After Jelly Roll‘s 2025 in-ring WWE debut, fans knew very little about the road that led him there. But thanks to his episode of Unreal on WWE and Netflix, we’re now learning much more about the intense preparation behind the scenes.
Jelly Roll Got Two Houses in Orlando While Training for WWE
WWE’s main training facility is located in Orlando, Florida, and Jelly Roll was so committed to preparing for the match that he temporarily relocated there. He rented one house for himself and his family, along with a second nearby home for his crew, who typically travel with him on the road.
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The setup allowed Jelly Roll to train during the day and then spend his nights writing and recording music — balancing the demands of WWE training while continuing to build his music career.
Jelly Roll Never Gets Nervous Before He Performs on Stage
Jelly admitted in the episode that he doesn’t have nerves before he goes out and sings because he knows that all of the people there already love him and paid to see him play.
He did get scared before his WWE match because he was worried that fans wouldn’t appreciate him being there. He was wrong, they did.
Jelly Roll Wanted to Be a Loser in the WWE
Before Jelly’s match in 2025, he went to Triple H, WWE CCO, and asked him if he could go “heels up,” meaning, he wanted to be the one to lose the match.
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Jelly Roll Got Thrown Through 15 Tables to Practice
If you know anything about WWE and professional wrestling, you know that getting thrown through tables comes with the territory. To prepare for his big moment, Jelly Roll admitted he repeatedly took those hits — allowing wrestlers to throw him through 15 tables as part of his training.
The brutal practice helped him understand the physical demands of the ring and get comfortable with the impact before stepping in front of a live WWE audience.
Jelly Roll Was First Offered a WWE Match When He Weighed Nearly 500 Pounds
Jelly Roll admits that when he first approached WWE about wrestling, he was still at his heaviest weight. Looking back, he says he was embarrassed that he even brought it up at the time, acknowledging that a match at that weight likely would have looked awkward and unrealistic.
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Jelly Roll’s Nickname Was Almost “Jelly Doughnut”
Jelly Roll — born Jason DeFord — almost went by the nickname “Jelly Doughnut.” Growing up, he loved jelly doughnuts so much that his mom seriously considered calling him that before deciding on the shorter “Jelly Roll” instead.
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Ironically, he doesn’t even really like jelly rolls.
Read More: Jelly Roll Says Losing Weight Made Him a Better Dad to His Kids
WWE Was Always Jelly Roll’s Goal After Getting Famous
Jelly Roll says WWE had always been on his radar once his music career started taking off.
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“I watched all these celebrities getting these cool matches,” he said. “So when I started doing music and people started noticing me, it kind of became my North Star. I thought, ‘I wonder if I’ll get famous enough that I’ll actually get to be involved in one of these wrestling matches as a celebrity.’”
Jelly Roll Admitted He Would Die If He Didn’t Lose Weight
Jelly Roll points to one specific moment in 2024 at SummerSlam as a wake-up call. At the time, he was still at his heaviest, and when he entered the ring to do a Five Knuckle Shuffle, it took two wrestlers just to help him get back to his feet.
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“I was so big that it took two grown men to get me to stand up,” he said. “I knew if I didn’t do something, it was going to kill me.”
Wrestling in WWE Was the Most Grueling Thing He’s Ever Done
Jelly Roll admits that training to wrestle in WWE was the most grueling thing he has ever done — and something he couldn’t wait to do again the next day.
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He said his body was “mad” at him at first, but it slowly began to adjust as he trained harder and got closer to his wrestling goal weight of 300 pounds.
When Did Jelly Roll Make His WWE In-Ring Debut?
Jelly Roll made his in-ring debut at SummerSlam in 2025, appearing in a tag team match alongside Randy Orton against Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul.
The match took place on Night 1 of the event, held Saturday, August 2, 2025, at MetLife Stadium.
Check out Jelly Roll’s stunning weight-loss transformation in photos.
Jelly Roll’s Stunning Weight Loss Journey in 29 Pictures
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
Jelly Roll: 27 Stunning Facts About the ‘Save Me’ Singer
Jelly Roll is country music’s most fascinating character. His life has taken dozens of wild twists and turns, and he’s been honest about all of it. Here are 27 facts about the “Save Me” singer and his family.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
