WrestleMania is the biggest wrestling event of the year, and it's safe to say that WrestleMania 40 managed to live up to expectations. For Philadelphia Eagles fans that tuned in, they received their own little treat when Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson made a surprise appearance during Rey Mysterio and Andrade's match against Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio.
While Kelce recently retired from the NFL earlier this offseason, Johnson is still under contract with the Eagles, which caught the attention of fans everywhere. Some were concerned that the veteran offensive lineman violated his contract and got himself in trouble with his team by playing a part in the event, but Philadelphia confirmed that they knew Johnson would be there, and that he didn't violate any rules in the process.
“The fact that Johnson remains under contract with the Eagles raised a question as to whether he was doing something that runs afoul of the language of the deal…Per the Eagles, the team was aware of Johnson’s planned participation.” – Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk
Lane Johnson keeps himself out of harm's way…and trouble
While the WWE is scripted, injuries can still be sustained during the shows. Teams in the NFL want to keep their players out of harm's way as best they can, which has led some teams to previously state in their contracts that players signing couldn't participate in their events. After seeing Johnson show up, that was the immediate concern some fans had.
The Eagles revealed that wasn't an issue for them and Johnson here, though, and after watching his involvement, it's not hard to see why. Johnson was minimally involved during his time in the ring, as he largely held a chair and stood on the side cheering. Assuming something catastrophic didn't happen, there was literally no way for Johnson to get hurt, and sure enough, that ended up being the case.
You can understand, though, why some fans would be worried to see the star offensive lineman in the ring at WrestleMania. Not only is Johnson one of the best right tackles in the league, as he is fresh off earning his fifth career Pro Bowl selection and a second-team All-Pro honor, but they also lost arguably their best offensive lineman in Kelce to retirement, so they need to keep Johnson in tact in order to ease the burden that comes with replacing him.
Thankfully, nothing bad happened, and Kelce and Johnson's appearances were just part of a star-studded event that has drawn rave reviews from wrestling fans everywhere. Now that this is in the books, though, Johnson and the Eagles are going to turn their attention towards the 2024 campaign and see if they can find a way to bounce back from their disappointing 2023 season.
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