Where Were You When Toby Keith Shocked The Pro Wrestling World & Jumped Into The Ring In 2002?

The Big Dog Daddy really could do it all.

Whether it was crafting country music hits or giving back to those in need, Toby Keith threw 100% of himself in everything that he did, and that showed. Though we lost the country music legend back in February of 2024, his legacy and his music will forever live on.

And when you think Toby Keith’s legacy, your mind probably thinks about countless No. 1 hits, or the Toby Keith Foundation that he created to help children fight pediatric cancer. But one must not forget that in 2002, the Big Dog Daddy shocked the pro wrestling world when he jumped into the ring and successfully threw someone over the ropes.

If you didn’t know, Toby Keith was a part of the first ever match held by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, also known as TNA. He was originally just billed as a performer of the event, and had to get a little bit more involved after his set was interrupted by pro wrestler Jeff Jarrett:

@tna_wrestling Who remembers this CLASSIC moment featuring #tobykeith & #jeffjarrett WAY back in #2002! #impactwrestling #tnawrestling ♬ original sound – TNA Wrestling

Love some good wrestling theatrics.

As you might imagine, that brouhaha planted a seed for Toby Keith to join the proceedings later on. When the Gaunlet for the Gold match was happening, the Big Dog Daddy returned, got into the ring, and then got his revenge by hitting Jeff Jarrett with a delayed vertical suplex,

Toby Keith and wrestler Scott Hall then joined together to throw Jarrett out of the ring, thus putting an exclamation mark on the country music star’s wrestling debut. Toby’s social media account shared the throwback video earlier today, and asked fans if they remembered the entertaining moment:

“Should’ve known better than to mess with Toby… who remembers the time Toby fought Jeff Jarrett on TNA Impact?”

It’s too bad Toby Keith was so damn good at making country music… because he had a wrestling career offshoot right there waiting for him if he ever needed it.

Former TNA wrestler Chris Harris later said in an interview that having a celebrity as big as Toby Keith there for the Total Nonstop Action wrestling’s first night was critical to the success of the event:

“That was huge to have a celebrity like that, it was big. Everywhere you looked, you were just seeing how big this event really was. And for Toby to be a part of that, he was going to perform on it and of course they had the part in the gauntlet, it was great.”

It truly was.

And I just can’t imagine a modern day country artist doing what Toby Keith did there, can you? Maybe a couple of country artists that appreciate some good showmanship come to mind… but even if they did attempt to get in the ring, they wouldn’t look like a natural like Toby Keith did.

Funny enough, Jeff Jarrett and Toby Keith almost came together in 2013 to buy Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, but got caught up in red tape. Makes you wonder what could have been… and how many more people the Big Dog Daddy could have thrown out of the ring if he owned the wrestling league.The post Where Were You When Toby Keith Shocked The Pro Wrestling World & Jumped Into The Ring In 2002? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.