Green Bay Packers LB Clay Matthews guests on 'WWE SmackDown,' talk shows
ASHWAUBENON What could possibly have been bigger than the 485-pound, 7-foot Big Show at Tuesday nights WWE SmackDown at the Resch Center in Ashwaubenon? A sideshow starring Clay Matthews and the Green Bay Packers.
Chants of We want Clay! We want Clay broke out during the taping of Friday Night SmackDown after cameras showed the Packers linebacker and some of his teammates sitting ringside.
Its a sentiment than more than just wrestling fans shared. Matthews is in demand this week as a TV guest elsewhere as well. Hell be on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 10:35 p.m. today on WGBA and on The Ellen DeGeneres Show at 3 p.m. Thursday on WFRV. (DeGeneres has made it known she was pulling for the Pack in the Super Bowl.)
At SmackDown, a massive video screen flashed to the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, where an image of former quarterback Brett Favres No. 4 jersey in a display case drew boos. And then ... the already iconic shot of Matthews and quarterback Aaron Rodgers hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the teams win at Super Bowl XLV on Sunday. The crowd erupted, and the cameras went live to show Matthews with a championship belt, along with teammates Tom Crabtree, Bryan Bulaga, Graham Harrell and others.
WWE had announced earlier in the day several Packers would make an appearance at the event but it did not say which ones.
Several WWE spoiler websites have reported that Matthews showed up again at nights end in a referee uniform for the final match between Edge and Dolph Ziggler to do the count and proclaim the winner. He was seen earlier in the evening being escorted backstage before returning to his ringside seat about 10 minutes later.
His cameo and his fellow players appearance will be seen when SmackDown airs at 7 p.m. Friday on cables Syfy channel.
The entire evening at the Resch was peppered with spontaneous cheers of Go Pack Go! in between matches, and fans looking to grab the attention of the TV cameras waved homemade signs that proclaimed everything from Go Big Like the Packers to Super Bowl XLV Champs ... But You Already Knew That.
Green Bay Hub wrote: