New York Giants: Jason Pierre-Paul Brilliant to Appear on TNA Wrestling

Update: Feb. 12 at 12: 45 p.m. ET 

File this in the big letdown category. JPP will not be appearing on TNA. Alex Marvez tweeted the bummer news. 

And Marvez should know, he is the FOXSports.com Sr. NFL Writer and Scripps-Howard pro wrestling columnist. 

So, sorry to all who were looking forward to this, but JPP is apparently not down with TNA. 

The NFL needs to get on its hands and knees to thank Jason Pierre-Paul for at least attempting to give the league something it has lacked for a long time: personality. 

Alex Marvez of Fox Sports is reporting that Pierre-Paul will be appearing on TNA's telecast of Impact Wrestling, which will air on Thursday, Feb. 16.

Frankly, I don't care if this is a miserable failure and Pierre-Paul is a stiff on the mic, at least I know that an NFL player is trying to make himself accessible and well known, which the league sorely lacks. 

Ask yourself this question: With the exception of a few quarterbacks, how many players would you recognize out of uniform if you saw him on the street? This may be a number that even a die-hard NFL fan could count on one hand.

This is something the league really needs. Jason Pierre-Paul is a fantastic player. Not only is he on the reigning Super Bowl champion team, but he sacked the quarterback 16.5 times. However, outside of the numbers and skills, there is nothing that makes him stand out.

That isn't a shot against Pierre-Paul in any way, but the entire league lacks that character. It's almost like the players are trying to avoid making too much of an impact (other than what they do on the field) because they know how short their shelf life will be.

As great as the on-field product has been in recent years, this is something the league has missed, and it's really unfortunate. With the exception of Eli Manning, I don't think I would know one player on the New York Giants if I saw him on the street. 

As a San Francisco 49ers fan, that list is Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, Patrick Willis and maybe Frank Gore, on a good day. 

In doing this, Pierre-Paul is at least making an attempt to build his brand to make himself more recognizable away from the field. I applaud him for that. 

There is no way that he'll be in a dangerous situation to get hurt. As Marvez said, his contract won't allow it.

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Although his NFL contract prohibits him from partaking in too much scripted action because of the injury risk, Pierre-Paul is expected to have an in-ring confrontation with TNA star Kurt Angle. TNA booked a similar storyline last year involving Angle and New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott, who is an avid pro wrestling fan.

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Scott should be applauded for what he did last year with TNA, just like Pierre-Paul should be now. 

Professional wrestling is still a popular pastime in the country. People watch it and they get a chance to see different personalities. Pierre-Paul taking advantage of the opportunity to create a little extra fame and notoriety for himself is a good thing. 

If more players do this, the NFL will have a league full of players with personalities that match the game, and that is nothing but a good thing.

Follow @mdixon1985