On night one of WWE WrestleMania 40, two masked men prevented Dominik Mysterio from using a chair on his tag team opponents, Rey Mysterio and Andrade. This move proved pivotal as Rey and Andrade emerged victorious moments later, courtesy of Rey's Frog Splash on Santos Escobar. In the post-match celebration, the masked men revealed themselves as Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
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While speaking with "The Rich Eisen Show," Kelce opened up about the preparation process for his WrestleMania cameo, noting that while he grew up as a wrestling fan, he wasn't exposed to pay-per-views (now called premium live events). As such, he took it upon himself to do some research heading into WrestleMania season.
"WrestleMania was a thing, but we never watched it, and I didn't really know what to expect," Kelce said. "It got announced it was coming to Philly and that they wanted Lane and I to be a part of it. I started to get acclimated to what this event is and how big of a deal it is to the wrestling community. Then Lane and I went to a couple wrestling gyms in South Jersey. We were literally doing moves and bumps. I learned how to bump; I learned how to clothesline. I learned how to get slapped in the chest and not act like it hurt, because it actually does hurt. It's like a massive slap to the chest."
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Previous reports indicated that Kelce and Johnson specifically trained with Danny Cage of the Monster Factory in the lead-up to their WrestleMania appearance. In addition, Johnson, an offensive tackle, was seen working out with former WWE Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
"That mat, I got to say, it ain't soft. It is a full-on board," Kelce added. "When you see those guys jumping off the top rope Rey-Mysterio-style doing flips and everything, it gives you a whole new [perspective], just tremendous respect for those athletes."
In March 2024, Jason Kelce announced his retirement from professional football after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. As such, fans across the NFL and WWE have wondered if he may consider making more wrestling-related appearances in the future.
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According to Kelce, his workload is currently "through the roof," but he isn't ruling out wrestling just yet. "... I will never say [never]," Kelce said. "It was a blast. It was a ton of fun. Everybody made it a lot of fun. Again, a lot of people say wrestling's fake or whatever, and it's like well, so is the TV show you're watching. But you can still have a level of respect for the amazing physical specimens that are doing outrageous things in front of you at speed. It might be choreographed a bit, but it's still nonetheless very impressive."
Since retiring, the former football center has notably joined ESPN's "Monday Night Countdown" as an analyst, beginning with the 2024-2025 NFL season. The television program's next broadcast will offer pre-game coverage for the battle between the Cleveland Browns and the Denver Broncos, who are slated to face off this Monday, December 2.
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If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Rich Eisen Show"with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
