Nick
NFL athletes have a long and storied history of competing in WWE. Who can forget the classic confrontation at WrestleMania 2 back in 1986, when the likes of William “The Refrigerator” Perry and Ernie Holmes did battle with Andre “The Giant” and Bret “Hitman Hart” by entering a bone crunching 20-man battle royal?
Now, almost 40 years later, another NFL icon is rumored to be entering the wrestling ring – and it’s none other than Tom Brady. He, as one might expect, remained non-committal when asked about the possibility of stepping between the ropes this week. But here’s what he had to say, and why it could still potentially happen.
First of all, the location definitely works! Tom Brady is a minority stakeholder of the Las Vegas Raiders, and WrestleMania 41 is set to take place at the team’s Allegiant Stadium on April 19 and 20, 2024. Brady also has a ton of friends that have laced up a pair of wrestling boots in their time. Last year, with WrestleMania in Philadelphia, Eagles’ stars Jason Kelce (who was also with the Patriots) and Lane Johnson rushed to the aid of Rey Mysterio and Andrade as they were being attacked by Santos Escobar and Dominik. Another of Brady’s famous former teammates, Rob Gronkowski, got physical back at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. Could Brady live with himself if he never matched his peers and made it to WWE? He’s certainly looking ripped thanks to his workouts that include resistance training, circuits, and most recently, swimming.
What has Tom Brady said about being at WrestleMania 41?
During the opening of his “CardVault by Tom Brady” trading card store, the seven-time Super Bowl champion was asked to share the possibility of any potential suplex activity in his near future, but he remained coy. “I may be there,” Brady smirked, while talking to Ryan Gaydos of Fox News Digital. “But it’s amazing what’s going on there and it’s amazing what’s happening with WWE and all the different things surrounding that.”
The location works, his friends have paved the way, and even WWE’s Universal Champion, Cody Rhodes has previously said that he thinks Brady would be a perfect fit in professional wrestling. So, is Brady keeping his plans on the down-low to keep a surprise WrestleMania appearance under wraps, or will he simply be watching from a skybox? No doubt will find out in a few days.
WrestleMania 41 will be broadcast live on April 19 & 20, 2025 on Peacock in the United States and Netflix everywhere else.
