$45 Million NFL Legend Channels His Inner ‘Hulk Hogan’ With a “Too Sweet” nWo Tribute to the Hulkster

Say what you will about Hulk Hogan but nobody can deny the fact that Hogan helped make wrestling great. Hulk Hogan was the torchbearer of Vince McMahon’s company for the longest time. And when he jumped ship and moved to WCW, he helped WCW beat WWE in terms of television ratings for a good amount of time. Not just that, but his popularity in wrestling brought him mainstream fame. 

$45 million worth NFL legend Rob Gronkowski has recently shared a story on his Instagram sporting a nWo weight belt and paying a “too sweet” tribute to the WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan. 

Rob Gronkowski does an impression of Hulk Hogan from The nWo

Hulk Hogan is synonymous with famous wrestling buzzwords like “Hulkamania running wild”. In addition, his heel persona in nWo spawned the catchphrase- “nWo for life” that goes with the “too sweet” gesture. In 1996, Hulk Hogan sent shockwaves around the wrestling world after he aligned himself with the likes of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Hogan’s heel turn is considered to be one of the most unexpected storylines in pro wrestling. 

Despite catching heat from the fans, nWo continued to dominate the wrestling business. Not only did the notorious faction increase in size, but it became a movement “for life”. NFL tight end, Rob Gronkowski was seen at a shop paying tribute to the legendary faction. The big Gronk had a nWo weight belt on his shoulder while he did an impression of the Immortal, Hulk Hogan.

Sharing the video clip on his Instagram story he said, “NWO for life brother, because I’m just too sweet!”

2023 marks nWo’s 27th year. The fact that Rob Gronkowski displayed his love for the notorious faction goes to show that nWo’s popularity went beyond wrestling. Besides Gronkowski, even Kendall Jenner was once seen sporting a Wolf Pack T-shirt at a fashion show. 

Nevertheless, it’s safe to bet that nWo will forever be among the most revered wrestling stables. After Vince McMahon acquired a floundering WCW, nWo made its debut in WWE in 2002. Despite the brevity of their run in Vince McMahon’s company, nWo’s remarkable run is still celebrated in wrestling. 

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As for Rob Gronkowski, the former Super Bowl Champion has substantiated his love for wrestling on multiple occasions. In fact, he once shockingly interfered in a match at WrestleMania 33. 

A look at Rob Gronkowski’s involvement with WWE

Rob Gronkowski is well-known for his 11-season stint in football. The NFL legend played 9 seasons for the New England Patriots before he played the final two seasons of his career for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 34-year-old also resonates with pro wrestling a lot. 

At WrestleMania 33 in 2017, Gronk got involved in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, helping Mojo Riley eliminate Jinder Mahal. Not long after, in 2020, Gronkowski was offered a WWE contract. At WrestleMania 36, Gronk pinned Mojo Riley and became the 24/7 Champion after pulling off an iconic bump from the top of the porch. 

He further lost the title to R-Truth and exercised a release clause in his contract with WWE to make his return to NFL, playing for The Tampa Buccaneers. 

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What do you think about Rob Gronk’s impression of Hulk Hogan? Comment below!