Tag: wrestling

T.Y. Hilton tossed obnoxious Bears fan Seth Rollins over a barricade during a Colts game

Rollins heeled it up, letting Hilton soak up some babyface cheers.

T.Y. Hilton doesn’t need to do anything to endear himself to Indianapolis Colts fans. The former wideout had 53 touchdowns and nearly 10,000 receiving yards with the franchise.

Seth Rollins doesn’t need to do anything to encourage boos. The five-time WWE champion has built a name on weaselly tactics, outlandish outfits and his generally obnoxious demeanor to become a modern legend in the pro wrestling ring.

Sometimes, these two forces meet to combine for something beautiful. Like when unabashed Chicago Bears fan Rollins shows up in a suite at Lucas Oil Stadium, right about the same time a hooded Hilton shows up to forcefully eject him from the premises.

Rollins showcased the selling ability that makes him a future Hall of Famer after hitting the turf and being shown to the exit by security. Hilton reveled in the cheers of the home crowd. And, ultimately, Rollins had to deal with the sting of a 21-16 Chicago loss on top of everything else.

At least he had good seats. For a while.

John Cena announcing his retirement from the WWE in 2025 left fans absolutely stunned

You won’t be seeing John Cena in the WWE much longer.

After more than two decades, the man you can’t see is officially leaving the ring where you first saw him.

John Cena, the longtime wrestler-turned-actor, shared at Saturday’s WWE Money in the Bank that he will be retiring from in-ring competition in 2025.

After making his unofficial WWE debut in 2000, Cena won a record 16 world champions and forged a legacy as one of the most beloved wrestlers within the WWE landscape.

While he’s primarily worked as an actor over the last decade in projects like The Suicide Squad, Bumblebee and the last two Fast and the Furious films, Cena’s career as a wrestler has garnered him one of the most passionate fanbases in all of professional sports.

News of his retirement is seismic for the WWE community, and you can bet that fans had some incredibly emotional responses for The Prototype exiting the professional wrestling world.

While it’s always possible Cena could make surprise WWE appearances in the future, fans grappled with the reality that one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time was prepared to ride off into the sunset.

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U.S. Bank Stadium named host of WWE SummerSlam in 2026

The state of Minnesota loves its football, obviously, but it also loves its wrestling. In 2026, those two worlds will collide.

The state of Minnesota loves its football, obviously, but it also loves its wrestling. In 2026, those two worlds will collide.

It was announced on Thursday that the WWE will add U.S. Bank Stadium to its growing list of NFL stadiums to host an event. The Vikings’ home field will host the 2026 installment of SummerSlam as a two-day event. Each calendar year, the event is one of the company’s four major premium events. For a city and stadium to get one of them, specifically SummerSlam, it speaks to how special the stadium and city are viewed by the company.

This year, the WWE is set to have Cleveland Browns Stadium host the event, with the 2025 venue yet to be announced.

Hosting big events is not something Minneapolis and U.S. Bank Stadium are new to. They previously hosted Super Bowl LII which was a major success for the stadium and city overall. The weather will be a tad different outside for SummerSlam, however, as it will take place on Aug. 1 and 2 instead of February as the Super Bowl did.

Does a Gable Steveson signing make sense for the Vikings?

Minnesota sports fans should know the name Gable Steveson after the career he had at the University of Minnesota. Could he be a Viking now?

Minnesota sports fans should know the name Gable Steveson after the career he had at the University of Minnesota. It was a career that saw him become the most accomplished heavyweight wrestler in program history since Brock Lesnar.

He used that success to parlay it into a career in the WWE, but the company wants to take a different approach. The national champion wrestler was part of a recent string of cuts from the company, and he is weighing his career options.

One of those options seems to be the NFL.

Ariel Helwani, a combat sports reporter, reported on Monday that Steveson has ” multiple offers” from NFL teams. The move wouldn’t be the most extreme for him, as we have seen it before with another Golden Gophers wrestler.

Back in 2004, Brock Lesnar moved from the WWE to the NFL, was a part of the Minnesota Vikings training camp roster, and made it all the way to final cuts. He was offered a spot in NFL Europe but passed on it and pursued other athletic ventures.

This raises the question: Could Gable Steveson be a good addition to the Vikings? I say yes.

