Let’s go back in time, oh, 10-15 years or so and remember when Tim Tebow was one of the most popular athletes on earth. Tebow went from a Heisman and national championship-winning quarterback at the University of Florida to one of the most polarizing guys in the NFL, because while his numbers were not good at all, he had this uncanny ability to make a play in big moments. A lot of people screamed about him on television. It was pretty wild!
Tebow got drafted by the Denver Broncos, spent two years there, got traded to the New York Jets, got released after one season, and joined the New England Patriots ahead of the 2013 season. Unfortunately for Tebow, the team cut him before things kicked off, which beget his media career. But as it turns out, another door was opened up for him: professional wrestling. During an appearance on Pat McAfee’s show, WWE president Nick Khan (who previously was an agent) told a story about how Triple H reached out to him following Tebow’s tenure with the Patriots and pitched him on a WrestleMania matchup against Big Show.
“Paul Levesque introduced me to WWE when I was an agent..
When Tim Tebow got cut by the Patriots he called me about him wrestling the Big Show at WrestleMania..
Tim, HHH, Vince and I had a secret meeting about that but ultimately it didn’t happen”
Nick Khan #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/UiLmHFLnZN
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 23, 2024
“When I was an agent, my prior profession, and I was trying to get into the WWE business,” Khan recalled. “Paul had called me, unsolicited call, and this was when Tim Tebow had just gotten cut by the Patriots … He said, hey, what do you think about Tim Tebow against the Big Show at whatever that WrestleMania was after the Patriots run. I said, what’re you thinking? He offered some financial terms, I called Tim at the time, [asked] what do you think. Tim and I had, then, a top secret private meeting: Tim Tebow, myself, Vince McMahon, Triple H, in Anaheim, California about that. Ultimately, it didn’t happen.”
If my math is correct, the WrestleMania immediately after his tenure with the Patriots came to an end in 2013 was WrestleMania XXX in New Orleans, which took place in April of 2014. Funny enough, Big Show had an important role at that event, as he was one of the final two competitors in the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. It ended with him getting picked up and dumped out of the ring by Cesaro.