WWE president reveals details of ‘top secret’ meeting for junked Tim Tebow vs Big Show match at WrestleMania after QB’s Patriots exit
Over a decade ago, Tim Tebow was one of the biggest names in the NFL and across sports. However, the Heisman Trophy winner did not live up to the expectations as the first-round NFL draft pick. In the end, he spent just three seasons in the league.
However, he bounced around in various NFL training camps, including the New England Patriots in 2013. It seemed his career in sports was over until WWE called. On the "Pat McAfee Show," Nick Khan, the president of WWE, said that Tebow would have been a part of WrestleMania, the company's biggest show that year:
“When Tim Tebow had just gotten cut by the Patriots, Paul (Levesque) called me and said, ‘Hey, I just wanted to introduce myself.’
“He said, 'What do you think of Tim Tebow against the Big Show at whatever that WrestleMania was after that Patriots run?' I said, 'What are you thinking?' He offered some financial terms. I called Tim at the time. Tim and I had a top-secret private meeting with Tim Tebow, myself, Vince McMahon in Anaheim.”
The Big Show stood over seven feet tall compared to Tim Tebow at six-foot-three. Tebow's athleticism against the Big Show's strength would have been a massive draw for WWE and a major payday for the former quarterback. The matchup never happened, leaving fans to wonder what would have been.
Tim Tebow did not participate in WrestleMania, but other NFL stars did
Although Tebow didn't compete at WrestleMania, there has been a list of others who did. Former All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski made an appearance at two different Wrestlemania events.
At WrestleMania 33, he came from the crowd when the show was in Orlando, spearing Jinder Mahal to help then-WWE superstar Mojo Rawley win a Battle Royal. The Super Bowl winner hosted Wrestlemania 36 three years later at WWE's Performance Center. Gronkowski added another championship to his resume with the 24/7 Title.
San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle showed when the event was close to home at SoFi Stadium in California. He was there to watch Pat McAfee face WWE superstar The Miz.
However, Kittle became a part of the contest when The Miz decided to take a cheap shot at him. He then climbed over the barricade and clotheslined the WWE star.
Speaking of McAfee, he participated in the back-to-back WrestleMania events. McAfee faced Austin Theory and later Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 38 and The Miz at WrestleMania 39.