230: Tim Wiese, Germany, Panini UEFA Euro 2012 Official Sticker Album

Our new post sees Emlyn Shepherdson-Jones step off the hallowed turf and into the squared circle. There is a lot of commonality between the two and perhaps both worlds could learn more from each other. Perhaps the road to Wrestlemania 41 could see the WWE’s superstars complaining about fixture congestion or VAR intervening to sort out some steel chair skulduggery. The introduction of the aforementioned folding furniture could add even more to those “scenes no one (literally everyone) wants to see” on the football pitch. Today’s subject might have some pointers. Over to Emlyn.

Professional Football and Professional Wrestling have crossed over more often than one might expect. In 1998, the World Wrestling Federation held a live event in London known as Capital Carnage. Keen to generate some buzz around the event, the PR machine decided to try and attract some of those 'soccer' fans to watch some grappling. Which glamorous player would they go for from the available London clubs? Maybe Arsenal's Dennis Bergkamp, or Gianluca Vialli from Chelsea? Perhaps the suave and aromatic David Ginola from Tottenham Hotspur? At a stretch, maybe one of West Ham United's young English stars?

Er, not quite. Instead, they opted for the recently retired Vinnie Jones, most recently seen at Queen’s Park Rangers, who granted had recently gained a wider audience for his role in Lock Stock, but probably didn't drag many football fans to watch him kick the Big Boss Man in the knob. His in ring speech promising to “kick these Americans out of our country” doesn't really come across fantastically in 2024 either.

Vinnie Jones wasn't alone in taking to the squared circle, with a number of other players becoming involved over the years. Wayne Rooney slapped British star Wade Barrett across the chops in 2015. In 2007, then Chelsea boss José Mourinho popped up on WWE Raw to be confronted by Shane McMahon and then loudly booed by the whole building. Stuart Tomlinson, Burton Albion goalkeeper, decided that being called fat by opposition fans was no fun and moved to the WWE to become a wrestler known as Hugo Knox before being released after two years and becoming a fat goalkeeper again. Grant Holt took to football retirement by joining local Norwich federation WAW and going undefeated in his three bouts. And most recently Billy Sharp, who recreated Mick Foley's 'Mr Socko' move as a celebration, and was going to be the sticker to frame this article until I realised I could write an article about a Sheffield United player called Sharp(e) and fill it full of Sean Bean references.

Tim Wiese, the man depicted in the above sticker, was another who decided to swap the small shorts for even smaller pants and get in the ring. A towering goalkeeper, he played for a number of sides in the German leagues, first making an impact with Fortuna Köln before moving to Kaiserslautern, being well regarded and breaking into the German under-21 setup. Moving to Werder Bremen in 2005, an unfortunate start saw him twice injure his knee, however, he then became a regular, and in 2008 won the first of what would be six caps for the German senior team. The emergence of Manuel Neuer restricted his opportunities for the national team, and he moved on to Hoffenheim in 2012 for two seasons before retiring, with his contract being terminated by mutual agreement with the club. This was reportedly due to the fact he had taken up bodybuilding and lost a great deal of his mobility. However, in September 2014 it proved beneficial in him obtaining a developmental contract with the WWE, eventually having a match in a live event in Munich in 2016, though he has subsequently left the business.

Wiese's story is a fine example of the crossover between the two sports, however, the true story of this article revolves around Roberto Rojas, a Chilean goalkeeper who delved into the playbook of professional wrestling in a devious attempt to have a qualifying match abandoned. After spending eleven years playing for two clubs in his hometown of Santiago, Rojas played for São Paulo of Brazil from 1987, and was the incumbent goalkeeper for the Chilean national side as they attempted to qualify for the 1990 World Cup. Some controversy had occurred in his earlier career, including a fake passport that allowed him to play in the under-20 South American Championship as a 21 year old, and a 1984 steroid test that saw him miss the Olympic Games. Ahead of their crucial 1989 World Cup qualifying game with Brazil, the side knew that a loss or draw would result in their elimination. With the match approaching the closing stages and Chile 1-0 down, things looked bleak. However, crowd trouble saw a firework thrown onto the pitch, and Rojas tumbled to the floor and was carried from the field bleeding from his head. Chile's players left the field due to the poor crowd control and there were rumours the match would be awarded to Chile as a result.

However, in the aftermath of the incident, still photographs showed that the firework launched from the crowd had in fact landed several feet away from Rojas. It transpired that he had taken guidance from the likes of Ric Flair in professional wrestling, and taped a razor blade into his glove before inflicting the wound to himself in an attempt to save the Chilean qualification attempt. Unfortunately for Rojas, FIFA took a dim view of the blading escapades and the game was awarded 2-0 to Brazil. Chile therefore did not qualify for the 1990 World Cup, were banned from the 1994 iteration, and Rojas was banned for life alongside coach Orlando Aravena and team doctor Daniel Rodriguez. He successfully appealed to have the ban overturned, but not until 2001, with the then 43-year old Rojas long out of the game.

I'm sure there will be further crossovers between the worlds of football and wrestling, and some of the reactions to tackles have long resembled the more acrobatic nature of the latter. I can well imagine Cristiano Ronaldo playing a sulking heel in a tag team with perennial bastard Sergio Ramos. Maybe at WWF Capital Carnage 2028.