WWE and Gladiators The worlds of Gladiators and WWE have come together in a significant way
On a star-studded Friday night at The O2 arena in London, with the likes of Anthony Joshua, Wayne and Coleen Rooney and rapper ArrDee in attendance, one of the hit BBC revival’s new stars Apollo made his presence felt.
The new Gladiator Apollo interrupted a match between high flying superstar Ricochet and Judgment Day’s JD McDonaugh, confronting the latter during the bout. Apollo came to the ring during Ricochet's match and confronted JD McDonaugh
The two faced off on the entrance ramp, and Ricochet was able to defeat his opponent to the delight of the audience.
He celebrated his victory at The O2 – the site of last year’s record breaking Money In The Bank premium live event – with Apollo by his side, continuing the rich crossover history between wrestling and Gladiators.
Current SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis is a former Gladiator, having appeared as Oblivion on Sky1’s reboot in 2008 and 2009, while recent contender Wesley is a professional wrestler on the UK independent scene. Gladiators and WWE are closer than you’d think (Picture: WWE)
Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Wayne Rooney was also in attendance, catching the eye of Drew McIntyre as he sat in the front row with wife Coleen and their sons.The retired Manchester United legend took the banter in stride after being called out by McIntyre, who praised Rooney's football career before taking a lighthearted jab.
Anthony Joshua met with WWE Champion Cody Rhodes backstage (Picture: WWE)
The boxer posed for a photo with wrestler Natalya (Picture: WWE)
laid out Preston-born wrestler Wade Barrett
at a WWE event in Manchester when their social media row over the recent FA Cup final bubbled over. The current SmackDown commentator admitted he actually loved getting to work with the footballer at the time, and it’s a moment in his WWE career
that he’ll never forget. It’s such a silly little thing, you don’t go into a career to do things like that. That’s never the aim when you become a wrestler with WWE,’ he exclusively told Metro.co.uk
The Manchester United legend was joined by wife Coleen and their sons (Picture: WWE) Nine years ago, he got physical with WWE star Wade Barrett (Picture: WWE) last year.
It was a good night for champions too, with World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest, Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes all successfully defending the gold.
WWE is coming back to the UK on June 15 for Clash At The Castle in Glasgow. Combined tickets, which also include SmackDown the night before, will be available for purchase at 10am on April 24.
All the celebrities were present at The O2.
WWE returns to the UK on June 15 for Clash At The Castle in Glasgow. Combo tickets including SmackDown the previous night go on sale at 10am on April 24.
