WWE’s Day 1 pay-per-view brought a lot of surprises in the night, with one of them being the potential first entrant in the 2021 Royal Rumble. In what might be the most excellent way to kick off 2022, the first person to ask to be in the upcoming Royal Rumble wasn’t a wrestler from the company but a well-known celebrity. Of course, now that it’s actually out in the universe, some may be asking, is Jackass Forever’s Johnny Knoxville actually joining WWE’s Royal Rumble?
While the WWE didn’t officially announce it, Johnny Knoxville seemingly threw his hat in the ring during a video package that aired during the Day 1 PPV. Check out the Twitter video below, in which Knoxville talks about his dream of being in the Royal Rumble and hurls insults at Big E and the hilariously bold Roman Reigns:
Is #JackassForever star Johnny Knoxville gearing up to win the #RoyalRumble Match?! @realjknoxville @jackassworld pic.twitter.com/0vrYE4wSigJanuary 2, 2022
Now, it’s not actually up to the star regarding whether or he’ll join the event. That decision is up to the WWE, but considering the company aired his video package during Day 1 and shared it on their social media, one would imagine an official announcement about his participation in the event will come shortly. For the casual outsider, it may seem like a bizarre and unexpected event, but wrestling fans know this is more common than it would seem.
The WWE is not afraid to let celebrities enter its wrestling ring, and everyone from sports legends like Rob Gronkowski to Drew Carey to Saturday Night Live's Michael Che has actually participated in a match. Johnny Knoxville would be just the latest, and with Jackass Forever’s premiere date shortly after WWE’s Royal Rumble event, this would make for the perfect cross-promotion. Casual fans may tune in to see what Knoxville does, and the WWE fandom will be reminded to see the movie in theaters the following week.
What would make the star's presence more exciting than the average celebrity appearance is that he’s not that ordinary. He’s an actor who (like his co-stars) isn’t afraid to take some physical punishment, all for the sake of entertainment. This means he could be sent through a table or get thrown from the ring in some dramatic fashion. That appears all but guaranteed if he’s calling out someone like Big E, who is known for his feats of strength.
Should Johnny Knoxville enter the Royal Rumble, it will be his second appearance in a ring. Knoxville and the rest of the Jackass crew appeared on an episode of Monday Night Raw back in October of 2010, and just about everyone took some shots from WWE talent during that night. There was also a couple of segments that incorporated classic pranks so, perhaps if Knoxville is at Royal Rumble, fans will see that as well. Let’s cross our fingers, and of course, hope that no one is seriously injured should Knoxville join the fray.
WWE’s Royal Rumble will stream on Peacock Saturday, January 29th. Audiences can tune into that and then see Jackass Forever in theaters on Friday, February 4th.