The team has shown it is willing to take chances with high athleticism on the offensive and defensive lines. Steveson could be a fun project for the staff to work with on the defensive line alongside Levi Drake Rodriguez. At the very least it doesn’t hurt to give him a camp invite. His 6-1, 265-pound frame could be undersized, but he has shown he has great leverage, balance and footwork.

The Vikings should bring him in for a workout, see what he can do and make a decision then.

Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith appear on WWE RAW in Kansas City

#Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith made an appearance on WWE RAW in Kansas City on Monday. | @EdEastonJr

The stars were out at the T-Mobile Center for WWE Monday Night RAW, and the Kansas City Chiefs were front and center throughout the show. Patrick Mahomes played the role of the ‘heel’ (a villain) in support of his friend and business partner Logan Paul during a segment altercation in front of the many Chiefs fans in attendance.

Mahomes started the show walking in with Paul and the treacherous Judgement Day members of Finn Balor, “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, JD McDonagh, and the World Heavyweight Champion Damien Priest. He was shown ringside as the group got into an altercation with rival superstar Jey Uso regarding an upcoming title shot.

The three-time Super Bowl champion, sitting between Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, allegedly handed Paul his championship ring to use as brass knuckles against Uso. Paul inadvertently missed his punch and instead connected with McDonagh of The Judgement Day, who knocked him out before the gang was chased out of the ring by a returning Braun Strowman.

Strowman chased Paul away while turning his attention to Mahomes at ringside for a staredown, but his offensive line immediately protected him. Strowman backed down from the Chiefs’ starting center and guard as the reigning Super Bowl MVP stood untouched.

It was a fun night in Kansas City as Mahomes showed more acting chops in a wrestling venue, which may have sparked a future match in the WWE. The reaction from head coach Andy Reid to Monday night’s events should be entertaining.

Raiders Round 2 OL Jackson Powers-Johnson: Wrestling ‘huge’ for development as football player

Jackson Powers-Johnson credits wrestling for his football success that had him drafted at 44 to the Raiders

As a former wrestler myself, I often preach to others the benefits to my time on the mat. The skills translate well to pretty much any sport as well. Raiders newest offensive lineman understands these benefits.

They selected Oregon guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson with the 44th overall pick in the second round Friday. Shortly after the pick, I had the chance to ask the 6-3, 328-pound mauler about his wrestling background and how it helped him as a football player.

“Wrestling was a huge part of my life,” said Powers-Johnson. “Definitely translating in leverage and physically and also straight mental toughness. Wrestling is the hardest sport. So, me doing that to prepare for football and really getting that mentality from wrestling, it’s really huge for me. I always tell young kids or football players coming up through little league that they should wrestle. It was huge in my life.”

There is no question when you watch Powers-Johnson that he takes the skills he learned on a wrestling mat and brings them to the gridiron.

In his draft guide “The Beast”, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler describes Powers-Johnson’s best attributes “plays with a firm base and fierce hands . . . with the natural movement skills and stability at contact to torque and fend off defenders.”

Those are absolutely skills that become second nature as a wrestler. And he used those skills to become a unanimous All American and Rimington Award winner as the nation’s top center last season for Oregon.

Chiefs OL Trey Smith made an appearance at the first night of WrestleMania XL

Kansas City #Chiefs offensive lineman Trey Smith made an appearance at WrestleMania XL on Saturday

The Kansas City Chiefs are making their mark not only on the football field but also in professional wrestling. Starting guard Trey Smith was a special guest of the WWE on the first night of WrestleMania XL on Saturday to reflect on a dark moment from the aftermath of last season’s Super Bowl championship.

The fatal shooting at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory parade was devastating. During the tragedy, the Chiefs offensive lineman recounted his heroic story of protecting a young fan.

“This little boy was with his father and was a little hysterical; he’s just panicked. He’s scared. He doesn’t know what’s going on,” said Smith during his interview with “Good Morning America.” “I had the WWE belt on me the entire parade. I was thinking, ‘What can I do to help him out?’ I handed him the belt like, ‘Hey buddy, you’re the champion. No one’s gonna hurt you. Don’t worry. No one’s gonna hurt you, man. We got your back.’ We just started talking about wrestling.”

Smith was at ringside on Saturday alongside his biggest fan, Joey Borgonzi, and spoke with Tom Rinaldi about bringing their story to wrestling’s biggest event.

