It didn’t take long for a new year to bring more celebrity involvement in the world of professional wrestling. Johnny Knoxville took to his Instagram page to declare he is getting ready to enter this year’s WWE Royal Rumble, which takes place at the end of this month in St. Louis, Missouri.
The star of Jackass and various movies, including The Dukes of Hazzard, published a video to proclaim his goal.
“Alright, it’s New Year’s Day and I’ve been thinking about all the things I want to do in 2022,” Knoxville says (h/t Wrestling Inc). “And of course, Jackass Forever comes out February 4th and I’m happy about that, but I want to do something else. Something big! That’s right, I want to make a run for the Rumble. I am talking about the WWE’s Royal Rumble. 30 men enter, one guy is left standing — that’s me.
“You know, I’ve seen the current list of WWE wrestlers, and frankly, I’m not impressed. They don’t have anyone big enough to throw me over the top rope! What, is ‘Little’ E or Roman ‘Ruins’ going to do it? Hah! And Vince McMahon, you’ve always been kind to us and I sincerely appreciate it, but I sincerely hope you are auditioning bigger, tougher talent for the 2022 Royal Rumble because I don’t want to hurt anyone! So, just like the shirt says, Johnny Knoxville — World Champ. Woohoo!”
The caption of the Instagram video is similar but also calls out some of the Knoxville’s favorite wrestlers from over the years. He wrote:
“Happy New Year’s Day and love to everyone. I have a big announcement that I have been dying to get off of my chest. I spent a lot of times over the holiday thinking about how i wanted to start off my 2022, and I decided I want to do it kicking ass and taking names. And the best way to do that i feel is making a run for the Rumble, that’s right @WWE’s Royal Rumble.
“Training starts today, not that I will need a lot of it because I have seen the WWE’s current roster and it’s laughable to think anyone can throw me over the top rope,” Johnny wrote. “LAUGHABLE! I will be channeling my wrestling heroes like @therock, Abdullah the Butcher and the great Gorilla Monsoon. The way I’m looking at it I am giving myself a %100 chance of winning. What chance do you think I have? Sincerely, Johnny Knoxville, World Champ #roadtowrestlemania #royalrumble #wwe #jackassforever”
This year’s Royal Rumble wouldn’t be the first run-in with the wrestling business for Knoxville. He and some of his fellow Jackass stars were set for a match with Umaga at SummerSlam in 2007, but Knoxville eventually pulled out of that deal.
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