Subscribe
Follow Us
Before he was the leader of his own “Nation” in TNA, Moose was playing offensive guard as a fifth-round pick out of Syracuse under his given name, Quinn Ojinnaka.
Beginning his career in Atlanta, Moose bounced around the NFL over his seven-year career, playing for the Falcons, Patriots, and Rams before hanging up his cleats officially in 2012. While Moose didn't have to wait long to find a new career path after his gridiron game came to an end, beginning his wrestling career in 2012 shortly after his run with the Rams, in the end, Moose will forever be able to consider himself a member of the football fraternity, which is something few of his co-workers at TNA – minus AJ Francis – can boast.
So naturally, while discussing his career in an interview on Gabby AF, Moose discussed his time in football and noted that while he is a Hall of Fame tight end and a very popular personality to this day, Rob Gronkowski really could have been a Hall of Fame-caliber wrestler if he put his mind to it, as he has everything one could need to be a squared circle Superstar.
“The one guy that comes to mind is, he was a teammate of mine, was [Rob] Gronkowski. I think he's a meathead, but I think everybody knows that about him, that he's a meathead, he's just like a walking dumbo, but he's very gifted, and when you look at him, as dumb as he is [laughs], and as meat-headed as he is, he's a great human being. But he has that it factor. When you look at him, you're like, man, there's something about him, he's a great. Obviously, he's athletic because he played in the NFL, and he's a Hall of Famer. So I think he's one of those guys that if he really wanted to, he could be a great pro wrestler,” Moose told Gabby AF via Fightful.
“Gronk is one of those guys, he's known for having a good time and being outlandish. For sure, Gronk would be… I'll take it as far as to say that if Gronk wanted, he could also probably be a Hall of Famer pro wrestler.”
Now, for fans out of the know – or who simply want to forget – Gronk did try his hands at the WWE game, becoming a short-term fixture of the promotion's programming alongside fellow former NFL player Mojo Rawley. While this run didn't amount to much save a 24/7 Championship win, as he never actually worked an official match, he did win a Slammy and got an action figure out of the deal; if Gronk committed himself to the sport and became something between Logan Paul and Bron Breakker work-wise, who knows, maybe Moose's prediction could have come to pass.
Moose names his dream NXT Forbidden Door opponents
Elsewhere in his interview with Gabby AF, Moose was asked about the crossover between TNA and NXT, which has seen a half-dozen or so performers pass through the “Forbidden Door” between the Impact Zone and the PC. While Moose hasn't made the jump himself, he likes how things are going and hopes the two companies keep it going into the future.
“That's not a secret about the crossover, like you mentioned. It's a big deal. It's a big deal for TNA, it's a big deal for the guys who have been lucky enough to make that crossover and do stuff with them. I don't know much about it. I try not to look into those things and get my hopes up or think much about,” Moose told Gabby AF via Fightful.
“Just whenever it happens, if it happens, I'll be excited to do it, whatever they have, if they have something. Obviously, I'm happy with doing stuff with WWE, the biggest wrestling company in the world, bar none, and I'm happy for my friends, with Jordynne and Joe, so has gotten a chance to do stuff with them. They did great. Look at Joe, overnight star after appearance, and Frankie [Kazarian], he's a good friend of mine. So I try not to think about it, I try not to put my hopes up. I just do what I do until hopefully I get a call saying I'm gonna do something. No matter what it is, I'll be happy and give 110% my best effort to whatever that is.”
Asked who he would like to wrestle if his number was called, Moose picked a pair of champions with plenty to prove in developmental, noting that he'd be happy to give them their toughest test yet.
“I can only go off of what I've heard Twitter. Trick [Williams], I think he's their champion. There's another guy there, Oba Femi,” Moose declared. “We're both from the same heritage, we're both Nigerians, so that would be something cool. Honestly, I hate to single people out and leave people not in the list. Whoever they think or TNA thinks or whoever's in charge of this relationship, whoever they think that I could have a great match with, I could probably have a good match with, I'm at a part of my career where I could have a great match with anybody. It really doesn't matter who you bring up or who you take me there to wrestle, it doesn't matter, I would be happy for the opportunity and I would give 110%.”
Welp, there you go, folks; Moose wants a shot at one of NXT's top two champions, and frankly, either match would be a must-see spectacle. Why? Because Moose is an imposing dude, and while you may not want to watch him wrestle a 60-minute Iron Man match, he can make a performer like Trick Willie or Femi look darn good win, lose, or draw.
