In case you have been under a rock, or haven’t pulled your head out of the sand in the last week, there was a bit of a “dust up” on Wheel of Fortune recently. A contestant named Fred that was also an amateur wrestler ran the table and won every board, amassing over $70 thousand in prizes and cash.
After winning the final puzzle, in a move that Ric Flair would sign off on, Pat Sajak rushed the contestant and put him in a “chicken wing” hold. The audience was stunned, and there (of course) has been outrage online, some even calling for Sajak to be removed.
Now, ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fred is speaking out, and giving his seal of approval, disappointing the cancel culture in the process. Check this out.
‘Wheel of Fortune’ Fred, who was thrown into a vicious chicken wing wrestling move, is speaking out about the Pat Sajak moment that has ROCKED the Internet, and my inbox where people are FURIOUS.
Fred Jackson, who is a drama teacher and pro wrestler, came to Sajak’s defense during an exclusive interview with TMZ where the ‘Wheel’ winner — he solved every puzzle and took home a stout $75,800 in winnings — praised Sajak’s wrestling prowess.
If you haven’t seen the clip, it is an insane watch. Not only does Fred run the table, the two poor ladies he was playing against looked dumbfounded. Fred seems like an affable fella, but whether Sajak was playing along (he was), furious about Fred winning the entire show, or just having a senior moment, it was insane.
So, how did Fred feel about the impromptu throw down?
"*" indicates required fields
🚨 PERFECT GAME ALERT 🚨
You can throw away your broom, Fred already swept everything up pic.twitter.com/XxStqdwMjz
— Wheel of Fortune (@WheelofFortune) March 21, 2023
“As the guy he was putting in that hold, I loved that moment. L-O-V-E in capital letters,” Jackson told TMZ. “That was one of the biggest highlights of the show. From my perspective to see the criticism he’s getting online is a little unfair. I was the one who was put in the hold and I was perfectly OK with it and I loved it.”
“To call it cringe and call for his retirement, that’s taking it a little too seriously, I think,” Fred added.
Fred says that the magical moment everyone’s talking about was “completely organic” and exactly as you saw it on the show. The guy who’s trained in amateur wrestling says he tried to counter Sajak’s chicken wing move, but the crafty veteran had it locked in so tight that Fred was left hopeless.
Pat looked spry and athletic, and he locked Fred down like he was hoping for a submission. If the US Champion belt had been on the line, maybe Fred could have reversed the move, however it’s Pat Sajak’s show, so Fred didn’t attempt a suplex. He simply laughed and played along.
“I wasn’t going anywhere. He’s way stronger than he looks,” Fred said of the legendary show host. “I tried to fight out, but he had me so tight that I wasn’t going anywhere.
“That doesn’t mean it hurt necessarily, it just means that he has a much bigger knack for pro wrestling than I think anyone would give him credit for.”
Anyone watching knew it was good spirited fun. People need to calm the hell down, and let Pat have his senior bad-ass moment, and Fred have his time in the spotlight. There are bigger issues to tackle right now than a Wheel of Fortune throw down.