and Santos Escobar in tag team action. However, their victory came via a surprise helping hand from Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles — complete with Luchador masks.
Kelce in particular is a legend in Philadelphia having spent his entire career with the Eagles, enjoying tremendous success along the way. In the weeks before WrestleMania was held in the city, the star announced his retirement from the NFL, so the timing was perfect to try something new.
During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Kelce recalled how his WrestleMania appearance came together, before revealing it was a little more complicated than just turning up on the night. The now-former NFL star recalled learning how to bump, and how to throw a convincing clothesline before the show.
“It got announced it was coming to Philly, and they wanted Lane [Johnson] to be a part of it, so I started to get acclimated to what this event is and how big of a deal it is to the wrestling community. Lane and I went to a couple wrestling gyms in south Jersey, and we were literally doing moves and bumps.
I learned how to bump, I learned how to clothesline, I learned how to get slapped in the chest and not act like it hurt because it actually does hurt.
It was awesome, and watching the level of professionalism that takes place and how, when you’re on there, right next to the stage, that mat, I gotta say, it ain’t soft. It was a full-on board. When you see those guys jumping off the top, doing flips and everything, it gives you a whole new tremendous respect for those athletes.”
Jason Kelce Hits Back At Wrestling Critics
When asked whether fans could expect to see him return to the ring, Kelce said he was very busy, but noted again how much he enjoyed WrestleMania. The star added that while some people look down on wrestling for being “fake,” everything he saw was incredibly impressive.
“I will say, it was a blast, it was a ton of fun, everybody made it a lot of fun, and again, a lot of people say wrestling is fake or whatever, and it’s like, so is the TV show you’re watching, but you can still have a level of respect for the amazing physical specimens that are doing outrageous things in front of you. It might be choreographed a bit, but it’s still nonetheless very impressive.”
It was recently reported that former Miami Dolphins cornerback Trill Williams has signed with WWE. Williams made a cameo on the November 12th episode of NXT.
H/t to Wrestle Zone