Rookie San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle left his northern Iowa City home last week to head to the Bay Area for the team's scheduled organized team activities. Outside of football, Kittle is also passionate about wrestling. Before he left home, he jumped into a ring to show off his wrestling moves.
"I felt like a kid," Kittle told the Cedar Rapids Gazette following the event. "It was so much fun. People were cheering. I realized why people get into wrestling, with people feeding off your action. It was a thrill, something like coming out of the tunnel at Kinnick in the Swarm."
On Friday, Kittle joined the "Murph & Mac" show on KNBR and discussed the experience at the Scott County Wrestling event in Walcott, Iowa.
A friend and former Iowa teammate of Kittle's, fullback Steve Manders, arranged the whole thing. Kittle was asked if he wanted to get into the ring and the 49ers tight end jumped at the chance. He visited the Black and Brave wrestling academy, which is co-owned by WWE star Seth Rollins, who is from the area.
When Kittle was asked what he wanted to do, he replied, "I want to Stone Cold Stunner somebody because that's my favorite move."
.@49ers tight end @gkittle46 delivers a STONE COLD STUNNER at @SCWPro on 5/13! @espn @SportsCenter @nflnetwork @gmfb @FOXSports pic.twitter.com/plYW2tvGVK
— SCW Pro (@SCWPro) May 14, 2017
"I've seen it hundreds of times so I knew how to execute it," Kittle continued. "I was comfortable in the ring. It was so much fun. It was an incredible experience."
Kittle was asked if he had to clear the decision with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch. "I talked to my agent," Kittle said. "He said he took care of it. As long as I wasn't getting touched and putting myself in the way of harm, I couldn't violate any contract rules."
Kittle isn't the only one in the 49ers locker room who shares a passion for wrestling. The tight end bonded with free agent acquisition Earl Mitchell – a defensive tackle – for about 30 minutes on Thursday. "He's been watching since he was five years old," Kittle said. "He's a way bigger fan than I am."
You can listen to the entire interview on KNBR.
