Tag: WWE

Former Panthers RB makes pro wrestling debut at WWE taping

Former Panthers RB Elijah Holyfield made his in-ring debut during Tuesday’s taping of WWE LFG.

A former Carolina Panthers running back is trying to make a splash in a different arena.

Elijah Holyfield, who spent most of his first NFL season with the Panthers, made his pro wrestling debut during Tuesday night’s taping of WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats). The 27-year-old officially signed with WWE less than a month ago, on Nov. 15.

Here are a few shots of Holyfield taking to the ring:

Holyfield cracked into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Carolina in the spring of 2019. He’d go on to spend much of that season as a member of the team’s practice squad and would later pick up stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals.

Oh, and if the surname sounds familiar—yes, Elijah is the son of boxing legend Evander Holyfield. So albeit a different kind, this squared circle may end up being a comfort zone for this Holyfield.

WWE LFG, which will be carried by A&E Network, is set to debut in early 2025.

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Former WWE champion gets the welcome of a lifetime by Patriots

Kofi-Mania was running wild at Gillette Stadium

Former WWE champion Kofi Kingston got a massive welcome when visiting Gillette Stadium for the New England Patriots matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Patriots didn’t win the game, but Kingston, who is a huge fan of the team, came away with the experience of a lifetime as the team’s Week 13 “Keeper of the Light.”

The “Keeper of the Light” is tasked with the responsibility of ringing the bell at the top of the lighthouse at the stadium before the game.

In a video uploaded to the team’s social media page, Kingston could be seen touring the stadium before his lighthouse duties. He posed for a picture with all six championship rings on his fingers, stepped onto the football field and even had a face-to-face meeting with owner Robert Kraft.

The Patriots also surprised him with a custom-made jersey.

“My inner child is going crazy right now,” Kingston said. “…I don’t even know what to say right now. This is insane, like, these are my guys. This is insane.”

Kingston has made a career out of surprising fans and doing charitable work for kids. His job is bringing joy and putting smiles on faces.

It’s incredible to see it all work in reverse with him as the fan and the smile on his face.

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Former Georgia Bulldogs RB signs with WWE

Former Georgia running back is beginning his pro wrestling career with WWE

Former Georgia Bulldogs running back Elijah Holyfield, who played at UGA from 2016-2018, has signed with WWE NXT.

Holyfield bounced around the NFL from 2019-2022. He spent time with the Carolina Panthers, Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals, but never found a consistent role on an active roster. Holyfield has not played in a few seasons, but he still works out.

Now, Holyfield, who is the son of boxing legend Evander Holyfield, will try to find success in the wrestling ring.

What is WWE NXT? It is a professional wrestling program.

“The next generation of superstars battling to make an impact,” said the WWE official website. NXT has been around for 18 seasons and is a way for pro wrestlers to get more established and draw a following.

Holyfield is part of a 13-member class of wrestlers on WWE NXT.

WWE NXT initially airs on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on the CW. It airs again on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on WWE Network.

Netflix drew 60 million for Tyson-Paul, which contributed to the buggy broadcast

Netflix apparently drew 60 million for Tyson-Paul, which likely impacted the buggy broadcast.

Netflix on Saturday revealed 60 million households worldwide spent (wasted?) Friday evening watching two annoying windbags pummel each other for money.

Oh yes, the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul “boxing match” apparently drew 60 million for its buggy live broadcast, according to the streaming giant’s Saturday estimate.

Netflix said the broadcast pull had “our buffering systems on the ropes.”

Fans who are worried about watching the NFL this Christmas or WWE Raw in January might be heartened to know the Tyson-Paul clown show drew much more of an audience share than your average football game or wrestling match.

In comparison, Amazon is reportedly averaging 13 million viewers a week for its Thursday night NFL broadcasts, per Front Office Sports. Last Monday’s broadcast of WWE Raw drew a little more than 1.5 million viewers, per Wrestlenomics.

Last Christmas, the NFL brought in an average viewership of 29.2 million for the Kansas City Chiefs-Las Vegas Raiders game, likely heightened by intrigue in Taylor Swift’s attendance.

With the Chiefs playing the Pittsburgh Steelers on one of the Netflix broadcasts and Swift’s attendance a definite possibility, the streamer could be attracting around 30 million viewers for that Christmas broadcast.

While Friday’s Tyson-Paul broadcast had its glaring issues (both in the ring and with the live-streaming), Netflix has time to amend its infrastructure before the holidays and its WWE broadcasts next year.

For bigger events than regular-season NFL games and WWE matches, Netflix might have its hands full with mounting a problem-free broadcast.

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WWE superstar and Bears superfan Seth Rollins has wild prediction for Sunday vs. Commanders

The WWE star has an absurd prediction for Sunday’s game between the Bears and Commanders.

