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Former German footballer now working for WWE

Reporter: Mike Fox 丨 CCTV.com

11-08-2016 16:01 BJT

To the squared circle and the world of professional wrestling where a familiar face to German football fans made his debut in the ring for the WWE last week. Ex-goalkeeper Tim Wiese is now landing blows in sports entertainment's biggest business after trading a career between the sticks for the ropes. Mike Fox has more.

From renowned footballer to wrestler in just a few months. Tim Wiese was Germany's goalkeeper before he hung up his boots in September 2015. But there's no easy retirement for him. Since then he's piled on the muscle and is now working for WWE, America's largest wrestling organization.

Wise said, "It's unbelievable. In America, it was brutal. The instructors want to see if you can bite. And that's really my thing."

His football career wasn't a stroll in the park - in 2014, his club decided to pull him from the pitch. But whilst under contract, with nothing to do, he decided to change his diet and work out routine.

"The secrets are food -- and what you do when you are not training. No alcohol, plenty of water and lots of meat. You have to eat almost a kilo of meat per day."

Wrestling matches are choreographed in advance. Tim likes to play the bad guy, booed by the crowd - a role not entirely unfamiliar.

"When I played football, I was already the bad guy. They whistled at me in the stadium. But it doesn't bother me."

Known now simply as 'The Machine', Tim is finally realising his childhood dream, off the pitch and in the ring.

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