Ryan Seacrest has met his match.
The TV host, 50, got pulled into a headlock by a former wrestler on Monday’s episode of “Wheel of Fortune.”
50-year-old contestant “Big Bill” Page from Wilmington, Delaware kicked the episode off by suddenly wrapping both his hands around Seacrest’s neck.
The “American Idol” host tried to stay calm before he “tapped out” by slapping his hand against the table as Page pulled him to the ground.
After the impromptu headlock, Page competed in the game and ultimately won $24,600 cash and a trip to St. Martin.
Page, who wore a colorful Hawaiin shirt with photos of his six grandkids on it, made it to the Bonus Round, where he failed to solve the word puzzle “PAIR OF WHITE GLOVES.”
Seacrest opened the prize envelope to reveal that Page would’ve won a brand new Ford Bronco.
But Page was still in good spirits about the game as he shook hands with Seacrest and celebrated his winnings.
Afterwards, Page did an interview with Maggie Sajak, the show’s social media correspondent and daughter of former host Pat Sajak, about the headlock and his past as a wrestler.
“Well Bill, your game started with putting Ryan in a headlock, and I thought that would be the peak, but it was only uphill from there,” Sajak, 30, told Page.
“Yes, it was a fantastic night.I really enjoyed it,” he replied.
Sajak asked Page, “Did you expect to show off some of your wrestling moves while you were here today?”
“Oh, I wasn’t sure,” he said. “I told them I did pro wrestling. They said, ‘What kind of moves can you put on Ryan?’ I said, ‘Well, I guess the easiest one would be headlock.’”
Sajak joked that Seacrest “tapped out pretty quickly” in the moment. She also asked Page about his wrestling background.
“I did scholastic wrestling when I was in high school,” Page explained. “Back in the day we would watch the professional wrestling, so we started an organization on the East Coast. The East Coast Wrestling Association.”
“I did all that, off the top rope, getting slammed, kicked in the head, everything,” he recalled. “It was fun and they put me in the hall of the fame of it too.”
Sajak complimented Page for being “an incredible puzzle solver today,” and Page said that his body feels like it’s “floating on air” after his big win.
Page also looked at the camera and shared a message to his grandkids: “Love you guys. I love every one of you.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
