Imagining How Rob Gronkowski Would Fit into WWE Universe After NFL Career

When Rob Gronkowski is done terrorizing NFL defenses, he has a job waiting for him in the over-the-top world of WWE.

The New England Patriots tight end's personality and athleticism would make him a perfect fit for pro wrestling. Should he slide over to the squared circle after his NFL career, he can look forward to fat checks and plenty of spotlight from WWE.

The boisterous, energetic man known as Gronk would be a marquee attraction for the company and a means to generate buzz, even if he wasn't an everyday player, so to speak. 

SmackDown Superstar Mojo Rawley told TMZ Sports that WWE has interest in bringing in Gronkowski after he's done playing football. That's not at all surprising.

Gronk is 6'6", 265 pounds. He's a world-class athlete, famous, larger-than-life and good-looking enough to land a GQ cover. Plus, his nickname already sounds like a wrestling moniker.

Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross noted that he believes Gronkowski would succeed in the squared circle: 

And he already has to a degree. Gronk is fresh off two WWE cameos where he created memorable moments.

At WrestleMania 33, he stood in the front row, rooting for his friend Rawley during The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Gronk soon went from spectator to partaker. Sneering heel Jinder Mahal threw a drink in the tight end's face. In response, Gronkowski charged into the ring, bowled over Mahal and cleared the path for Rawley to win the Battle Royal.

Just over a week later, WWE welcomed Gronk back to center stage.

On the April 11 edition of SmackDown, cameras caught the big man supporting Rawley from the stands. He repaid Mahal with a drink to the face, again aiding his friend. 

These appearances are bound to grow more frequent, and Gronkowski's role is sure to expand as his relationship with WWE deepens. 

Dan Hanzus of NFL.com predicted that Gronk will enter the wrestling world full-time in the next four years:

That may the right timeline given Gronkowski's injury history. He missed big chunks of time during his college playing days. Since joining the Patriots in 2010, he has had surgery on his ankle, forearm, knee and back. 

It's easy to imagine him hanging up his cleats early.

Pro wrestling has long been a refuge for NFL players whose health slows them down. The more controlled environment has allowed the likes of Goldberg and Lex Luger to reinvent themselves in a second career.  

That being said, Gronkowski would be no workhorse with WWE.

His star power would allow him to work minimal dates for big bucks. And as many times as Gronk has gone under the knife, the last thing his body needs is a grueling 300-matches-a-year schedule.

Gronk's likely WWE path would be lined with tag team matches and short bouts.

He'll appear in flashes with lots of help. Not only is he going to prefer a lighter workload, but this strategy would allow the company to hide his wrestling inexperience as well.

Gronkowski's WWE career would likely look a lot like former Chicago Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael's run with WCW in the '90s.

Only three of McMichael's 10 career one-on-one pay-per-view clashes went past seven minutes, per CageMatch.net. Of the 61 televised matches Mondo wrestled in 1997, 24 of them were tag team contests. 

And WWE already has an ideal tag team partner waiting for him—Rawley.

The two men have long been friends. The ever-hyped SmackDown star has often been seen partying with Gronk, who has in turn shown up to many a WWE event to cheer on his buddy.

A WWE run for Gronk would certainly include a good number of battles alongside Rawley, with the two men bounding between the ropes, upending opponents and partying in the ring to celebrate.

Rawley and Gronk winning the tag team titles at a major event like SummerSlam would create a wealth of headlines, so it's all but a guarantee WWE would go that route.

He would get at least one key spot on a WrestleMania card, too.

WWE's biggest and grandest event of the year is often rife with celebrity appearances as the company looks to create buzz through big names. Floyd Mayweather Jr., Lawrence Taylor and The Refrigerator William Perry are among the pro athletes who have competed at The Show of Shows.

Gronk's star power would assure him a big-time WrestleMania bout against one of WWE's powerhouses.

Credit: WWE.com

Hosses like Rusev and Big E are the kind of opponents he'd likely face. They could match strength with the Super Bowl champ and play ring general to the inexperienced grappler.

There will be more cameos than full-on clashes in Gronk's WWE career, though.

He's not going to hone his in-ring craft for years in the WWE Performance Center. The company will want to get him out on center stage right away to make use of his celebrity. He doesn't need to do that much in the ring, either.

As we have seen recently, just throwing one shoulder block is enough to get people talking.

That's what WWE wants most from Gronk. And he can provide that by way of backing up Rawley, steamrolling a Superstar in a matter of seconds and talking trash from time to time. He would be the circus' special attraction, not one of one of its overworked acts.