Well, it is that time of the year again. April is here, and that means everyone is out there to have a fun day and fool others. But as it happens, it is not just us common folk who seem to enjoy April Fool’s. It seems even wrestling icons are out there. While many icons took this time to have fun with their funs, one Olympian did too perfect of a job. And guess what, nearly everyone fell for his trick. But just when the news was spreading like wildfire, it was discovered it was just a hoax. Quite funny, but who is this jokester and how did he pull it?

Well, the prankster in today’s story is none other than the US wrestling legend, Jordan Burroughs. Having accomplished some incredible accolades, Burroughs suddenly seemed to have a change in decision. Or so it seemed. Speaking about switching sides from the US to Jamaica, Burroughs wrote, “After thoughtful consideration, and watching everyone else do it…l’ve decided to also enter the transfer portal. I want to thank Team USA for taking a chance on a young kid like me years ago.“

He further added, “I’ll be taking my talents to the beautiful island of Jamaica. Time to trade in the Red, White and Blue for some Black and Green. Big emphasis on GREEN. IYKYK. Some people say you know them can’t believe, Jamaica we have a wrestling team!” Surely, one look at the post and people went berserk. After all, it was posted from the official account of Burroughs. So there was not a hint of doubt that this was authentic news. 

However, the truth was quite far from reality. After the post went viral, eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted the witty world play. Burroughs was actually not going anywhere. He was talking about entering the transfer portal! Now, this was an impossible prospect as Burroughs had long passed out of college. Spotting the prank, several stalwarts of the community could not help but express their state of mind. Former UFC champion, Kamaru Usman commented, “😂😂” 

Next up, it was AJ Ferrari who played along with Burroughs. Ferrari even expressed fake concern for Burroughs, saying, “Please don’t transfer to Iran.” Lastly, it was Amit Elor who came up with the idea of reminding Jordan Burroughs that April was still some time away. Elor wrote, “It’s not April 1st yet.” Well, this was quite a surprising turn of events from the wrestling icon. Surely, considering his accolades, a sudden change in country did seem to hit the fans like a bolt out of the blue. 

However, there can be justifications made in favor of the ones who fell for the prank. Trying to win yet another World Championship gold, Jordan Burroughs had a tough time last year. Thus, many believed that his decision might be legit.

Did Jordan Burroughs’ loss from last year fuel the hilarious prank?

Jordan Burroughs’ has tasted victory several times. However, his quarter-final loss at the 2024 World Wrestling Championships was a rare stumble in an otherwise storied career. But it also made his recent tongue-in-cheek announcement all the more believable. The six-time world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist saw his hopes for another global medal slip away last year in October in Tirana, Albania.

After falling to Mohammad Ashghar Nokhodilarimi of Iran, 6-4, Burroughs ended his quest for the last World Wrestling Championships in the quarters. Jordan had battled through the early rounds with determination, securing a 4-0 win over France’s Zelimkhan Khadjiev and a 4-2 victory over Albania’s Magomet Evloev.

But the quarter-final matchup proved to be a step too far, leaving the American star without a podium finish. Such a setback marked a difficult chapter for Burroughs, who had already missed out on Olympic appearances in Tokyo and Paris. “This has been a hard six months for me,” Burroughs admitted in August. He also added, “I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue to wrestle.”

His difficult stretch of competitive participation in the last few months added weight to Burroughs’ playful social media post, where he joked about “transferring” from Team USA to Jamaica. While clearly in jest, the humor reflected the growing uncertainty surrounding his future in the sport. Jordan has long been the face of American wrestling, but his recent struggles have raised questions about what comes next for the 36-year-old champion. However, for now, his future on the mat still leaves fans without answers.