Rob Gronkowski has been officially signed by the WWE. He has been announced as hosting this year's WrestleMania, which is going to take place on two nights, Saturday April 4th and Sunday April 5th. This year's WrestleMania is going to be very weird amidst the Corona Virus situation. Watching the last few Smackdown shows and Monday Night Raw events, there was an eerie emptiness watching the superstars perform without an audience. However, when Gronkowski showed up on last week's Smackdown, he brought an amazing amount of energy with him.
Retiring from the NFL in March of 2019, Gronkowski was a former tight end for the New England Patriots. He played college football with the University of Arizona. After retiring, he became a Football Analyst for Fox Sports. He holds the record for the most receiving yards by a tight end in Super Bowl history with 297. He is the only tight end to have 3 consecutive seasons with 10 or more touchdowns. His 17 touchdown receptions in 2011 were the most by a tight end in a single season. These accolades just barely touch the surface of the many records he holds.
Known for his "Gronk Spike," Gronkowski made a cameo appearance at WrestleMania 33 in 2017 during the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Mojo Rawley, a friend of Gronkowski, won the trophy that night. Rawley, whose real name is Dean Muhtadi, was originally signed by the Green Bay Packers. When waived by the Packers, Muhtadi signed with the Arizona Cardinals. Injured during training camp, Muhtadi eventually trained for a career in Professional Wrestling.
I cannot really say how the changes to WrestleMania for this special time of social distancing are going to play out, but as a Wrestling fan, I am grateful that there is still some entertainment left to make things seem almost normal.