A former Carolina Panthers running back is officially in the win column . . . inside the squared circle, that is.
Elijah Holyfield made his professional wrestling singles debut back on Dec. 10, 2024, from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla. And it wasn’t until Sunday night, on an episode of A&E Network’s WWE LFG, that his match was finally aired.
The bout pitted the 5-foot-10, 234-pound Holyfield against the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Anthony Luke, who also ventured from the gridiron into the ring. Luke, an ex-defensive lineman, split his collegiate ball between American River Junior College and San Diego State University and was a member of the 2020 Montreal Alouettes over in the Canadian Football League.
But despite the height discrepancy, and a little pre-match luck for Luke, it was Holyfield who captured the win via roll-up.
This spot was funny from the Elijah Holyfield/Anthony Luke match #WWELFGpic.twitter.com/jrWAmUMs9P
— Corey B ⚜️ (@CoreyBElite) March 24, 2025
ELIJAH HOLYFIELD WINS!#WWELFGpic.twitter.com/3vlbYmXQZU
— Eslam (@EslamRollins) March 24, 2025
Holyfield cracked into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Panthers in 2019. He’d go on to play in all four of the team’s preseason games that summer, rushing for 79 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries while reeling in six receptions for 28 yards and another score.
After spending much of that season on Carolina’s practice squad, Holyfield was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles‘ active roster later that December. His last NFL stint came with the Cincinnati Bengals, which ended following a knee injury in 2022.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Watch former Panthers RB Elijah Holyfield win his WWE singles debut