5 Things You Didn't Know About WWE WrestleMania 36 Guest Host Rob Gronkowski

To some of you, he's just "a football guy". For others, he's just a football guy that happens to dance like that one relative at your cousin's wedding who you hope to God isn't driving themselves home. Football fans know Rob Gronkowski as one of the NFL's biggest stars of the past decade, packing a lot of accomplishments and moments of fame into a staggering nine-year career with the New England Patriots.

As far as crossover athletes go, the man known as "Gronk" seems to fit the bill of what WWE covets: impressive size (standing 6'6" tall and weighing in excess of 250 pounds), tremendous athleticism, and an abundance of personality. Plus, he's a huge fan of pro graps. The fact that Gronkowski retired last year just shy of his 30th birthday could spell a lengthy future inside the ring for himself, if that's what he wants.

For those of you still scratching your head into just who in the hell the dancing fool from Friday's SmackDown was, here's a little extra insight into WrestleMania 36's guest host.

To some of you, he's just "a football guy". For others, he's just a football guy that happens to dance like that one relative at your cousin's wedding who you hope to God isn't driving themselves home. Football fans know Rob Gronkowski as one of the NFL's biggest stars of the past decade, packing a lot of accomplishments and moments of fame into a staggering nine-year career with the New England Patriots.

As far as crossover athletes go, the man known as "Gronk" seems to fit the bill of what WWE covets: impressive size (standing 6'6" tall and weighing in excess of 250 pounds), tremendous athleticism, and an abundance of personality. Plus, he's a huge fan of pro graps. The fact that Gronkowski retired last year just shy of his 30th birthday could spell a lengthy future inside the ring for himself, if that's what he wants.

For those of you still scratching your head into just who in the hell the dancing fool from Friday's SmackDown was, here's a little extra insight into WrestleMania 36's guest host.

​5. He Is A Record Breaker

Playing tight end, it didn't take long for Gronkowski to establish himself as one of the best ever to play the position. Drafted by the Patriots in 2010, Gronkowski quickly became an integral part of coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady's offense. In his second season, the overpowering Gronk caught 17 touchdown passes, the most in a season by a tight end in the NFL's 100 year history.

The prior record was 13, and, as of today, there have been only seven instances of a player catching 13 or more in one season. Nobody's touched Gronkowski's record as it currently stands.

4. One Of The Greatest EVER

During the 2019 season, which was the league's 100th year, NFL Network ran a weekly series in which a blue-ribbon panel of experts revealed their selections for the NFL's All-Time 100 Year Team, a century's worth of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of cleats. Of the 100 players chosen, only six of them made their league debut in the year 2000 or later, and Gronk is the only one to have made their debut in 2010 or later.

To put it another way, Gronkowski is the only player out of the NFL's 100 all-time greatest players that our own Adam Pacitti and Tom Campbell are older than. To already be considered among such an elite class speaks to what Gronkowski accomplished as a player in just a short amount of time.

3. Reversing The Curse

Players of the popular Madden NFL video games have likely heard of the Madden Curse - the player who appears on that year's cover (beginning with Madden 2001, when player covers became the norm) shall be hampered by mediocrity, injuries, controversies, or other detriments during the season ahead.

Stars like Michael Vick, Brett Favre, and Marshall Faulk were unable to outrun this apparent hex. Additionally, no Madden cover athlete had ever won a Super Bowl in that concurrent season - until our subject did it.

Gronkowski appeared on the Madden 17 cover (for the 2016-17 season) and became the first player in the history of the series to win the Super Bowl (in this case, Super Bowl 51) in the same year that he covered the game.

One caveat, though: Gronk was injured during the season, and didn't actually play in the big game (but he got a ring anyway). Only Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes has done it since, winning Super Bowl 54 this year, after front-paging Madden 20.

2. Smarter Than You'd Think

Being a muscular athlete with an outgoing attitude and an unfettered love of partying (as evidenced by him slamming beers while wearing a Minions hat during the Patriots' Super Bowl 49 victory parade), Gronk sometimes gets slapped with the "dumb jock" label. It might surprise some people to find out that Gronk excelled just as well academically as he did athletically.

Various colleges recruited him for his gridiron talents, but with a 1560 SAT score, failing to pan out in football wouldn't have left him optionless.

During his time as a student, Gronk was also a member of the National Honors Society, and graduated with a 3.75 grade point average, citing math as his best subject.

1. His Favorite, Naturally

Having been born in 1989, Gronkowski would've been about the age that many kids get into wrestling just as the Attitude Era was hitting its stride. His teenage years coincided with the Ruthless Aggression phase, so there were plenty of genuine stars for him to idolize and emulate in his halcyon youth.

So who is Gronk's favorite wrestler (outside of buddy Mojo Rawley)? Surprisingly (or perhaps not so much), Gronk's squared circle hero, as revealed in a 2016 interview, is none other than Val Venis. You know, the man who portrayed an adult film star, and enjoyed seducing the wives and sisters of his enemies.

Given the NFL icon's penchant for drinking, you'd think Gronk's tastes today perhaps skew more toward Chris Jericho and Adam Page.