Yep, you heard that right…
Just like that, Shane Gillis became a sumo wrestling referee. And not just for some random match, for a full-on, $250,000 prize, famous Japanese sumo wrestlers match. And of course, it’s hilarious.
This all came to be at Pat McAfee’s Big Night AHT event in Pittsburgh, a live spectacle that blended sports, comedy, music, and huge giveaways. There were many appearances from special guests like Jelly Roll, Snoop Dogg, Parker McCollum, and Ernest.
Throughout the evening, McAfee pledged significant donations to organizations, including $100,000 to the Foundation of Hope. But you’re probably thinking-where does the sumo match come in?
There were comedic segments in the show, and one of them randomly was this match. But all though Shane is a comedian-they are real sumo wrestlers praying for real money. They did not care about the bit, which made it all the better. Shane Gillis was expected to take it seriously…official terms, ceremonial blowing, full costume, you name it.
Naturally, he blew it, in the most Gillis way possible.
Before the match even kicked off, he had to put out a quick disclaimer:
“Also, for the record, they told me I should do the voice. This is not racist.”
From there, it was straight uncharted territory. As the two wrestlers surrounded him in the ring he announced:
“I want a good, clean fight… no punches below the belt and just, you know… respect.”
“Good bow. Good bow. I got a good bow. This is nice.”
And then it began, and Shane had no clue of what he was doing. In a follow up segment, Gillis recapped the match with MacAfee, and how confused he really was:
“Did you hear me trying? I was like, ‘K, yeah.’ The guy told me what to say and I don’t know if I got it. It was “hak kui”… and then during the fight you’re supposed to go, “nakuta. Nakuta!”
“Did you do that?” “No. I didn’t get it once. The whole time I was going, ‘Oh hey!’”
Despite all the mix-ups, the match finished, and he “reffed” the full best-of-three round showdown. He didn’t even know who won. Which makes the entire thing even funnier.
The crowd ate it up, and the comments are killing me:
“Bro is just doing all the side quests”
“The coworker that lied on his resumé and still got the job.”
“Shane looks like he’s just winging a presentation in high school”
“I love Shane just shouting random Japanese noises.”
“”Hey Shane, where are you right now? You wanna referee a sumo wrestling match in like ten minutes?'”
“Get Shane on WWE now! ASAP! Him as a manager or guest commentator”
“The referee we didn’t know we needed”
Watch the whole segment here:
The post Shane Gillis Refereeing A Sumo Match Is As Hilarious As You’d Expect first appeared on Whiskey Riff.