“Hey, man, I’m getting goosebumps being here,” Smith said. “Think about being a little kid watching wrestling growing up. It’s really special. You know, last time we came to Philadelphia, my rookie year, we had a great day for the Chiefs, so it’s really cool being here today, especially with my buddy Joey.”

Smith smiled at the prospect of becoming a wrestler after football. He didn’t have to look far for an example, as recently retired Eagles legend Jason Kelce and teammate Lane Johnson appeared at WrestleMania, interfering in a match later in the show.

Former Chiefs rookie camp invitee Steven Borden Jr. helped father Sting in his final wrestling match

Former Chiefs rookie camp invitee Steven Borden Jr. helped father Sting in his final wrestling match

The Kansas City Chiefs have had many unique players come through the franchise to eventually go on to other endeavors beyond football. A player who spent time in a rookie minicamp for the Chiefs recently made news in the wrestling world alongside his iconic father.

The Legendary wrestler Sting ended his in-ring career last Sunday in the main event of AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view event in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The 64-year-old icon was joined in his final match by his sons, one of whom was a training camp invitee for the Chiefs in 2015. Steven Borden Jr. was a rookie trying to make the Chiefs after a notable college career at the University of Kentucky.

Borden Jr. dressed in his father’s memorable gear and face paint, assisting in Sting’s tag team championship victory over the Young Bucks with his partner Darby Allin.

The late Terez Paylor from the Kansas City Star spoke with Borden Jr. at the 2015 Chiefs rookie minicamp about his father’s legacy pushing him.

“People usually ask me, does that bother you, does that upset you? It’s never bothered me,” Borden Jr. said. “It’s actually been one of those things that has pushed me my entire life. You see what your dad has done; you want to beat him out.”

Borden Jr. didn’t make the roster that included a tight end room featuring Travis Kelce, who made his first Pro Bowl that season.

Watch: Girl wrestler becomes 1st to win Arizona state championship against boys

Arizona high school wrestler Audrey Jimenez become the first girl to win an Arizona state title against boys, and then followed with a Pan-Am medal.

A senior high school wrestler in Tucson, Arizona, made history last week as she became the first girl to win the state’s top title while competing against boys.

Audrey Jimenez of Sunnyside High School (Tucson, Ariz.) won the Division I title at 106 pounds against male competitors, defeating four opponents to help the team win its seventh straight boys’ team championship.

Jimenez, who won three straight girls individual championships, filed an appeal with the Arizona Interscholastic Association to wrestle on the boys side this year. She and Everest Leydecker of Desert Vista (Phoenix) were given the go-ahead to compete against boys.

“For me, wrestling against the boys is going to test me a little bit more,” Jimenez told the Arizona Republic in December. “Either way, wrestling against the boys or the girls, I’m happy to represent Sunnyside.”

See highlights of her victory here:

According to FloWrestling, Sunnyside won with 312 points and had 13 total placers, eight of whom were champions.

Just days later, she was back on the mat in the Pan-American Championships, securing third place against Canadian Katie Dutchak.

It was a remarkable way to tie a bow on a dynamic high school wrestling career. Jimenez, a top wrestling recruit, could have graduated early but chose to stay for her senior season in hopes of competing in the boys division, according to FloWrestling. Her decision and hard work paid off.

Watch: Middle school (!) wrestling parents fight in the stands

Wrestling parents fight.

In the do-or-die world of New Jersey middle school wrestling, even parents get in on the action.

It is unclear what happened at this event in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. And just want to underscore once again that this was a middle school match.

There isn’t much to be said here about this incident, right? While the start of the melee is unclear, the fallout seems rather significant.

Punches being thrown, coaches yelling. Parents streaming onto the floor. The dual-meet is stopped. Kids watching parents go at it.

This isn’t what wrestling should be about at any level.

New Jersey is a premier wrestling state, routinely funneling athletes top programs such as Penn State, Iowa, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, Rutgers as well as the Ivy League. Wrestling is taken seriously in New Jersey, but this is unwarranted at any level.

(Warning: There is some adult language in this video. Viewer discretion is advised).

 

The actual cause of the fight remains a bit murky. A scan of social media only seems to involve fingerpointing at a group of fans, but leads nowhere in terms of the cause for the fighting between the parents.