And we now have our first-ever NBA player who has won a WWE championship.
As Monday Night Raw took place at Madison Square Garden — the first time in 10 years WWE’s flagship show has taken place at the world’s most famous arena — Enes Kanter naturally showed up.
Kanter had been a member of the New York Knicks over the past two years, establishing himself as a fan favorite during his short tenure in New York. To the crowd’s delight, the veteran big man appeared in a segment with WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth — and pinned him to win the title.
He topped things off by ripping off his jacket to reveal a Boston Celtics jersey underneath — the team he signed with in the offseason — which the crowd obviously didn’t like.
Needless to say, the NBA’s first-ever WWE champion lost the title just seconds later when he was rolled-up by R-Truth.
Kanter made it very clear just minutes after losing the title that he’s looking to win the 24/7 championship a second time.
EXCLUSIVE: @EnesKanter is eyeing a second #247Title reign, and you know what that means…
Take it away, @WWEMaverick! #RAW
With the WWE due to return to TD Garden for Monday Night Raw in Boston on Nov. 18, could we be looking at Kanter’s second run with the title?
We’ll have to hope that Kanter doesn’t play in the Celtics’ game against the Phoenix Suns — in Phoenix, by the way — in order for that to happen.
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The WWE 24/7 Title Can Be Won by Anyone — at Any Time
For those that aren’t wrestling fans, the WWE 24/7 title can be won by anybody at any time — hence the reason why it’s called “24/7.”
The WWE explained the rules of the unique championship upon its debut back in May on its official website.
“Live on Raw, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley revealed the all-new 24/7 Championship, a title that can be contested anytime, anywhere, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as long as a WWE official is present. The title will be eligible to Superstars on Raw, SmackDown LIVE, 205 Live, NXT, NXT UK and even WWE Legends and Hall of Famers.”
While Kanter is certainly the first-ever current NBA player to win the title — or any WWE championship for that matter — he’s not the first celebrity or non-WWE wrestler to do so. Fox Sports sportscaster Rob Stone won the 24/7 Title on August 23, 2019 on the Fox College Football set.
In fact, the Fox Sports host pinned R-Truth to win the title — only to lose the championship just seconds later to WWE superstar Elias.
The 24/7 Title has been full of wacky moments and champions. In fact, former wrestlers — but current 70-plus-year-olds — Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco have won the championship.
Celtics’ Outlook for 2019-20 Season
The Celtics went through a major overhaul in the offseason. After a disappointing regular season campaign that resulted in a fourth seed, the 2018-19 Celtics were put out of their misery when they were mercifully eliminated in five games in the second round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Gone are franchise staples Kyrie Irving and Al Horford and in their place are Kemba Walker and Kanter. Despite losing those established All-Stars, the Celtics are likely better off.
ESPN has projected the Celtics to have a 48-34 record this season — not much different from the 49-33 record they had last season. They’re projected to have the third-best record in the East.
The biggest question will be, how will Jayson Tatum perform as the team’s clear-cut alpha? Furthermore, will the team really be better off with more of a team-first point guard in Kemba Walker?
The Celtics sure hope so.
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Enes Kanter Wins WWE’s 24/7 Title, Pins Champion on Monday Night Raw