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December 4, 2019

Kyle Busch reflects on brief WWE reign to kick off Champion’s Week


NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The firesuit Kyle Busch donned once again Wednesday hadn’t yet been updated to reflect he was a NASCAR Cup Series champion “2X.” That will come in time, but at least he’ll hold this title for longer than an hour or so.

On the eve of Thursday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Awards (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN/NBC Sports App), Busch reflected on his brief Monday reign as a WWE champion holding the 24/7 belt. That unusual chain of events — winning then quickly vacating the title — kicked off what has been a week of celebration and touring the Music City.

RELATED: Champion’s Week schedule

“We were just going there for the show, just to watch,” Busch said about his appearance alongside Michael Waltrip at the taping of WWE Monday Night Raw. “They heard we were coming and then set us up and said, ‘Hey, you want to be a part of the show?’ And I was like, ‘Well, all right, sure. What’ve you got in mind?’ Then they brought this up and I’m like, ‘Oh hell. This is going to be fun.’ “

Busch said it wasn’t his first appearance on a professional wrestling show, recalling a cameo with then-teammate Joey Logano several years ago. Busch said he’d fumbled through the many lines of script writers had given him. This year’s performance required no such verbal interaction.

“This time, they were like, ‘don’t talk, just do,'” Busch said. “So it worked out.”

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