It was a bold move, but Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton attended the 2025 WWE SummerSlam PLE, which took place across the Hudson from the home of the New York Knicks at MetLife Stadium.
He continued his rivalry with the Big Apple. When WWE showed Haliburton in the crowd, the New Jersey crowd showered him in boos. He embraced it, and he later responded to the moment on X, formerly Twitter.
“Missed y'all too[,] NY,” he wrote on X with Knicks orange and blue hearts.
Missed y’all too NY🧡💙 https://t.co/oi6THLxz71
— Tyrese Haliburton (@TyHaliburton22) August 4, 2025
Of course, the New Jersey crowd, which likely featured lots of New Yorkers, was not pleased with Haliburton being there. The Pacers recently beat the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. Clearly, the wound is still fresh for Knicks fans.
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton's role at WWE SummerSlam
Haliburton was in attendance on night two of WWE SummerSlam. For the first time ever, WWE split the annual event in two, following the recipe WrestleMania has laid out.
Not only did Haliburton attend the show, but he also helped John Cena during his match against Cody Rhodes. Haliburton, who is still recovering from his torn Achilles, was on crutches while at the show. At one point during his “Street Fight” match, Cena approached Haliburton, taking one of his crutches to use as a weapon.
Unfortunately, Haliburton's crutch did not seal the win for Cena. Cena lost to Rhodes, ending his Undisputed WWE Championship reign after over 100 days.
Haliburton is a fan of WWE. He previously made an appearance on an episode of Friday Night SmackDown with Knicks star Jalen Brunson. They didn't know it at the time, but WWE foreshadowed the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals matchup.
Now, Haliburton will look ahead to the 2025-26 NBA season. He is still recovering from his injury. Once he is back, expect him to help lead the Pacers to the postseason once again. He has emerged as one of their top players over the last couple of seasons.
