WWE Rumors: Former Champion Released From Contract
Rob Gronkowski lost the 24/7 Championship to R-Truth on the latest edition of Monday Night Raw, and the segment appears to be his last one for the company. According to Wrestling Inc, the NFL great is officially done with WWE as he wants to focus on his football career.
The report states that Gronkowski had a special clause in his WWE contract that allowed him to leave the company if he chose to return to football at any point. The tight end came back to the NFL in April when he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he appears to have exercised his WWE clause to make himself eligible for the next NFL season.
Gronkowski — who hosted this year’s WrestleMania and won the 24/7 Championship at the event — was reportedly scheduled to compete at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view. The match was also set to involve his real-life friend Mojo Rawley, the WWE superstar who he turned on to win the title. The Wrestling Inc report confirms that the match is no longer happening.
The report also states that Gronkowski cannot work for any other wrestling promotions for an extended period of time. The clause seems similar to the 90-day non-compete clause that most superstars must adhere to when they leave the company before their contract has ended. However, Gronkowski isn’t obligated to honor any more WWE commitments, either.
While it’s still possible that Gronkowski will appear at future WWE events, it just won’t be in an in-ring capacity, at least not while he’s still playing football, as he won’t want to risk getting injured off the gridiron. He has stated in the past that he wants to make the transition to the squared circle when he retires from football, so he could still compete in a WWE ring down the line.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, the three-time Super Bowl winner has discussed his desire for one “crazy” match. He envisions it happening sometime within the next five years, but it remains to be seen if he’ll still be interested in resurrecting the idea when he’s available to wrestle. Gronkowski does seem to be a big wrestling fan, and he’s worked with WWE enough times to suggest that he enjoy it.
It’s not uncommon for ex-football players to make the jump to WWE after they’ve hung up their helmets. WWE’s roster boasts several former players, but it remains to be seen if Gronkowski will eventually join them in a more substantial role.
