Kit Wilson Makes Major Claim About His Upcoming Bout With Jelly Roll on WWE SmackDown (Exclusive)

Kit Wilson finds himself in a very unique position Friday night when WWE SmackDown takes over the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Not only is he wrestling a man with just one career match under his belt, but that man is none other than three-time Grammy Award winning artist Jelly Roll.

The crossover superstar is stepping back into the ring for the first time since his tag team match with Randy Orton at SummerSlam last year, and Wilson is fully aware that he has been presented with a very big opportunity.

“This is the biggest match of my career, and that's not a knock on any professional wrestler, but that is just to highlight how big of a superstar Jelly Roll is in his own right,” Wilson told The Takedown on SI. “He loves this business and he wants to be a part of this business. So this is big for him, 'cause I'm giving him this time, but this is big for me as well. I won't deny that.”

Wilson spoke to The Takedown on SI while in between workout sessions. He apologized for not sporting his usual pristine look during our conversation, but he's been in non-stop preparation mode ever since SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis made this match with Jelly Roll official last Friday night.

“I don't take this lightly. This is a big deal. I'm gonna make the most of it in every single category. In the ring, I'm gonna show my dominance. On the way to the ring, I'm gonna show how good I look. Afterwards, I'm gonna continue to run my mouth like I did before. And I'll do it the same the week after, and after, and after. This is just a launching pad to bigger and better things.”

After spending the better part of the past decade as a tag team performer, Wilson has had to find his comfort zone as a singles act after his Pretty Deadly cohort Elton Prince underwent neck fusion surgery earlier this year.

Wilson has openly admitted that those first few weeks on his own were nerve-wracking, but with each passing week, his confidence continues to grow. And he's now being tasked with his biggest challenge to date on Friday night, when he'll be asked to lead an opponent through his first singles match ever on national television.

“The last time I probably faced someone with that experience level was when I was at that experience level, when I was in a small training school in Kent, England,” Wilson said.

Lack of in-ring reps aside, Wilson pointed out that this isn't going to be some kind of boxing match or MMA fight in Pittsburgh. You don't always need to be the most skilled competitor in a wrestling ring to put on a show for the audience.

Kit Wilson acknowledges Jelly Roll's passion and love of professional wrestling

“A lot of the time in wrestling it’s who has the biggest heart, who has the [most] passion. And… that is one thing Jelly has in spades. This is a man who cares. This is a man who has heart and who has passion. That's what's gotten him to be as successful as he is right now in the entertainment industry.”

No one should be anticipating Wilson and Jelly Roll to go out and produce a five-star, technical masterpiece. Those would be lofty and unfair expectations, but WWE management is showing tremendous trust that Kit will be able to lead his inexperienced opponent across the finish line and do what he does best on a weekly basis — entertain the masses.

“No matter how good it goes, no matter how crazy it gets, it's always gonna be entertaining. I can promise you that the match [Friday] is gonna be one of the most entertaining things on the show, as last week's slam poetry was.”

Wilson claims his ability to versify has earned him a new nickname, the "Poet of Thuganomics", but he's open to workshopping that unofficial title.

Regardless, it sounds likely that many more superstars on the SmackDown roster will soon find themselves on the wrong end of Wilson's poetry slams.

“I'm in touch with my masculine side, and my feminine side. I do a lot of self-reflection. I do a lot of journaling. I need to get my thoughts out. They're going into the poetry book. And you best believe, look at the roster. You can't name one person that I don't have poetry slams on. I'm ready.”

If you're not a fan of mixing poetry with professional wrestling, you might just be toxic. It may be time for a good, hard look in the mirror. Just make sure to leave time to watch Wilson take down the allegedly "fatphobic" Jelly Roll Friday night on SmackDown.