Every year I like to go to Riot Fest in Chicago, a three-day event with a mixture of performers in the world alternative, metal, punk, pop-punk, and hip hop, and more.
I’ve seen bands ranging from Misfits,  Run the Jewels, Blink-182, Jerry Lee Lewis, to the Village People.

Because of the coronavirus, the 2021 lineup would be altered multiple times. While Nine Inch Nails was scheduled to play Sunday night they were replaced with Slipknot, playing adjacent to Machine Gun Kelly.

When that part of the lineup arrived the person I was with wanted to see Machine Gun Kelly, who I at the time thought was still a rapper and didn’t know about a conversion to a pop-punk style. We went there and MGK would have a couple catchy songs although I don’t find myself actively seeking his music or keeping up-to-date with any sort of celebrity news. “Bloody Valentine” is pretty solid.

So I witnessed the remarks toward Slipknot and their mask wearing ways. I would also witness the following days of Tik Toks, tweets, and statuses of Slipknot fans talking shit about the MTV Video Music Award winner and commentary of how the musician done goofed.

The backlash would include MGK getting heckled at the following music festivals including Louder Than Life in Louisville, KY.

When I look at the drama from the lens of a wrestling fan, it’s easy to see that MGK generators a lot of heel heat, which is why it brings me great amusement to say Machine Gun Kelly should enter the WWE Royal Rumble and be one of the 30 men competing for a spot at Wrestlemania.

Celebrities participating in the Royal Rumble is not uncommon, Drew Carey making a cameo in 2001 for example.  It is already confirmed that this year will feature Johnny Knoxville as he promotes the latest movie in the Jackass franchise, a movie that Machine Gun Kelly makes a cameo in.

MGK is a natural heel, or villain. He’s someone the crowd would turn on quickly, angry one of the wrestlers on the roster lost a spot because of this jabroni (pardon my language). The audience would clamor for one of the WWE superstars to knock his lights out.

It would not be the first time Machine Gun Kelly showed up in the WWE, as he has performed on Monday Night Raw, followed by being power bombed off the stage by Kevin Owens. Since Owen’s is likely to be in the Royal Rumble, that is a moment that could be revisited.

Sense Machine Gun Kelly has a problem apparently with people wearing masks, he could be confronted by a wrestler wearing one, maybe even a Big Red Machine who happens to be the mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.

The Royal Rumble taking place in St Louis provides a great opportunity for Midwestern Slipknot fans to show up to the wrestling pay-per-view (or premier live event or whatever they call them these days) to voice their displeasure, and root for the musician to earn some bumps and bruises.

Such events might even get Vince McMahon to say, “This is such good shit!”