Whenever we talk about the best rivalries in the NBA, the discussion is never complete without mentioning the history between the Pacers and the Knicks. From Reggie Miller’s iconic bow at the Garden to Tyrese Haliburton and Co. shattering the Knicks’ title hopes this season, this epic rivalry just keeps on giving. But who would have thought that one day, the biggest superstars from both teams would come face to face inside a WWE ring laced with brass knuckles and steel chairs? Well, Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton did exactly that and continued to play their part after the show, leading to the just-welcomed Mikal Bridges making a wild demand.
As Friday Night Smackdown took over MSG, the New York crowd was left in shock when they saw Haliburton accompanying Logan Paul to the ring during his triple threat match against LA Knight and Santos Escobar. Then, things got even more heated after the match as Logan and Haliburton tried to sneak attack Knight, but he was rescued by NYC’s own Brunson, who brought a steel chair to the ring to even the odds!
While fans were thrilled to see the NBA rivalry slipping into a WWE storyline, Brunson and Haliburton were just happy to be living their childhood dream. Filled with gratitude, both superstars shared images from the event on their Instagram handles with JB even considering becoming a full-time wrestler, obviously as a joke. “Switching professions @wwe 💪🏽 Thank you for the hand therapy!”
Notably, Brunson is currently recovering from the fractured hand he suffered during the Indiana series last month. Meanwhile, Haliburton fully soaked in his heel persona from last night, chose to rile up the New York fans even more with his post, “s/o @wwe for making a lifelong dream come true. missed y’all too NY💙”
Obviously, New York fans did not appreciate this dig from their rival, and even Mikal Bridges, who got traded to the Knicks just a few days ago, mocked the Pacers superstar and demanded Brunson take care of business. “Beat his a** @jalenbrunson1” Bridges commented. With so much heat going into next season, the Knicks will surely be looking to get their revenge once they meet again.
Was Tyrese Haliburton just playing his character?
In just 24 hours, Tyrese Haliburton has managed to rile up the entire Knicks fanbase and remind them of the haunting memory of getting eliminated in the playoffs. Although this is definitely a sign of the revival of the historic Pacers-Knicks rivalry, it is possible that Haliburton went the extra mile to maintain his heel persona because of his fandom for WWE. Over the years, he has made it well-known how much he loves the wrestling business and has been following it since he was a kid. Even when Logan Paul challenged Rey Mysterio for his US Title, Haliburton was the first to rile up the masked luchador by tweeting, “I know you heard Logan fam @reymysterio.” Maybe that’s why Logan chose to bring Haliburton with him as an ally last night.
Moreover, during his backstage appearance in WWE two years ago, Haliburton revealed that he desperately wanted to get in the ring and was even ready to make a sacrifice inside the squared circle. “I told Triple H I just need one bump, just one bump… It’s all I need,” he said that night. And finally getting his wish last night, it is possible that Haliburton wanted to play his part to the fullest and in true heel fashion be hated among the crowd!
Well, it wasn’t a very difficult task for him, considering the show was in New York. And now, fans cannot wait for the season to start and see Haliburton and Brunson come face-to-face one more time on an NBA court.
