Rob Gronkowski should join the WWE after retiring from NFL

NFL fans have been wondering for months if Super Bowl 53 would be Rob Gronkowski’s final game, and now that he’s formally announced his retirement from football, the WWE Universe will have close eyes on the mainstream star.

WWE loves working with stars with crossover appeal, and there are few celebrities who are as popular among the promotion’s primary demographic than former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. They already worked with him at WrestleMania 33, when Gronkowski helped former NFL player and real-life friend Dean Muhtadi, aka Mojo Rawley, win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Mojo Rawley, Baron Corbin, Tino Sabbatelli, and others have found success in a WWE ring after playing in the NFL, and many football players have made a natural transition to professional wrestling. But nobody would enter WWE with as much clout as Gronkowski, who is regarded as arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history and regularly makes headlines off the field.

Furthermore, WWE targets larger-than-life personalties, and that’s exactly who Gronkowski is. He’s earned a reputation for being a silly party animal, and, in addition to his jaw-dropping touchdown receptions and remorseless run blocking, it’s what endeared him to so many Patriots fans since his debut in 2010.

Clearly, playing football professionally can be a thankless task at times due to the toll it takes on an athlete’s body, and after entering the league with back issues, Gronkowski suffered a myriad of injuries. He dealt with concussions, tore his ACL, had a serious arm injury that was infected, and that’s just an overview of some of what he’s gone through.

WWE superstars tour the world year-round with no offseason. In addition to appearing on weekly television, they must appear at live events around the country multiple times per week, occasionally touring overseas in countries as far as India and Japan. Even at the age of 29, Gronkowski has gone through so much pain that asking him to be a full-time wrestler would be too much.

And to even get to this point, a wrestler must spend years in NXT, training in the Performance Center and perfecting their craft, as wrestling involves putting someone’s life in your hands. Corbin, Rawley, and others have taken to wrestling quickly, but the list of unsuccessful transitions is longer than successful ones.

Still, WWE has more openings than just in-ring talent. For as gifted of an athlete as Gronkowsk is, the real value he’d bring to the table for WWE would be as a talker and personality. Wrestling fans have seen former Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowl punter Pat McAfee shine as an on-screen personality, supporting the NXT brand as a kick-off show panelist before signing a bigger contract to branch out into producing digital content.

Gronkowski could follow a similar path. And while McAfee came into WWE as a life-lone wrestling fan with a platform he built as an athlete and personality, Gronkowski’s platform is even bigger. WWE could take advantage of that in a number of capacities, even if he isn’t interested in wrestling. WWE is pushing original content on its online streaming service, the WWE Network, forcefully, and a weekly talk show featuring Gronkowski and McAfee could be a way of successfully integrating Gronkowski in the WWE Universe. As his comfort level grows, he could then work his way up, eventually becoming an on-screen presence.

There are many possibilities for Gronkowski in WWE, and the fact that both parties already worked together is huge. WWE is always interested in making a splash, improving its brand by working with a celebrity, and Gronkowski has the charisma and platform to be a huge asset for Vince McMahon’s company.