Manchester United and England skipper Wayne Rooney slapped World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler Wade Barrett for trying to humiliate him.
Rooney, along with United assistant manager Ryan Giggs and former team-mate Darren Fletcher, attended the wrestling "Raw" at the Manchester Arena on Monday.
"In this ring are two men who can easily be described as championship material. Which, of course, is more than can be said of Wayne Rooney and Manchester United," Barrett was quoted as saying by Daily Mail, while standing in the ring, on Monday.
Rooney was seated in the front row with his son Kai when the Lancashire-born Barrett uttered those comments, which didn't go down well with the 30-year-old fotballer.
Barrett continued to insult Rooney and even made reference to Rooney's eldest son.
"I'd hate for your little boy to sit there and watch his own father fail. Because let's face it, he gets to experience that every single time you step on a football pitch," Barrett said.
It was enough for Rooney to rise from his chair and challenge the Barrett to a fight. Moments later the pair came to blows with Rooney landing a slap across the former bare-knuckle boxer's face.
The blow left Barrett sprawling on the floor. The incident is believed to be scripted.
"I'm heading to Old Trafford early tomorrow morning. I hope @WayneRooney has the guts to meet me there," Barrett later tweeted on Monday.
