DeAndre Hopkins Monday Night Tackle Sparks Wrestling Arguments on Social Media
Monday night's battle between the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints was viewed as one of [...]
With so many quality programs airing on Monday night, it's difficult to pick one to focus attention on. There is Monday Night Football on ESPN, WWE: Raw, and Straight Up Steve Austin. For those that opted to watch the Saints and Texans face off in New Orleans, there was a concern about missing one of the other shows. Fortunately, Hopkins made the fans of wrestling happy with his latest tackle.
prevnextMonday raw looking better every week pic.twitter.com/RueNMqUqe7
— Thomas Rink (@Thomas_Rink12) September 10, 2019
As Twitter was quick to point out in case any of the referees or employees of the league were watching, DeAndre Hopkins wasn't breaking ground with his tackle on Monday night. This style of body slam has been used thousands of times throughout NFL history, and the Texans wide receiver was just providing the latest example. In fact, his version appeared to be slightly less violent than some of the others from history.
prevnextLooks familiar 🧐 pic.twitter.com/jsU2x3XQYS
— king of the nawf (@RayBuchananJr) September 10, 2019
Whether or not this play by Hopkins was legal is irrelevant to some viewers. What really matters is that Barstool Sports butchered the name of the move when they posted the clip on Twitter. The original post used the term "belly to back suplex," but wrestling fans quickly corrected Barstool by clarifying that the move was actually a German suplex.
prevnext*german suplex pic.twitter.com/ZKxSlmH61l
— Aaron Gleason (@AaronGleason) September 10, 2019
Love or hate the tackle, the fact remains that this move by DeAndre Hopkins was downright impressive. He's a receiver and hasn't really been focusing on tackling throughout his stellar playing career, but that didn't limit the Texans star. He grabbed Williams and slammed him to the ground in order to prevent any return yards following the interception.
— Buffalo Bills Fan 2 U🌊 🌊💙❤️ (@CRose2u) September 10, 2019prevnext
Bloody head injuries and body slams? Is this the NFL or the upcoming XFL created by Vince McMahon? That's what one individual on Twitter was asking after watching the big tackle by DeAndre Hopkins. Granted, Eric Weddle's injury didn't actually come from being hit in the head by a steel chair. The Rams safety was actually carted off the field after taking a shin to the head by a leaping Christian McCaffrey.
prevnextThis just a day after Eric Weddle got a steel chair to the head. Thought the xfl didn't start til the spring
— Big K from A.T.C.D (@Cornye_West) September 10, 2019
A former safety for the Philadelphia Eagles, Brian Dawkins was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a standout career. The nine-time Pro Bowler spent 16 seasons in the league and was known for his violent hits on offensive players. In fact, Dawkins routinely utilized this exact body slam against opposing wide receivers and running backs. Granted, the NFL was much different during his time, and Dawkins would have likely received a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, just like DeAndre Hopkins.
prevnextHe just did the Dawkplex pic.twitter.com/lQf5pXriV3
— Arash (@ThePersianDon1) September 10, 2019
The aspect of the play that frustrated many football fans wasn't that Hopkins slammed Williams to the ground. It was actually the fact that he was penalized for this move. The Texans receiver was simply trying to prevent a return on the interception, but his method of tackling was frowned upon by the referees. According to many viewers, he was simply penalized for trying to play football.
prevnext15 yard penalty. Playing football pic.twitter.com/xSNx76RcuU
— Cory Wayland© (@Seedubsworld) September 10, 2019
Is the tackle legal, or were the referees overreacting? Honestly, it doesn't matter to many football fans. At this point, they are far more concerned about the potential for fantasy points. DeAndre Hopkins is a unanimous first-round pick in fantasy football, and he rewarded those that drafted him with two touchdowns on Monday night. Does he get extra points for the tackle?
prevnextHow many fantasy points do I get for a Deandre judo throw? 🥋
— Nodnarb Iksnisarak (@BrandoCommandoe) September 10, 2019
Pat McAfee is one of the more entertaining personalities in the NFL. The former Colts punter was known for his golf celebrations and entertaining comments throughout his career, and he has since transitioned to a successful podcaster and color commentator for college football. As it turns out, McAfee is also a fan of professional wrestling, and he has nothing but respect for the move that Hopkins pulled out on Monday night.
prevnextI honestly thought the belly to back suplex was pretty impressive there by Nuke
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 10, 2019
While DeAndre Hopkins' tackle was viewed as overly questionable by many, there are many others wondering why he was the only one that received a penalty on the play. Upon closer examination of the replay, it was revealed that safety Vonn Bell ran up to Hopkins while he was lying on the ground and violently shoved his head backward. The referees did not notice this, but the fans were at home wondering why there wasn't a second penalty?
prevHopkins got smacked in the face but no one cares 😂😂
— sheldonbomar (@sheldon_bomar) September 10, 2019