Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, a lifelong WWE fan, revealed on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast that his recent Achilles injury cost him a dream opportunity at WWE SummerSlam.
According to Haliburton, the plan—though loosely discussed—was for him to accompany John Cena to the ring in New York City, potentially even carrying the NBA championship trophy if his team had won the Finals.
Haliburton explained, “The plan was, like, two months ago. And when I say plan, I mean very, very loosely, like I talked with H maybe about one time.”
He continued, “Was like, if Cena’s a heel in New York and we win a championship, let me walk him out with the trophy.” OKC won the Finals instead of Indiana, but Haliburton admitted the chance to walk Cena to the ring would have meant everything to him. “When I got hurt, the first two things was like, this game, next season, John Cena.”
The NBA All-Star also spoke at length about his passion for WWE, dating back to childhood. He recalled watching WrestleMania 19 as a three-year-old and still collecting memorabilia, including his childhood spinner belt with his name scribbled on it. He even visited the Performance Center but joked that his pain tolerance wasn’t built for the ring. “I could never do what you guys do,” he admitted.
Haliburton also defended pro wrestling against those who dismiss it as “fake,” comparing it to theater or film. “You watch movies, don’t you? You think Spider-Man is real?” he argued. “This is way, way more fun… it’s a performance, except you guys are putting your bodies through everything.” He added that anyone sitting front row at a WWE event would instantly respect it.
While his injury ended the Cena crossover moment before it could happen, Haliburton made clear that sharing the stage with his childhood hero would have rivaled even an NBA championship in meaning.
Speaking of wrestling crossovers, moments between sports, entertainment, and pro wrestling have always sparked fan excitement. In fact, the youngest TNA X-Division Champion in history, Leon Slater recently told PWMania.com in an exclusive interview that he’d love to see a full-scale TNA vs. NXT “invasion” storyline, pitting the best from both brands against each other.
