Award-winning musician Jelly Roll (Jason Bradley DeFord) dipped his toes in pro wrestling with appearances in 2024 and 2025 with WWE. Now he wants to dive in. The multi-platinum rapper/singer has recently stated that he would like to return to WWE for a full run. He has manifested a lot of dreams in his life. Will this be another one? Here is a look at his pro wrestling journey.

Jelly Roll’s Cameo At SummerSlam 2024

DeFord grew up a huge wrestling fan, watching it on television and going to wrestling shows when they made stops in the area. In 2024, the musician got his first real taste of the business from the inside. He sang “God Bless America” and his chart-topping single “Liar” at WWE SummerSlam. He also got into the ring and gave chair shots to Grayson Waller and Austin Theory, and then a chokeslam to Theory.

DeFord, who was over 500 pounds at the time, told WWE CCO Paul “HHH” Levesque that he was going to lose 100 pounds and come back and wrestle a match. They agreed that if DeFord lost the weight, he could work toward a match at SummerSlam in 2025. That was all the Antioch, Tennessee, native needed to hear.

Jelly Roll’s Full Match At SummerSlam 2025

After losing 60-70 pounds, DeFord talked to HHH again and, after a ring test, set up shop in Florida to begin working out at the WWE Performance Center. By the lead-up to SummerSlam, he was ready to go. DeFord appeared on SmackDown and Saturday Night’s Main Event before teaming with Randy Orton against Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul at SummerSlam. By all accounts, DeFord’s match was one of the better celebrity matches in recent memory. He and Orton were originally booked to win the match, but DeFord lobbied Triple H to take the pin, and eventually did.

What Is Jelly Roll’s New Goal?

In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, it was clear that DeFord was hooked. The rapper, who had once been 540 pounds, was now 285 pounds. He stated that he would like to go back to WWE for another match. More than that, though, if WWE would have him, he would love to have a six- to nine-month run where he wrestles every Friday night.

End Of My Jelly Roll WWE Rant

Keith Urban and Jelly Roll perform onstage during the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. Credit: Denny Simmons / The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jelly Roll story is an inspiring one. The man has turned his life around. He has cleaned up his act, found religion, lost over 250 pounds, and established an incredibly successful music career. Now, he has checked off a box on his bucket list, wrestling for the company that he fell in love with as a youth. Was his match a five-star must-watch affair? –No, but it was better than most celebrity pro wrestling matches. He doesn’t have the athleticism to make the seamless transition that Logan Paul did, but he does have a vast knowledge of wrestling history and incredible resiliency.

I would not mind seeing DeFord get another go-round with the WWE. He is a natural storyteller with a genuine love of the industry. Unlike other celebrities, he is not making appearances to advertise anything. He hasn’t pushed a new album, television series, or book. He just wants to wrestle. Do I think that WWE and its fans want to see him wrestle once a week for several months? –Probably not, but I think that they would be fine with seeing him climb back into the ring to foil the plans of McIntyre or Paul again. I would certainly have no problem with that.