By now I’m sure you’ve all seen Will Ferrell’s latest film shenanigans: nailing an unsuspecting New Orlean’s Pelicans cheerleader square in the face with a basketball. What’s missing from that (besides a soundtrack of my endless giggles) is that that was no cheerleader: it was Taryn Terrell, your reigning TNA Knockouts Champion.
Now, wrestlers getting to things outside the world of wrestling is pretty neat. There’s this little feeling of pride you get in your tummy at one of our own precious athletic nerd babies getting a brief sliver of spotlight somewhere else, and I love that. But we need to address the bigger picture here:
Is cheerleading a work?
I mean, we’ve been told it’s real for years. There’s no arguing that these people are high-calibre athletes able to fly just as well as they can shout letters in sequence and do body rolls. We all know Layla worked for the Miami Heat before breaking into pro wrestling. Is this a conspiracy? Was the Spirit Squad a cute gimmick, or a rib on the other half of “the business?” If he had pinned her before security arrived, would that make Will Ferrell the new Knockouts Champion? More importantly, does the Undertaker still cheer?
While we investigate these new and shocking allegations, please enjoy Knockout Getting Hit By Basketball all over again:
I guess this is just an important reminder that if you want to avoid a career where balls fly at your face, get your doctor to write you a note exempting you from becoming a TNA Knockout.
