Former German international goalkeeper Tim Wiese is all beefed up now and set for a career in professional wrestling after making an appearance in the ring at a WWE event on Saturday in Frankfurt.
The six foot, three inch Wiese, who made the last of his six appearances for Germany in 2012, has completely transformed his body and now tips the scales at around 120 kilograms after taking up weightlifting.
The muscular former shot-stopper is considering a career in the noisy and showy world of wrestling having walked away from professional football in September following a lengthy dispute with former club Hoffenheim, Sport24 reported.
The 32-year-old was the star attraction on the WWE event's red carpet, fielding numerous questions and giving countless interviews before taking his place ringside for the bouts as honorary timekeeper.
He briefly climbed into the ring when provoked by wrestling duo 'Goldust' and 'Stardust', but only ended up posing, dancing and flexing his bulging tattooed biceps to the delight of the 10,000-strong crowd.
Wiese, who now lifts weights five times a week, said that it was nice to have been invited, it was great fun. He added that it was pretty warm under the many lights.
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Wiese said that it's very different to football, in wrestling one fights on their own and the wrestlers were quite oily.
Wiese was in the Germany squad for the 2010 World Cup and made more than 300 Bundesliga appearances. But after leaving Werder Bremen in 2012 to play for Hoffenheim, a disagreement with his new club's bosses meant he played just 10 league matches before walking away earlier this year with two years still left on his contract.
Whether or not he would actually take part in a WWE bout, Wiese did not want to comment, although his profile would significantly help to boost the sport's profile in Germany, the report added.