Jackass co-creator and star Johnny Knoxville has announced that he will wrestle in the WWE’s upcoming Royal Rumble 2022. The annual 30-man wrestling match has been a huge draw for professional wrestling fans ever since it first kicked off 35 years ago when the WWE was still known as the WWF (World Wrestling Federation). This year the competition is set for January 29 in St. Louis’ The Dome and promises to be a truly spectacular event.
The WWE Royal Rumble differs from the traditional concept of a battle royal in that its competitors enter the ring at timed intervals rather than all at once. A lottery is held to determine when an individual wrestler joins the melee, though in the past there have also been different methods employed to assure specific contestants their entry. A contestant is eliminated when (and if) they are ejected from the ring over the top rope and touch both feet to the ground. This process continues until only one man is left standing. Unsurprisingly, the Royal Rumble remains one of the WWE’s five biggest events of the year, alongside the likes of SummerSlam, Wrestlemania, Money in the Bank, and the Survivor Series. Its first-ever winner was “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan in 1988, with Edge claiming the competition in 2021.
With this year’s Royal Rumble now just a few weeks away, the competitor’ list continues to grow. Surprisingly, one of the most recent competitors to announce their aspirations for WWE glory isn’t a wrestler at all. With a globally recognized tolerance for pain, Knoxville is more likely to be found standing in front of a charging bull or launching himself hundreds of feet into the air on a rocket than taking on a variety of pro wrestlers at the Royal Rumble. But as a new message from the official WWE Twitter account confirms, the 50-year-old Jackass star is ready and willing to challenge for Royal Rumble supremacy:
Click Here to Watch the Video on Twitter
There’s certainly no shortage of trash talk coming from Knoxville in the video, and long-time wrestling fans are likely to laugh out loud at the thought of him winning the event. But Knoxville’s determination and swagger will surely be enough to draw in a certain amount of viewers – regardless of whether or not they’re wrestling fans to begin with. Knoxville’s inclusion in the battle also provides some decent promotion for the upcoming fourth Jackass film, Jackass Forever – the likes of which marks the star and co-creator’s final outing in the hilarious stupid stunt franchise. Knoxville won’t be the first Jackass star to have taken part in a WWE event or match, but judging by his confidence in the video, he aims to be the best.
Regardless of Knoxville’s chances as a Royal Rumble contestant, the event will also inject some much-needed humor into the Jackass franchise. The ongoing feud between dismissed co-star Bam Margera and Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze, Paramount, and others has cast a dark shadow over the typically gleeful franchise and its stars. Margera’s lawsuit has been given a promising boost as of late – something that could ultimately affect Jackass Forever’s release date. As a result, the chance to see Knoxville take on some daunting yet undoubtedly hilarious WWE odds is a welcome treat at this point.
Source: WWE
