Travis Kelce calls out Cincinnati mayor, channels The Rock in epic post-AFC championship game speech: 'You jabroni!'

Joe Rivera

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Travis Kelce calls out Cincinnati mayor, channels The Rock in epic post-AFC championship game speech: 'You jabroni!' image

Do you smell what Travis Kelce is cookin'?

If proof was ever needed that the Chiefs tight end was a wrestling fan growing up, he gave it to everyone in crystal-clear HD on Sunday night. In the minutes after Kelce and the Chiefs turned in an AFC championship game win over the Bengals, Kelce turned in a short, sweet and memorable promo while hoisting the championship belt Lamar Hunt trophy.

Throwing shade at Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval, Kelce channeled his inner Dwayne Johnson — famously known as The People's Champion, the Brahma Bull, the Great One, The Rock — in his post-game press conference on the stage, reciting a few of the Rock's all-time great catchphrases:

"Hey, I got some wise words for the Cincinnati mayor," Kelce said before shifting into late-'90s WWF "SmackDown!" persona, "Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!"

MORE: Jason Kelce looking forward to battle royal vs. Chiefs, brother Travis

Why was Travis Kelce calling out the Mayor of Cincinnati?

Kelce is taking victory laps around Mayor Pureval's recent video in which he proclaimed Arrowhead Stadium to be "Burrowhead," and also claimed that Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was actually Mahomes' non-paternal father:

"Burrowhead my ass," Kelce said, crashing a Mahomes post-game interview.

Pureval took to Twitter to respond, owning up to his comments and recognizing that he warranted getting called out by Kelce.

What does Jabroni mean?

Simply put, 'jabroni' is a slang term to mean that someone is stupid or foolish; a loser. 

In an interview with Esquire, Johnson explained his personal meaning behind it: 

When I was a kid, it was an inside term that guys would use. When wrestlers wanted to have a private conversation when fans were present, they would start talking carny because they used to wrestle in carnivals. I thought it was so cool. Jabroni was a word that was always used in the derogatory sense. Oh, this jabroni, that jabroni. But the Iron Sheik was famous for saying the word constantly backstage. Jabroni, jabroni, jabroni. Around 1998, I thought, Why can’t I say it on TV? So I started saying it publicly, but the Iron Sheik was known for it.

In 2020, Dictionary.com officially added it to its arsenal of words. 

The Chiefs certainly earned the right to talk. In a hyper-competitive AFC championship game, Harrison Butker booted a 45-yard field goal to send the Chiefs to Arizona to take on the Eagles.

Kelce is looking to boot something in the Super Bowl, too, while the Chiefs look to put Boots 2 … "Butts" against the Philadelphia Eagles, and his brother Jason Kelce.

So, while Kansas City is booking a trip to Arizona, Cincinnati just checked in to the SmackDown Hotel, located at the corner of Know Your Role Boulevard and Jabroni Drive.

Joe Rivera

Joe Rivera Photo

Joe Rivera is in his seventh year with The Sporting News, handling NFL, MLB and some things pro wrestling. A proud-ish Rutgers University graduate, Rivera combines a new-school flair with an old-school soul. He loves dingers, wrestling, comic books, movies, music and really bad puns. He is also a card-carrying BBWAA member and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater.

You can find him and tweet him @JoeRiveraSN, if you're into that sort of thing.