The biggest party of the summer just concluded, and Tyrese Haliburton left his mark. WWE’s SummerSlam was the first time in the company’s history that this PLE was for two nights. Cardi B opened the show being the host, and it ended with the ‘Ruse of the Century’. The Visionary was reportedly injured, but dropped his crutches, cashed in his contract, and won the championship. After that enthralling action at the end of night 1, the must-see quotient for night 2 increased, for which Haliburton was front and center.
The event was held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J, which is not far away from New York territory. Which is why the 2x All-Star once again was heavily booed once he was featured on the big screen. But he embraced it like a champion. After all, he recently ended the Knicks’ championship hopes during the ECF. Even during the live show, the 25-year-old proudly said, “I love you too!” in response to the booing–a true heel behavior. The antics continued on social media with his tweet, “Missed y’all too NY“. The assists leader for the Pacers also made sure to assist his WWE GOAT.
Tyrese Haliburton is a huge name who has made a successful crossover into the WWE. So, if he is making an appearance, remember there will be more to it. Unlike his passes on the hardwood, which are precise, this time it felt, the ball was taken from his hands, and instead of the ball, it was his crutch. His reaction on X, first said it all, “Smh all you had to do was ask @JohnCena.” The Pacers guard played a small part in the Main event of night 2, as John Cena faced Cody Rhodes. Since it was an anything-goes,’ Street Fight’ stipulation, Cena forcibly took Haliburton’s crutch away from him to attack Rhodes.
First, for an attack on the stomach, and then second, on the back, which caused the crutch to bend, and made it unusable. Let’s not forget, Haliburton was wearing a walking boot and using crutches amid his recovery from the Achilles injury he suffered in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals. Pat McAfee, a friend of Tyrese and a WWE commentator, also pointed out with his IG post, “TYRESE NEEDS THAT CRUTCH.”
But Haliburton, in his story, mentioned, he had no problem sacrificing the crutch. “Sacrificed my crutch for the .” The Goat status was not a casual moniker; Haliburton arrived for the event apart from his crutches and boot, wearing a throwback Cena t-shirt.
John Cena fandom is not a one-time thing for Tyrese Haliburton
The Pacers guard is an avid fan, which is why he doesn’t hesitate to appear on shows. Last year, he attempted to help the viral social media star, Logan Paul. But none other than Jalen Brunson thwarted his attempts with brass knuckles. Later, the two even entered the ring and had a stare-down, which unknowingly became a callback when the teams met in the ECF this year. That SmackDown show was at the iconic Madison Square Garden, and there was no doubt the crowd booed Tyrese Haliburton. But being on the receiving end of the hostile environment would pale in comparison to him watching Cena live.
The love for Cenation is not new for the 2x All-Star. Earlier this year, when the Royal Rumble was at the Lucas Oil Stadium, Haliburton was a resident of Indiana, was present at the event. Once again, his love for Cena was visible since he wore a John Cena-inspired t-shirt. Being at SummerSlam was something the Pacers guard wanted to attend, which he revealed while speaking about his love for WWE back in 2023.
“But I actually after my rookie year after summer league they were doing SummerSlam at Allegiant Stadium in the Raiders stadium and I hit my people like ‘I gotta go, I gotta go.‘” This was in conversation on the Knuckleheads Podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles. “They got me two tickets right behind the announcer’s table, and John Cena was wrestling, that’s like all-time favorite wrestler.”
So, that’s why Haliburton had no problem when Cena snatched his crutches.
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