Country music star Jelly Roll is ready to step into the squared circle, and the WWE Universe is taking notice. Following the official announcement on the July 12th edition of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Jelly Roll will team with Randy Orton to face Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul in a blockbuster tag team match at SummerSlam.
Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up, the Grammy-winning artist shared what surprised him most about stepping into WWE rings during his training, and made it clear that the “wrestling is fake” narrative needs to go. “The physicality — it’s… man, listen, man. That ‘wrestling is fake’ stuff has got to go out the door,” Jelly Roll said. “There’s no fake way to land on a piece of plywood in front of 60,000 people, you know what I mean? There’s no fake way to go over a cable rope in front of 65,000 people, man. I broke my pinky in week one of training — by accident. That thing is a constant collision, dude.”
Jelly Roll’s honest and passionate description of his experience training for the match has earned him widespread respect from both fans and WWE veterans alike.
WWE legend Randy Orton, who’s been back at full speed since his return in late 2024, had nothing but praise for his celebrity tag partner. During the same segment, Orton said:
“Man, he’s reinvigorated my love for what I do. I’ve been doing it for almost 25 years, so you know — that’s a long time to be doing something. Just seeing his face light up when he’s in that ring… it’s inspired me to really take a step back and go, ‘Wow, I’m lucky to be doing this.’ My father did it. My grandfather did it. It’s in my blood — and I love that I’m still able to be part of WWE, to go out there and bust my ass. And I can’t wait to tear it up with you, bro.”
The unusual yet electric pairing of Orton & Jelly Roll has drawn massive buzz heading into SummerSlam, with McIntyre and Logan Paul representing two of WWE’s most dangerous and arrogant superstars. The match is shaping up to be one of the weekend’s most talked-about showdowns.
SummerSlam 2025 airs live on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network globally across two nights, with Orton & Jelly Roll vs. McIntyre & Logan Paul going down on Night One, Saturday, August 2.
