WrestleMania star gets Super Bowl halftime show after Jeff Jarrett’s babysitter allegedly says no

This is probably the latest sign it’s going to be a long time before wrestling fans get the return of one of our greatest celebrity part-timers.

During halftime of Sunday Night Football last night (Sept. 28) on Peacock, the NBCUniversal-owned streamer announced that when it broadcasts and streams Super Bowl 60 next February, the star of halftime will be none other than Damian Priest’s former tag partner, Street Fight opponent, and now friend — Bad Bunny.

The award-winning, chart-topping rapper and singer shared had a custom video ready for when Maria Taylor broke the news during the Cowboys/Packers game. The 31-year-old tagged the NFL, the applicable Comcast-owned media brands, and the producers of the league’s halftime show since 2020, Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Apple Music in his share:

Rap legend-turned-mogul Jay-Z spoke to Rolling Stone about the choice of the 31-year-old Latin rapper, actor, and wrestler:

“What Benito has done and continues to do for Puerto Rico is truly inspiring. We are honored to have him on the world’s biggest stage.”

Bunny (real name Benito Martínez Ocasio) also commented, saying:

“What I’m feeling goes beyond myself. It’s for those who came before me and ran countless yards so I could come in and score a touchdown… this is for my people, my culture, and our history.

”Ve y dile a tu abuela, que seremos el HALFTIME SHOW DEL SUPER BOWL.”

However, he may not have been HOV and the NFL’s first, or even second, choice. Reports say Taylor Swift passed (allegedly because the League would not allow her to retain ownership of the performance or plug her own projects during promotion of the Super Bowl, but in our kayfabe it’s so she can plan for her upcoming wedding with former babysitting clients neighbors, the Jarrett girls). And those reports also say second-choice (and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson superfan) Adele turned them down, as well.

Ah well. While we’re bummed this almost certainly rules out any wrestling role for the undefeated (not counting multi-man elimination matches) WWE star at WrestleMania 42, we’re excited to see what he whips up. Even if we doubt it can top this…