Gronkowski loses WWE 24/7 belt after record run
Rob Gronkowski’s record reign as WWE’s 24/7 champ is over after nearly two months.
Gronkowski, who recently came out of retirement to resume his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was pinned Monday by Ron “RTruth” Killings on the “WWE Raw” show.
The former New England Patriots tight end had claimed the 24/7 belt at WrestleMania 36 on April 5 when he pinned Mojo Rawley.
In the video shown Monday night, Gronkowski was set to film a TikTok dance video in a front yard, with a friend holding a cellphone to film him. Gronkowski questioned the presence of an unknown gardener in a hat and facemask before starting his dance routine.
As Gronkowski’s companion took off his sweatshirt to reveal a WWE referee uniform, R-Truth took Gronkowski by surprise, pulling him down from behind and pinning him before grabbing the 24/7 belt.
After R-Truth clicked his heels and ran away with the belt, Gronkowski shouted, “Seriously?”
His friend/referee replied, “I’m serious, man. You got a new career started. C’mon. Let’s go. You’re with the Bucs now. C’mon, let’s do this.”
Gronkowski, 31, held the 24/7 belt longer than anyone in a single stretch since the competition was initiated in May 2019. There have been 36 champions, with the belt changing hands 97 times. RTruth has been the champion 36 times, and Rawley is second on the list with seven reigns.
The list of 24/7 champions includes basketball player Enes Kanter, race car driver Kyle Busch and musician Marshmello.