WWE superstar Seth Rollins is a huge Chicago Bears fan. Rollins often shows his emotions on X after every Chicago game, win or lose, by simply saying, “I love football” or “I hate football,” depending on the game’s result.

This week, the 4-2 Bears play a crucial road game against the NFC-leading Washington Commanders (5-2).

Rollins joined “Inside the NFL” on CW this week to make his pick for Sunday’s game. It was as ridiculous as you might have imagined, but remember, Rollins is a Chicago fan.

“Somebody said I need help making a pick on a Bears game,” Rollins asked Ryan Clark and Chad Johnson. “You know how I’m feeling. You know how I’m feeling.”

Pressed for a reduction, Rollins didn’t hesitate.

“Is (Washington QB Jayden) Daniels even going to play in this game?” he asked. “Are we going to get Marcus Mariota? Who, in all fairness, lit it up last week coming in. But this is the Bears, baby; we are on fire.”

The prediction:

“Bears are going to win this game, 80-0,” he said. “Eighty-to-nothing, man.”

Perhaps Rollins knows his Chicago/Washington history. In the 1940 NFL Championship game, the Bears defeated the then-Redskins, 73-0.

Regardless of whether Jayden Daniels or Marcus Mariota plays for the Commanders, 80-0 seems like a bit of a stretch.

Angel Reese and Marlon Humphrey had the best sideline exchange at a Ravens game with Seth Rollins watching

An Angel Reese and Seth Rollins crossover was not on the bingo card.

Angel Reese‘s offseason tour continues with a trip to her hometown, Baltimore, to see the Ravens take on the Bills.

Angel’s been living her best life as she heals from a season-ending injury. She recently attended a Rams game earlier this month and even found some time to attend an Usher concert. So, it makes sense that she continues doing the things that make her happy, like going home to Baltimore.

While in town Sunday, she was honored at a Ravens game, and cameras captured the moment cornerback Marlon Humphrey shook Angel’s hand pregame. Of course, the internet saw the clip capturing the exchange, and lip-readers think he told Angel, “I watch women’s basketball because of you.”

But that wasn’t the only thing people noticed. Wizards guard Bub Carrington and *checks notes* WWE wrestler Seth Rollins were also on the field as Marlon and Angel met.

Fans could not get over the wild crossover and had a field day. Here’s what they’re saying about the whole sequence (Warning: NSFW language):

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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.

Colorado LB Gage Goldberg’s dad is a wrestling legend who played with Deion Sanders in the NFL

You might recognize who Colorado linebacker Gage Goldberg’s dad is.

As Colorado kicked its season off on Thursday night against North Dakota State, you might have noticed a familiar last name on the back of one of the Buffaloes’ jerseys.

Linebacker Gage Goldberg is the son of legendary professional wrestler Bill Goldberg, who played with Colorado coach Deion Sanders in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons in the early 1990s as a defensive tackle.

Now, everything comes full circle as Sanders coaches the younger Goldberg with the Buffaloes. What a fun way to track the passage of time that WWE legend Goldberg’s son now plays for Sanders in college football.

While we’re sure the younger Goldberg will want to play in the NFL after his college days are over, perhaps he’ll follow in his old man’s footsteps and eventually give professional wrestling a try.

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WWE star Sheamus makes a bold prediction about Notre Dame football in 2024

Are you surprised?

If you didn’t know, WWE superstar wrestler [autotag]Sheamus[/autotag] is a big fan of Notre Dame football.

He helped the Irish social media team along with Marcus Freeman to announce this year’s green jersey’s. Sheamus got to be more involved with college football on Saturday, as he was the guest picker during [autotag]ESPN’s College GameDay[/autotag], who are in Dublin, Ireland.

In what shouldn’t come as a surprise, Sheamus picked Notre Dame to win the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag], saying that his WWE Championship belt will have new logos on each side when the Irish accomplish this feat. While he may not be an expert, we know where his allegiances reside.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

Your favorite sports team now has a new WWE Championship Belt

Fanatics has your favorite team’s WWE championship belt available right now:

Whether it’s the football field, the baseball diamond, the basketball court or even the hockey rink, your favorite team has a WWE legacy championship belt now available with their name on it.

It’s the perfect way to show off some bragging rights or display your fandom, a real world championship belt just like the WWE has.

Speaking of being at the top, the NFL is covered at every corner … except the Jacksonville Jaguars (Jags owner Shahid Khan and his son, Tony Khan, own rival promotion AEW.)

Cowboys fans? Defend your NFC East division title. Naturally, Chiefs Kingdom needs no explanation on their championship prowess.

A top college football supporter? WWE has produced belts for 20 top programs such as the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes.

And don’t forget your other sports squads like the Boston Celtics after they won their league-leading 18th NBA Championship banner this season.

Grab your team’s belt right now at Fanatics.

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