The Sporting Worlds of the Eagles and WWE Brothers Clash in Philadelphia

The Sporting Worlds of the Eagles and WWE Brothers Clash in Philadelphia

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PHILADELPHIA — Mike Lallis was set to shoulder his brother and dump him on the lawn when he received a sudden blow to the rib, as a rough brother might do.

In the blink of an eye, Nick Laris rose to his feet and turned the fight around. He spun his little brother and dropped the mic with a brutal Stone Cold Stunner. In the scene of WWE’s “Raw”. Mike Lallis launched into the air and landed right on his back. A Minnesota Gophers football player lined up in a makeshift wrestling ring yelled, “Finish him!” Nick, who hooked his brother’s left leg, saw the referee’s count — 1! 2! 3! —and rose, his hands raised in triumph.

In wrestling terms, it was a match between loser and leaf town for Mike Laris. He ended his Gophers linebacking career in 2013, symbolically handing the torch to his brother and fellow linebacker Nick. That moment at an indoor practice facility in Minnesota also provided a glimpse into the future of the brothers, with Mike Rallis following his passion for professional wrestling and more recently better known as WWE star Madcap Moss. , Nick Laris knows how to turn the football field into a winner, just like he did in his game with his brother. At just his 29-year-old, he is in his second season as coach of the Eagles linebackers.

On Saturday, Madcap Moss will be one of the wrestlers in the mix for WWE’s Royal Rumble event, one of the sports entertainment company’s premier events. The next day, the Eagles will host the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.

“If I were to go back to 2012 and ask what kind of career either of them were building, everyone in that locker room would say Nick would obviously be a coach one day and Mike would be a coach. I would have answered, “WWE one day,” said former Gophers teammate Brock Vereen. “It’s interesting that they both ended up exactly where they were supposed to go.”


Nick Laris (LB) of Minnesota (56) celebrated after a big stoppage near the end of the second quarter during the National Funding Holiday Bowl game between the Golden Gophers of Minnesota and the Cougars of Washington. rice field.
Minnesota linebacker Nick Laris #56 celebrated after making a big stop near the end of the second quarter during the National Funding Holiday Bowl game between Minnesota’s Golden Gophers and Washington State’s Cougars. rice field.
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Mike Laris was a fan of both sports, so he took his professional wrestling surname from former Vikings receiver Randy Moss.

“We have a lot of kids who are into football,” said Madcap Moss. “But we were also known as wrestling-obsessed guys. And we loved it. There’s a video of us doing things we shouldn’t have done as kids. In bed.” It wasn’t the safest thing to do a wrestling match or do a move normally on Nick, he was smaller.”

The brothers didn’t just show their love for wrestling by watching Monday night shows or pay-per-view events. They used shoeboxes to make ramps and rings and named this promotion “Wrestling Guys”. They wrote the storyline, controlled the action, and in many ways set the tone for the future profession.


Minnesota linebacker Mike Lallis, 26, is shown in an NCAA college football game against Western Michigan.
Minnesota linebacker Mike Lallis, 26, is shown in an NCAA college football game against Western Michigan.
APs

They did it again in college, but this time they ditched the figures and wore tights. Madcap Moss was the bad guy.

Mike had tryouts with the Dolphins before moving to WWE’s farm system in 2014. He told his brother that the new gig was fun, difficult, challenging and non-stop action. But Nick was always getting his head around the playbook and had his eye on the movie. He may have had dreams of becoming the next Goldberg or The Rock, but his future was a soccer coach.

He spent one season as a college ball coach before being hired by his hometown Vikings. He was immediately hired by the Eagles in his 2021 season, making him the youngest position coach in the NFL.

“Nick will one day be a defensive coordinator,” said Vereen, now a TV College football analyst. “He knows football very well. He may have been a defensive coordinator at a college before he graduated.”


Nick Laris gestures during a preseason NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Philadelphia on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021.
Eagles linebacker coach Nick Laris points the way during a preseason NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
APs

Nick has something to offer.

Take, for example, September 2021, when Moss was scheduled to make a surprise return to WWE’s “Smackdown” at a show in Philadelphia. Moss was dressed in all black to hide his identity because he pretended to be a cameraman and helped his sidekick Happy Corbin sneak attack Kevin Owens.

“I walked right past Nick with my hoodie over my head and my hat and he didn’t see me there,” Moss said with a laugh. “He may be smart when it comes to football, but I think Happy Corbin and I outsmarted him in that situation.”

Super Bowl winners, World Series champions, and great teams of all kinds are often awarded WWE Championship belts for their achievements. Moss, who has shed allegiance behind his brother and the Eagles, wants to be the wrestler who will bring the belt to Philadelphia.

“I hope I get the chance to do that,” Moss said. “I definitely dreamed of being in the stadium for the Super Bowl and probably found a way to sneak onto the field after the game to celebrate. it won’t.”

The Eagles don’t mind the scenario where the big brother is watching while Nick Laris walks off the football field as the winner once again.

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