WWE superstar Baron Corbin earned a big victory at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday night against pro wrestling legend Kurt Angle, in what was billed as Angle's retirement match.
But even if you're a wrestling fan, you might not know that Corbin -- real name Tom Pestock -- had a brief stint in the NFL. He was an offensive lineman for the Arizona Cardinals from 2010-11 and became good friends with Cards wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald and Corbin have always been competitive with each other -- and Fitz said he's not surprised by Corbin's success in WWE.
It's @RealKurtAngle's #FarewellMatch, but @BaronCorbinWWE wants to be the one who's remembered at #WrestleMania 35! pic.twitter.com/EGa9SYdhw9
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2019
"Even when we were playing together, we always just used to mess around and wrestle and hang out. He always was throwing me around," Fitzgerald said.
"I knew it would probably be a natural transition. I'm really happy for him, because he enjoys it and is obviously a star."
Fitzgerald is a fan of Corbin's in-ring work and saw Corbin perform at WrestleMania last year.
But would Fitz ever step into Corbin's world? The former WWE United States champion has his doubts.
Last year, Corbin said (tongue in cheek) that Fitz is "kind of a pretty boy" -- and in January, when the WWE Royal Rumble came to the Valley, Corbin doubled down on that comment.
"One of these days I'll get him in there, But now he might be too old and fragile. You don't want to hurt him," Corbin joked.
The humble Fitzgerald agreed with Corbin's assessment of him as a possible in-ring performer.
"I'm definitely not getting in that ring," he said with a laugh. "Those guys are monsters in there."
So, who got the better of their impromptu sparring sessions?
"In the weight room, (Fitzgerald) would test me. He would always tell me I didn’t know jiu-jitsu or something like that. I’d take him down and make him squeal a little bit," Corbin said with a smile.
But in all seriousness, Corbin has as much respect for Fitzgerald's ability on the football field as the the future Pro Football Hall of Famer has for Corbin's in-ring work.
"I've talked to him a few times. He's like, 'I've got one more (season) in me,' and that was like four years ago. He's one of those guys that he's ready to compete all the time," Corbin said. "I wish he had three or four Super Bowl rings, because he deserves that."
