“Yes, I’m In”: Patriots Legend Rob Gronkowski Reveals One Major Condition for WWE Return
from The Huddle
On April 2, 2017, Rob Gronkowski was at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, cheering friend Mojo Rawley as he competed at WrestleMania 33. But when his opponent Jinder Mahal took the fight outside the ring, stomped on Rawley and threw a drink at the Patriots tight end, Gronkowski decided to get involved. He jumped towards the ringside barricade, only for a security guard named Lisa to grab him before he could make it through. There was one problem: she hadn’t been told that Gronkowski was part of the show. Realising she wasn’t playing along, he backed off, apologised, and whispered, “I’m part of the show.”
Meanwhile, Rawley was lying on the floor, selling the attack. He spotted Gronkowski being held back and began shouting, “Part of the show! Part of the show!” to alert the security team. Another guard, Tony, rushed over, equally unaware of what was happening. Once Lisa was finally made aware, Gronkowski got past the barricade, dropped into a three-point stance, and charged at Mahal with a shoulder block. He later revealed that he wasn’t supposed to kick Mahal in the face, but ended up doing it twice. Rawley went on to eliminate Mahal and Killian Dain to win the Battle Royal, celebrating with Gronkowski in the ring.
More than nine years after that unexpected WWE appearance, Gronkowski has been asked whether he would consider returning to the ring. During a recent appearance on TODAY, the former Patriots tight end left the door open, but only under one condition:
“I’ve had plenty of things (that) I’ve done in my life and fulfilled them, and I’ve done a lot. I’m very happy and satisfied with everything I got on my plate now. And I would only do it if there was a true sense of urgency. I’m not gonna just do anything to do anything anymore. I love WWE, but to go out in the ring and everything, you gotta wanna do that and have the urgency. If that ever comes to me, well, then yes, I’m in.”
Since retiring from the NFL, Rob Gronkowski has established a career outside professional football and wrestling. He has worked as an NFL analyst for FOX since 2022 and has also remained involved in commercial partnerships, brand appearances, and other business activities. But at the same time, the 37-year-old has entertained the idea of returning to WWE.
Gronkowski’s comments also suggest that the decision isn’t necessarily about WWE being unwilling to have him back. He revealed that he has remained in touch with people associated with the promotion, adding, “I’ve run into the guys plenty of times. They said, whenever you want to come back.” The invitation is there, but the former tight end hasn’t felt compelled to accept it. He has already experienced WWE, and another appearance would need to offer something that genuinely excites him.
Just last year, Gronkowski put up a special condition to return to wrestling during an appearance on Stephanie McMahon’s podcast, saying:
“I’ll come back to WWE if I can do suck it in the middle of the ring.”
The September 2025 remark was a playful reference to D-Generation X, the WWE faction featuring Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Its signature crotch-chop gesture, accompanied by the words “Suck It,” became one of the defining parts of the group’s rebellious image during the Attitude Era. Gronkowski has long been a fan of that era, making the comment more of a joke than a serious demand for his return. His latest answer, however, offers a clearer picture of why he hasn’t made that move.
Gronkowski’s WWE journey began before his official involvement in 2020. His association with WWE dates back to WrestleMania 33 in April 2017.
By then, Gronkowski was still an active Patriots player, and his involvement with Rawley had given him his first taste of WWE. However, it was after his initial NFL retirement in March 2019 that he became more closely involved with the promotion.
But it was in 2020 when Gronkowski had his most significant WWE involvement following his initial retirement from the NFL. He signed a multi-event agreement with WWE and became the host of WrestleMania 36, which took place over two nights on April 4 and 5, 2020.
Gronkowski appeared during the second night of the event and captured the WWE 24/7 Championship.
Mojo Rawley was the reigning 24/7 Champion. But as several wrestlers surrounded him and attempted to pin him and capture the title, Gronkowski jumped from an elevated platform onto the group and subsequently pinned Rawley to win the championship. The 24/7 Championship could be defended at any time, provided a referee was present, making its holder a constant target for other wrestlers. Gronkowski held the title for 57 days before R-Truth pinned him on June 1, 2020. The title change even took place in Gronkowski’s backyard, with R-Truth disguising himself as his gardener before catching him off guard. However, despite becoming the 24/7 Champion, Gronkowski decided to return to the NFL.
There was more to his WWE stint than the championship, though. Mojo Rawley later revealed that the two had been working towards a much bigger storyline, one that would have taken Gronkowski beyond his WrestleMania hosting duties.
The original plan was to have the friends team up at SummerSlam 2020, which was initially scheduled for Boston. Rawley wanted to turn on Gronkowski after their tag-team match, setting up a singles showdown between the two. The storyline was eventually supposed to culminate in a No Disqualification match in Saudi Arabia, where Rawley’s father’s family lived. He even wanted to involve Gronkowski’s father and brothers in the angle.
“What we wanted to do was set up multiple pay-per-view matches,” Rawley explained. “SummerSlam was going to be in Boston. We would have some fun at Mania, we had a few plans for that, and it was going to lead to a tag match at SummerSlam and then probably set something up for me and him after. I think the plan was to do one in Saudi Arabia.”
Rawley also revealed that Gronkowski was prepared to put in the work rather than treat the opportunity as a celebrity appearance. He recalled the former tight end telling him, “If I’m going to do this, I want to do it right. I’ll fly to Orlando for a month and train every day.”
That commitment had impressed Rawley, who knew Gronkowski wasn’t looking to become a full-time wrestler. He explained that the idea was to ease him into the tag-team match before building towards a more demanding singles contest. However, the plans never materialised. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted WWE’s schedule, and Gronkowski soon had another opportunity pulling him away from wrestling.
Tom Brady had joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 2020 after leaving New England. A month later, Gronkowski came out of retirement, with Tampa Bay acquiring his playing rights from the Patriots. The reunion brought the two former teammates back together for the 2020 season, and they went on to win Super Bowl LV in February 2021. That effectively brought Gronkowski’s planned WWE storyline with Rawley to an end.
Gronkowski eventually retired from the NFL for a second time in June 2022. But his life outside football has remained busy. FOX made him a full-time member of its FOX NFL Sunday studio team in 2025, replacing Jimmy Johnson. In September 2026, he also reunited with former Patriots teammate Julian Edelman for The Gronk & Jules Show, a twice-weekly digital series from FOX Sports.
All in all, that helps explain why another WWE appearance isn’t something he feels he needs to pursue. He has found ways to remain involved in football and entertainment without returning to the physical demands of professional sport.