Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’ captivating docuseries Welcome to Wrexham seems to provide fans with the very definition of mixing business with pleasure, as we get to see the often-amusing ups and downs of running a European football club. Now McElhenney is mixing business with … other business, as Four Walls Whiskey has become an official sponsor of Wrexham AFC. McElhenney created the Irish-American whiskey brand with Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day, and a hilarious new ad has the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-stars calling for the Deadpool actor when things go very wrong.
There’s always a fair amount of humorous shots fired between the Wrexham owners — just take Rob McElhenney’s reaction to Ryan Reynolds’ sad face at a recent NFL game — so it would be easy to assume the Free Guy star might have had something to do with ruining the Always Sunny group’s big moment. Check out the Four Walls Whiskey ad below:
The ad makes a lot of jokes noting the difference between American vernacular regarding soccer and what those in Wales would say, as the three guys of Paddy’s Pub sit down to watch a football match. But Rob McElhenney has to temper the expectations of Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton, as they hope to see the Four Walls logo emblazoned across the front of Wrexham’s jerseys.
The co-owner explains that the whiskey brand is actually featured on the practice jersey, and even then, just on the sleeve. The guys were still OK with that, and turned their focus back to the screen as the players started to exit the bus. That’s where things really went wrong, as the uniforms were all sleeveless. Adding insult to injury, the logo displayed on the front of the red sleeveless jerseys was none other than Blake Lively’s Betty Buzz sparkling soda — the brand created by Ryan Reynolds’ wife. I guess it pays to be married to Deadpool!
Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton are rendered momentarily speechless before Rob McElhenney says he’s getting Ryan Reynolds on the phone, and Howerton hilariously agrees they need to, “Call Ryan.” Fortunately for the Four Walls crew, it seems Reynolds came through, because the end of the ad shows the red jerseys — with sleeves! — that do include the whiskey brand’s logo.
Rob McElhenney and the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia gang may have gotten off to an amusingly rough start in their football sponsorship days, but Ryan Reynolds has been mixing his business interests since the beginning. In 2021 Reynolds’ Aviation Gin became a sponsor, and earlier this year an ad for Mint Mobile featured Wrexham striker Paul Mullin, as the actor joked that the footballer had replaced Blake Lively as his “ride or die.” (Given Reynolds and Lively’s history of trolling each other, it’s actually pretty on brand that he’d make his wife “try again next season.”)
New episodes of Welcome to Wrexham air at 10 p.m. ET Tuesdays on FX, and both seasons can be streamed with a Hulu subscription. Be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what shows are premiering soon.
