Wayne Rooney to Adebayo Akinfenwa…Footballers who have crossed over into professional wrestling
- Lewis Oldham
- 16 October 2022
‘The Beast’ Adebayo Akinfenwa is the latest ex-footballer who will make an impact in the wrestling world. He follows Wayne Rooney, Grant Holt and more…
There is arguably no sport in the world that embraces the concept of a crossover more than professional wrestling.
Getting people in from different spheres is a surefire method to drive revenue and put more eyes on the events they are promoting.
Planet Sport have already given you a list of boxers who have crossed over into professional wrestling, with Tyson Fury and Muhammad Ali featuring there.
But now is the time for footballers, and we start with a so-called Beast who is an obvious fit for WWE and the wider wrestling realm…
Adebayo Akinfenwa
The 40-year-old retired early this year after spending six years at Wycombe Wanderers.
He spent most of his career in the Football League, but given his unique build, he is one of the most recognisable footballers of this era.
'Bayo' has had the reputation of being the strongest player on FIFA for many years and he was a nightmare for defenders to deal with.
Said unique build also makes him a natural in wrestling. He has only been retired a matter of months but his first wrestling appearance has already been confirmed.
He will appear at PROGRESS Wrestling's Chapter 145 event in Camden, London on October 23.
Akinfenwa will not be wrestling, but he will be in Anthony Ogogo's corner for the ex-Olympic boxer's 'Knock Out Match' against Malik.
This is likely only the start for Akinfenwa. Given that he has around 2.5m social media followers, a call from the WWE will inevitably come at some point.
Wayne Rooney
WWE is the biggest wrestling promotion in the world and they regularly tour the United Kingdom.
In 2015, an episode of Monday Night Raw was taped in the AO Arena in Manchester.
Naturally, then-Manchester United striker Rooney was drafted in for a surprise appearance.
The DC United manager was ringside when he was involved in an altercation with WWE superstar, and fellow Englishman, Wade Barrett.
Barrett, being the heel he is, approached Rooney before he poked the prolific striker.
Rooney loved a scrap during his playing career, so he unsurprisingly did not take too kindly to this disrespect.
The United legend floored Barrett with a slap to the face. A better hit than the one he landed on Phil Bardsley (if you know, you know).
Rooney has not appeared in WWE since, but given that he is now back in the states, he could be back there before long.
Grant Holt
From one ex-Premier League striker to another, here we have former Norwich City forward Holt.
The forward was linked with an England call-up back in 2012 but he did not earn a cap before he called time on his footballing career.
After retiring, Holt turned his attention to wrestling after being a fan of the sport throughout his life.
Unlike Akinfenwa and Rooney, Holt has actually stepped into the ring and wrestled himself.
The 41-year-old signed for the World Association of Wrestling (WAW). He made his debut for the Norwich-based promotion in a 40-man Royal Rumble.
Holt outlasted his opponents to win the rumble. In the WWE, doing this would see you headline WrestleMania, but in this humbler scene, he lifted the Crusher Mason Memorial Trophy.
The current West Ham scout went on to wrestle several more times for WAW, with his last outing coming in 2019.
He has shot his shot in the past to get the attention of WWE, but he has been ignored up to now.
Stuart Tomlinson
Holt did not make it to the big leagues in wrestling, but former Burton Albion and Port Vale goalkeeper Tomlinson went a long way.
His life as a footballer was cut short in July 2013 as a result of a serious knee injury.
A few months later, Tomlinson relocated to the United States as he signed a developmental deal with WWE.
He was part of their brand - NXT - as he looked to learn his craft.
He was even given a ring name, with him referred to as Hugo Knox. That sounds more menacing than Stuart Tomlinson, to be fair.
The 37-year-old has a distinct build compared to other goalkeepers. They are often quite slender, but he is burly and that likely caught the eye of WWE.
Tomlinson spent two years with the company before he was released towards the end of 2016. Just like in football, his number of appearances were limited and he stopped before reaching his peak.
Tim Wiese
Ex-Germany international Wiese is the footballer who has the most notable career in wrestling.
The goalkeeper spent the majority of his career playing for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga and he decided to retire in 2014.
Soon after, Wiese bulked up and legendary wrestler Triple H recruited him to train at WWE's Performance Center.
This came after Wiese made an appearance at a live event in Frankfurt as a special guest timekeeper.
After training up, he made his debut in the ring in November 2016 during one of WWE's non-televised live events in Munich.
Under the alias of 'The Machine', Wiese teamed with the Republic of Ireland's Sheamus and Switzerland's Cesaro in a six-man tag team match against The Shining Stars and Bo Dallas.
The debutant was victorious in his home town that night, but he decided against pursuing a long-term wrestling career.
Wiese left the company in 2017 and he has put his body-slamming days behind him.
