Karl-Anthony Towns chokeslammed Dominik Mysterio through a table

The WWE and the University of Kentucky have become unlikely masterminds of collaboration. In recent years, the WWE unveiled a Kentucky-themed championship belt, one of which sat on a shelf in Mitch Barnhard’s office. More recently, Cat-hausen shirts were released, featuring the Wildcat mascot alongside the ever-mysterious Danhausen. On Saturday night, however, WWE launched their most ambitious collab yet: the in-ring debut of Karl-Anthony Towns in Madison Square Garden. Perhaps the most important aspect of a wrestler’s character is his entrance, and the WWE nailed KAT’s. Danhausen is one of the most enigmatic superstars in sports entertainment today, so teaming him up with Towns was genius. Danhausen came out with a gigantic shipping crate, err, I mean, cloning machine, and after some pyrotechnics, smoke, and a minor explosion, the front of the box fell down, revealing Karl-Anthony Towns wearing sunglasses in a cutoff Champs-Hausen t-shirt. It was very nice. Very evil. BY GAWD, IT’S KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS Most NBA players would have stopped here. Earlier in the night, Jalen Brunsen made an appearance on the show, receiving a custom-made WWE Knicks championship belt. Towns, however, kept the show going. After some more showmanship inside the ring alongside Minihausens, KAT and the group were confronted by wrestlers JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio. McDonanagh was the first to feel Kathausen’s wrath. He charged at Towns only to fall into the clasp of KAT’s gigantic right hand. A few moments to build up sense later, KAT executed an extremely vicious chokeslam onto the mat. Next up was Mysterio, but KAT had bigger plans for him. Once again, Kathausen hit him with his chokeslam finisher, but this time through a table. Somewhere, Ryan Lemmond is proud. Seriously, though. Usually when non-wrestlers (even if they are athletes) try to get into the ring, they look off. But Kathausen’s chokeslam execution was smoother than what you’d see from legit pros. Four years ago, when Towns was still a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, I wrote an article called The Surprising Heel Turn of Karl-Anthony Towns. At the time, he was trying to be a tough guy that didn’t seem to match his personality. After his wrestling debut as a freshly minted NBA Champion of his hometown, it is safe to say that Towns is now a forever babyface.