As WWE has repeatedly told fans; “Don’t try this at home.” While not explicitly stated, this also includes the football pitch.
On Sunday, December 17th, the Premier League hosted the latest weekend of fixtures, which included West Ham United take on Wolverhampton Wanderers. During the match, West Ham’s Vladimír Coufal tackled Wolves player Jeanricner Bellegarde in a spot that wouldn’t look out of place inside the squared circle.
As seen in the video, Coufal sprints at Bellegarde full force and strikes him in the jaw with the elbow. Despite the physical challenge, Coufal did not receive any punishment for the challenge just before halftime. In the studio during the break, pundit and former player Daniel Sturridge questioned if this kind of behaviour is acceptable on the football pitch:
🎙️ "This is WWE stuff"
Roy Keane and Daniel Sturridge react to Coufal's challenge on Bellegarde 💭 pic.twitter.com/eTt6JrD8nT
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 17, 2023
While fans and pundits were disgusted with the behaviour seen on the pitch, one man who saw the funny side of the encounter was Will Ospreay, who believes that the West Ham star used his own signature move in the match:
Football players stealing the hidden blade 😂
This isn’t the first time that football and WWE have seen a crossover. Back in 2015 at a Raw taping in Manchester, Wade Barrett was on the receiving end of a strike from former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.
WWE Seemingly Set To Debut New Show
Wrestling fans got great value for money during a recent SmackDown taping. With the company giving all talent and staff an extended break over the holiday period, December 15th saw a double taping of the blue brand take place, meaning that the December 22nd SmackDown will be pre-taped. Also, prior to the taping, fans also got to see a brand new WWE show being taped, which included a unique stipulation.