Maybe it’s a good thing Rob Gronkowski is returning to football.
Because his wrestling could use a little work.
Although Gronkowski won the WWE 24/7 title at WrestleMania 36 last month, the legendary NFL tight end reportedly needed some convincing to perform a stunt that led to his championship victory.
The stunt required Gronkowski to jump off a platform onto a group of wrestlers below. According to Fightful, Gronkowski was nervous, so WWE chairman Vince McMahon — who’s 74 years old, mind you — performed the dive himself, drawing a “did that just happen?” reaction from those who witnessed it.
Here’s more from Fightful in a post published this week:
After our original story ran, a WWE name contacted us and said that Gronk was “terrified” of the dive, and that he had the benefit of a dozen of the biggest NXT guys catching him. Even after Vince McMahon did the spot, it took a significant amount of time to convince Gronkowski. The low angle you saw on TV was because production had to make it look better as Gronk bent his knees and practically fell off the platform “like a toddler jumping into the pool for the first time.”
Of course, Gronkowski’s fear only is natural. It’d be unfair to expect him to heave his body from a platform without any trepidation whatsoever, even if he’s used to putting himself in danger while playing in the NFL.
That said, it’s probably best that Gronkowski is stepping away from the squared circle and back onto the gridiron, where he’ll reunite with Tom Brady after being traded from the New England Patriots to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the heels of WrestleMania.
Gronkowski, who turned 31 on Thursday, still might have some good football left in him.
