Wrestlers With an Affinity for Association Football
At first sight, American wrestlers don’t come off as people checking out the sports news for soccer updates or keeping an eye on Vwin football odds day after day. This especially considering the purely American nature of professional wrestling – soccer is not the biggest sport on this side of the pond, after all. You might be surprised, though, that there are big names in the WWE with an affinity for association football (soccer) who do not shy away from expressing their interest in the most followed sport in the world.
There are, of course, wrestlers that you expect to be soccer fans. Sheamus, for example, is from Dublin, Ireland – the only thing surprising about his passion for soccer is that he doesn’t root for Shamrock Rovers but for the English team Liverpool FC. Drew McIntyre, in turn, is proud of his Scottish heritage, rooting for Celtic FC.
Triple H loves West Ham United
But how about Triple H never missing a West Ham United game? The veteran bodybuilder turned professional wrestler was born and raised in New Hampshire, and played basketball and baseball in high school, like the majority of his classmates. But, even though he admitted that he doesn’t know a great deal about association football, he doesn’t shy away from expressing his support for the team. And it is, apparently, reciprocated as well.
John Cena loves Tottenham Hotspur
John Cena is famous for many things, including his weak spot for American football – he played as a center at Springfield College where he made NCAA Division III All-American. What many people don’t know about him, in turn, is that he also likes anime, real-time strategy games, muscle cars, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking to BBC in 2017, Cena revealed that he had a chance to walk on the pitch of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, meet the coach, and absorb their passion for the sport, even though he has never been to a Premier League game.
Rey Mysterio loves Real Madrid
Rey Mysterio, perhaps the best-known luchador in the WWE, has a weak spot for association football. He is a supporter of the Mexican team C.D. Guadalajara – the Chivas – but he is also a big fan of Spain’s most successful football team, Real Madrid.
Back in 2009, when WWE performed in Madrid, Rey Mysterio visited the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in person, met – and took pictures with – some of the biggest names at the club, including football star and social media sensation Cristiano Ronaldo, and invited them all to the performance. There is no word on how many of the players actually came, though.
