NFL running back DeAngelo Williams made his pro wrestling debut over the weekend at Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary XV, one of the main PPV events from the promotion formerly known as TNA.
If you remember Dennis Rodman’s first wrestling match in WCW at Bash at the Beach 1997, the announcers went wild when Rodman arm-dragged Lex Luger. When he leapfrogged him a minute later, they acted as if he was the greatest celebrity wrestler of all time.
Over the weekend, we actually saw an incredible debut. Williams was great! He wrestled in a tag team match alongside Moose—another former NFL player, Quinn Ojinnaka—against Chris Adonis and Eli Drake. It went 10 minutes, and Williams and Moose were victorious.
He looked great! But don’t take it from me. Dave Meltzer, dean of the wrestling journalists, was similarly impressed: “This guy, in his first match…is probably better than almost anyone…with two years training in WWE. And a lot of guys with two years training in New Japan!…It was freaky how good he was.”
Although he impressed as a wrestler, Williams, still a free agent, told Adam Schefter he will be coming back to football this season. He played in Pittsburgh last season, and led the league in rushing over the first two weeks of the season while filling in for the suspended Le’Veon Bell.