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We have seen a lot of times throughout the history of WWE that players from other sports joined this discipline. Although some of them retired pretty quickly, others had a really long and notable career. Tim Wiese is another representative from football, who has gone the same path. In this article, we will talk about him.
On September 2, 2008, It was terrible in Munich. And it's not the weather conditions, but the mood of 69,000 spectators at the Allianz Arena - this Tuesday the most recognizable German goalkeeper, the man-charisma Oliver Kahn, said goodbye to football.
In the final game of the brutal goalkeeper's bright career, the two main teams in his life - Bayern Munich and the German national team - met on the pitch of the Munich Stadium. Kahn played 75 minutes for the club and left the field to a standing ovation. On this day, the focus was on him and only him.
Few people on this sad and solemn evening attached importance to the fact that at half-time in the goal of the national team stood Tim Wiese. Wiese conceded a goal from Miroslav Klose, but he was still happy because a few years ago he thought he had lost hope of getting into the main team.
The 2005/06 season was the worst in Wiese's career, although it was supposed to be a turning point. In the summer of 2005, the powerful goalkeeper moved from Kaiserslautern to Werder Bremen, where he was supposed to be the first number, but knee ligament damage knocked him out of action until the winter.
However, Wiese proved to himself, fans, and coaches that he is doubly strong - not only physically, but also mentally. The goalkeeper did not lose heart but continued to do his job and for patience and work deserved not only a call-up to the German national team but also a big trophy.
Wiese was never a figure who was popular in Germany. Due to Germany’s historical links with Scandinavia, he also gained popularity in this region. Scandinavian fans love him due to his eccentric personality. And it has not changed when he moved to WWE. Fans are actively watching him and remembering his career.
At the same time, Norway was particularly popular regarding Tim Wiese. At some time news circulated about Wiese’s heritage, connecting him with the Norwegian origins and such thing was enough for Norwegians to pay their attention to the former footballer. The popularity of Wiese very quickly moved to the country’s gambling industry which has some strict regulations but develops rapidly. They started featuring the WWE disciple in their competitions, with Wiese a central figure for betting options. According to Norsk Casino Online, one of the most popular sources for Norwegian casinos, noted that in fact, every second online casino accepted bets for the WWE.
In May 2009, Werder Bremen could have taken the trophy fatter, but lost in the UEFA Cup final to Shakhtar. However, Wiese can still consider that year the best in his career, because 2009 was also a springboard for the World Cup for him - in South Africa Wiese was a second choice after Neuer. However, in Africa, the goalkeeper never played - in the match for third place Joachim Low released veteran Butt because Wiese was injured.
Around the same time, Wiese received an offer from Real Madrid itself. But the goalkeeper refused this offer.
Wiese has never been thin, but even for him, 135 kilograms is a lot. At the time of his move from Werder Bremen to Hoffenheim, he weighed about fifty kilograms less and visually seemed half as much as he is now. But now there is double power in his muscles.
The goalkeeper hid his desire to enter the ring for a long time. In June 2014, all the famous social networks flew around a photo in which Wiese flaunts in front of the mirror. Germany was shocked and lost guesses.
Everything turned out to be much more complicated: Wiese decided to become a wrestler and even received an offer from the largest organization in the industry of this type of martial arts - WWE.
Events developed rapidly: already in November 2016, Wiese took part in the show during the WWE tour in Germany. Wiese went up to the ropes, took off his stylish leather jacket with a fur lining, and stepped into the ring. While he just played muscles in front of the audience, although the indirect participation in the fight took: distracted the attention of two enemy fighters and knocked out the opponents.
For WWE, Wiese is a real godsend. Famous in the sports world, a man with a suitable physique and charismatic appearance. However, at first, the ex-footballer had problems with the nickname. Yes, Wiese is known all over the world, but in competitions under the auspices of WWE athletes need to have a stage name.
And at the beginning of November 2016, the long-awaited moment happened: in the city where the international football career of Wiese began, the ex-goalkeeper opened a wrestling page. This time it wasn't the Allianz Arena but the Olympiahalle, but there was a significant difference - if in 2008 the audience gathered to say goodbye to Kahn, now they welcomed the Machine.
Former team-mates also came to see former Werder Bremen and Germany players Per Mertesacker and Torsten Frings. All of them saw the triumph of Wiese: in the team fight, the former footballer laid on the shoulder blades of Bo Dallas, broke his leg, and threw up his hands - there was the first victory in a new role for himself!
"At first I didn't think about it seriously," Wiese admits. "But it went fast, and I liked the transformation of my body. Now I participate in WWE - consider, in the football Champions League. During my playing career, the fans of enemy clubs hated me, so I will remain a bad guy in the ring. I'm going to destroy all my rivals and stay invincible!"
What about football? Is Tim going to give up a once-favorite thing? To questions about the past life Wiese answers reluctantly, but his intonation is clear that that love, too, has not yet dried up.
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