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“It’s Nice to Have a Friend,” sang Taylor Swift on her Lover album, and the sentiment seems to apply to friends of significant others as well! Travis Kelce’s friend Baron Corbin, a WWE wrestler who once played football for the Indianapolis Colts, gave a big stamp of approval to his buddy’s pop star girlfriend. Despite the 39-year-old Corbin’s departure from the NFL, where he played under his real name Thomas Pestock, he and Kelce, 34, have remained friends.
Corbin said he did not expect to meet Swift when he attended a Chiefs game around Christmas time, but that she greeted him warmly. “The moment she meets you, she gives you a hug,” he told Us Weekly in an interview at the WWE Summerslam press event. Corbin’s brother, former University of Missouri football player Danny Pestock, was the one who initially alerted Corbin to Swift’s arrival at the game.
Kelce is clearly aware of how much the “Taylor Swift effect” has boosted his fame, but Corbin had been conscious of not hassling Kelce about meeting Swift. “He’s just a friend so you don’t think, ‘Hey, is Taylor going to be there?’ You don’t want to ask or anything like that.” But Corbin told Us that he was a little starstruck when the “Cruel Summer” singer entered the room.
“[She’s] obviously one of the biggest stars on the planet and when you meet her, you’re like, ‘Oh she’s so nice, so down to earth.’ If you lived under a rock and had no idea who Taylor Swift was you would just think she’s an awesome person.” If Corbin had any concerns that Swift’s presence would change the dynamic among his friends, they were quickly alleviated by the realization that Swift “can hang with the boys” and is “just there to have a good time and drink.”
The wrestler left football for the world of wrestling in 2012. He is married to Rochelle Roman, and the couple resides in Tampa, Florida. He is an Indianapolis native, which is why his love of the Chiefs runs so deep. Time will tell if Swift or Corbin will be in attendance at Kelce’s first game of the football season this fall.
