WWE star JD McDonagh: 'CM Punk's all good and Dublin should host Wrestlemania'
In the list of WWE annual events, the high-flying fun of WWE 's Royal Rumble is always a highlight, but for one WWE superstar it is the culmination of six months of not just being at the top of his game but working with some of the biggest names in the business.
Taking to the ring this year in his first appearance in the iconic battle royal is JD McDonagh. The 33-year-old, whose real name is Jordan Devlin, grew up in Bray, Ireland where he was trained by fellow Irish WWE wrestler (and current Judgment Day stablemate) Finn Balor. After stints on NXT in the UK and US, he was called up to the main Raw roster in the May 2023 draft.
He's been busy ever since - racking up in-ring performances with John Cena, Cody Rhodes and rising star LA Knight, although one of the most memorable moments involved him playing a key role in the return of Randy Orton following 18 months off for injury, taking a thunderous RKO from the Viper off the top of a steel cage at Survivor Series War Games.
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, it was clear the superstar still can't quite believe his luck - even having had to take the bone-crunching impact of the move.
He explained: "I didn't have much say in it, I don't have much memory of it. But I'm told it looks incredible and it's going to be on highlight reels from now until the end of time. So I guess you can't be too hot about it.
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"I was lying there and my ears were ringing and I wasn't sure if it was from the people screaming or from the impact of the ring, you know? People were going wild and before I knew it the match was over and people were going even crazier. So I knew they were happy about it about what had gone down."
For many fans the joy at the return of Orton was only eclipsed by the appearance at the end of the show of CM Punk, making his return to WWE after almost a decade.
Did McDonagh expect Cult of Personality to hit during the Chicago show and how does he feel about the sometimes-controversial Straight Edge star's return? He's diplomatic but also matter-of-fact: "We were given a hint that something would happen. And when the music hit, I was like, oh, obviously okay. I know how this business works and I knew that we were in Chicago. It's something that's in the back your head, this is a possibility. So when the music hit, I wasn't blown away by the information.
"I know that this is a business and how business works. If you look at the social media numbers, if you look at the viewership numbers for Raw, you can see the guy draws money for the company. So as long as he's drawing money for the company I work for and as long as he's bringing eyes to the shows that I'm on. He's all good to me."
Punk and McDonagh are among the stars who will be taking part in tonight's Rumble, which airs at 1am Sunday in the UK and is available live and on demand for £19.99 on as well as on the .
As well as the two iconic Rumble tournaments, Roman Reigns will be taking on LA Knight, AJ Styles and Randy Orton in a triple threat match, while social media superstar Logan Paul will be fighting Kevin Owens.
McDonagh is keen to test his mettle in the main match, angling for a chance to get into the record books. "I want to be in the Royal Rumble. I want to see if I can go an hour. I'm a workrate worker. I've got a good gas tank, I want to see how long I can go against literally everyone in the company. Bring it on. Let's see where I'm at. That'll be a good barometer for me. If I'm turfed out in ten seconds, ok back to the drawing board you've got to work a little harder. If I last 45 minutes then ok, I'm doing something right here. I'm in the mix."
It's not bad going for the boy from Bray who only made it up to the main roster six months ago but McDonagh already has another key moment on his wish list. "It's been all great. I couldn't say that I prefer mixing it up with Cody Rhodes to LA Knight to John Cena or Randy Orton. It's been one huge fever dream. It's all fantastic.
As for that long-discussed UK Wrestlemania? Sorry, take it up with John Cena, McDonagh has other ideas: "Come on, the Croke Park Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. It's got to happen. You've got Finn Balor, Becky Lynch. Seamus, Lyra Valkyria, JD McDonough just from our small little corner of the world. Imagine if you got WWE in Croke Park, 80,000 crazy Irish people there. It would be unbelievable."
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