Five-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski retired from the NFL this offseason at the age of 29, as a variety of injuries began taking a giant toll on his body.
Rumors suggested that Gronkowski could look for a career in the squared circle, and the future Hall of Fame inductee himself admitted that he hopes to do "one crazy match" in WWE.
Gronkowski is close friends with Mojo Rawley, and Stephanie McMahon has even told the former football star that the opportunity is there for him to join the WWE. Since it only seems like a matter of time until he comes aboard, now's the opportunity to look at five prime opponents for Gronkowski, and five that should be avoided all together.
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10 Opponent: Rowan
Rowan has picked on a handful of superstars half his size in WWE, and it's long overdue for the enforcer of Daniel Bryan to finally meet his match.
Enter Gronkowski, who's listed at 6'6" and 265 pounds. In comparison, Rowan is billed at 6'8" and 315 pounds. Pitting the two giant forces against one another could make for a special match. And since Gronkowski probably won't have a huge skill set in the ring, it's best if he goes up against another big man in order to limit how many wrestling moves he has to perform.
9 Avoid: Kevin Owens
Owens is in the midst of a giant and overdue main event push on the SmackDown brand. He's adopted many qualities from "Stone Cold'"Steve Austin (rebellious, merciless, rule-breaking, etc) and even stole the "stunner" finishing move.
It doesn't make sense to place Owens in a feud against a former NFLer with no wrestling experience. The promos would be top notch, no doubt. But putting him up against Gronkowski doesn't do much to help Owens' push. It's better off to have the prized fighter go up against legitimate competitors instead.
8 Opponent: Jinder Mahal
Gronkowski appeared ringside at WrestleMania 33 to cheer on Rawley during the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. During the match, Jinder Mahal went over and knocked Gronkowski's drink out of his hand. That turned out to be a bad idea on Mahal's end. Gronk entered the ring and knocked him down to the ground, thus helping Rawley win the match.
Why not use this storyline and place Gronkowski in a match against Mahal? The latter has experienced plenty of success as a heel, and the buildup for a match against Gronk would be amazing. Who wouldn't want to see the former NFL star take another shot at the former WWE Champion?
7 Avoid: John Cena
Cena mocked Gronkowski on a Dec. 2016 episode of Saturday Night Live and has even suggested in the past that the latter come to the WWE. However, it doesn't mean that the 16-time World Champion would be a formidable opponent for Gronk. Such a match would be over-the-top cheesy, and we wouldn't be able to take it the least bit seriously. Think of the time when Lawrence Taylor went up against Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania XI.
We've already seen Cena clash with a handful of celebrities during his WWE career — including Jon Stewart, Dr. Ken, and Jeremy Piven. We don't need Cena having another corny segment or match against another celebrity — especially considering he could nearing the end of his WWE career.
6 Opponent: Elias
Elias has seen immediate success as a heel in WWE, and his microphone (and singing, for that matter) skills go unmatched. Elias has never backed down from a fight either, even against superior competitors like Braun Strowman and John Cena.
A match involving Gronkowski and Elias would be a joy to watch. Can you imagine the epic trash-talking and promos these two would engage in? Like Gronkowski, Elias has a colorful personality and excellent sense of humor. Who wouldn't want to see Gronk respond to Elias' bashing and singing?
5 Avoid: Triple H
The McMahon family ego has been on display time and time again over the last 20 years. It would not be fair to the fans if Gronkowski's first wrestling match took place against Triple H. But since he's the son-in-law of the WWE chairman, it's not crazy to believe that they'd go down this path.
Nothing against Triple H here, but he already got to be involved in Ronda Rousey's first WWE match (along with Stephanie). Is it really necessary for the McMahons to throw one of their own in the ring against Gronkowski? Let's hope they stay away from this.
4 Opponent: Mojo Rawley
As we mentioned earlier, Gronkowski has a close friendship with Rawley — and the latter has been trying to recruit the New England Patriots legend to WWE for quite some time. How fitting would it be if these two went up against one another?
The storyline would be simple: Rawley could introduce Gronk in WWE, only for one of them to turn heel and attack the other. Not to mention, Rawley knows Gronkowski better than anybody else in WWE. So in terms of match quality, Rawley would probably be the best candidate to go up against his real-life pal.
3 Avoid: The Undertaker
The Undertaker has only wrestled on a limited basis for the better part of the 2010s. And any time he competes, The Deadman goes up against other big-named superstars. Well, Gronk is obviously a pretty monumental name in the sports entertainment world.
But WWE has had to be careful in choosing Undertaker's opponent over the years. His match against Goldberg at Super ShowDown was a giant mistake. The latter only wrestles on a limited basis and doesn't have a big skill set in the ring. Placing Gronk vs. Undertaker would just disappoint the same way Goldberg vs. Undertaker did.
2 Opponent: Braun Strowman
Strowman has asserted himself as the top "big man" in the WWE right now, and like Rowan, he hasn't been able to go up against many superstars of his physique. Gronkowski is another story, of course.
If Gronkowski can train and prepare accordingly for a WWE match, he and Strowman would put on quite the bout between two fierce and intimidating giants. Who wouldn't want to see a series of bruising bodyslams and hardcore moments between these two stars? There's just nobody better built to go up against Gronkowski than Strowman. We never get tired of a match between two giants, and a bout here would truly be something special and memorable.
1 Avoid: Shane McMahon
As mentioned on the Triple H slide, it wouldn't be fair to fans if the McMahon family got involved in Gronkowski's first match. Shane O'Mac has had more than enough luxuries since 2018 — winning the World Cup, SmackDown Tag Team Championships, and more.
You can already see how this would play out. Gronkowski comes to the WWE. Shane comes out and does everything he can to screw Gronk over. It becomes McMahon vs. Gronkowski in the latter's first wrestling match. Gronk wins. What a surprise.
Yeah, please no. Nobody in the McMahon family needs to have the honor of facing Gronkowski in his first match. Let another superstar have the privilege instead.