Pat Sajak could have a new career working for the WWE.
The “Wheel of Fortune” host, 76, shockingly wrestled with contestant Fred Jackson on Tuesday’s episode of the long-running game show.
During the wild moment, Sajak jokingly put Johnson, who is a pro wrestler and a drama teacher, in a chokehold and twisted his arm behind his back.
While the move shocked fans of the game show, Jackson defended Sajak’s actions and blasted trolls for hating on him.
“I loved that moment,” the player told TMZ on Friday. “That was one of the biggest highlights of the show.”
Jackson, who won the Hawaiian-themed episode, said that critics were too harsh on Sajak, who has hosted the show since 1981.
“To see the criticism [Sajak] gets online is a little unfair. I was the one who was put in the hold and I was perfectly ok with it. I loved it,” Johnson explained.
He then advised viewers to not get “anymore upset than I’m getting” over the incident.
“I was the one who was ‘affected’ in that kind of way,” he said.
Sajak held player Fred Johnson on Tuesday’s episode of “Wheel of Fortune.”Wheel Of Fortune“Everyone’s sense of humor is different, but to call it ‘cringe’ or call for his retirement, is taking it a little too seriously,” the teacher continued.
He also recalled the moment, saying it was “organic” and unplanned.
“I was so elated after my win and Pat just came up behind me out of nowhere and I was genuinely trying to counter him. But he had me so tight and so I wasn’t going anywhere,” he said.
And as it turns out, Sajak performed the wrestling move well.
“I’ve been in enough hammer locks in my wrestling career to know that it doesn’t really hurt necessarily, but he had me pretty tight,” Johnson said.
“To see the criticism [Sajak] gets online is a little unfair. I was the one who was put in the hold and I was perfectly ok with it. I loved it,” Johnson said.Wheel Of Fortune“Sajak is stronger than he looks,” he joked. “I think he has a bigger knack for pro wrestling than anyone gives him credit for.”
On Wednesday’s episode, Sajak was seen getting very irate when a contestant named Nicole spun the wheel too many times for his liking.
The Georgia native was trying to solve the phrase under the category “Same Name” and he scolded her to just “solve the darn puzzle.”
Georgia native Nicole had Sajak becoming annoyed with her after she spun the wheel too many times on Wednesday’s episode.Wheel Of Fortune/ABCWhile she guessed most of the letters and every vowel needed, Sajak seemingly urged her to say the answer in full rather than spin again.
The green letter board then read: “COCONUT & COU__ SYRUP” and after a couple of spins, Nicole answered the puzzle correctly.
“We appreciate that you pretended you didn’t know till the end. You increased the drama and that was great,” Sajak mocked, thinking that Nicole knew that he was just teasing her.
