In 2023, George Kittle attended WrestleMania 39 in Southern California and ended up participating in a match involving The Miz and Pat McAfee. Seated ringside, Kittle made an unexpected appearance by clotheslining The Miz outside the ring, followed by McAfee diving from the top rope. McAfee’s victory in the match became one of the most talked-about moments of WrestleMania 39’s first night.
However, Kittle’s involvement did not go unnoticed by the San Francisco 49ers organization. Following the event, Kittle received a text from general manager John Lynch. The message, as Kittle recounted to ESPN, read, “Hope you had fun. Don’t do that again.” This response indicated some concern from the team regarding Kittle’s surprise appearance and potential violation of team protocols.
Kittle acknowledged that he likely breached a no-surprise rule by not informing the team of his physical participation in the match. He believed there would be no issue as long as he didn’t get hurt. Despite this, Kittle refrained from engaging in any matches at WrestleMania 40, although he suggested a fantasy booking idea. Instead, Jason Kelce and Lane Anderson were the ones to interfere in a match.
Kittle, known for his commitment to safety, emphasized his cautious approach. He stated, “I honestly am one of probably the safest guys. I might occasionally be in a wrestling ring, but I’m not doing too much. I’m very aware football is everything, and so I don’t even try to go skiing and stuff like that.
That’s not even on my mind.” In the 2023 season, Kittle had an impressive performance with 65 catches for 1,020 yards and six touchdowns, contributing significantly to the 49ers’ journey to the Super Bowl, though they ultimately lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.