WHY FOOTBALL AND PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING CAN SOON CROSS OVER

TONY Khan (co-owner of English club Fulham FC) is causing shock waves in the world of professional wrestling where his company All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is proving to be serious competition for Vince Mcmahon’s WWE.

Since opening its doors in 2019, AEW has roped in household wrestling names such as CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan and Paul Wight (known in the WWE as Big Show).

Using his football network, Khan should consider asking some professional footballers to cross over to wrestling if he wants to grow his brand.

There are some professional footballers who may be up to the task. The following are some footballers that Khan should consider approaching.

Adama Traore

Former WWE star Scott Steiner used to be called “the genetic freak” due to his physique and the same nickname applies to Wolves and Spain footballer Traore. With his muscular physique, Traore stands out among his peers when he takes to the football field. Some will say that he is more suited to a career in rugby or combat sports than football.

Traore arguably looks more like John Cena than the average footballer and he could perhaps transition to wrestling with a year or two of training.

The most fascinating thing about Traore is that he does not even lift weights. His Hulk-like physique is entirely due to genetics.

In 2020, Spain football coach Luis Enrique confirmed that Traore does not lift weights.

“Adama is special. He doesn’t work weights, it’s true. Make no mistake, he not only has speed and an enviable physique. He is skilled and has power. He is very skilful, you will see that,” said Enrique.

Wayne Rooney

Rooney is actually one of the footballers that has appeared in professional wrestling. During a WWE tour to the UK in 2015, Rooney famously made a guest appearance and got involved in the action, slapping fellow Englishman Wade Barrett who was a bad guy on the WWE roster at the time.

Many were surprised that Rooney went into football management earlier this year when he was unveiled as Derby County boss. While Rooney was a star performer on the field, his discipline was often the subject of scrutiny due to on and off-field controversies throughout his career.

We all know that discipline is needed to be a successful manager. If Rooney does not succeed in management, a switch to wrestling should be on his mind.

Pepe

The former Real Madrid defender is known for being a player who never shied away from a fight on the field in his heyday. Pepe has a red-hot tempter and taking to professional wrestling could help him to channel his anger in a positive way.

During his heyday with Real Madrid, we also saw that he has the basic skills required for a career in combat sports.

Jose Mourinho

Professional wrestling does not only require in-ring talent. There are some like Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff who have become industry legends thanks to their microphone skills.

Like Rooney, Mourinho has also appeared in WWE and was seen in attendance at a WWE Raw Episode in 2007.

Mourinho does not care about impressing people and like Heyman, could make a good heel (bad guy) as a voice talent, representing and promoting the bad guys on the roster.