Rob Gronkowski’s stint in WWE was short-lived, and apparently the NFL player took some heat from some corners during his time in the organization.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select wrote in May that Gronk was nervous about doing a spot for WrestleMania 36 that involved him jumping off a platform into a crowd of wrestlers. Gronk reportedly needed some convincing to do the move, which led Vince McMahon to do it in a demonstration that it was safe. Gronk’s hesitation reportedly set production back by about two hours and made some view the tight end negatively.
On June 2, Sapp published another report saying that many people within the company had negative things to say about Gronk after the WrestleMania incident. One top name reportedly called Gronk a f—ing clown that the company was better off without.
The move in question likely was when Gronk jumped off a platform to win the 24/7 Championship (as seen here).
Gronk is generally viewed as an amiable guy, and teammates did not seem to have a problem with him in the NFL. However, negative feelings of resentment can develop when someone who is viewed as unqualified (like Gronk in the wrestling world) gets a high-profile job within that world over many other qualified people. Keep in mind that these reports came after Gronk ditched the WWE to join the Buccaneers, which was only a month after he joined WWE, and probably led to some additional feelings of “good riddance.”
H/T Barstool Sports
