Wrestling stars master the art of hitting a sliotar
By Laura Lyne
THE ALL-Ireland Senior football champions Ballyboden St Enda’s went toe-to-toe with the superstars of the WWE on the gaelic pitch during a special visit to the champion’s home turf last month, reports Laura Lyne.
Dublin’s own WWE superstar Becky Lynch was joined by The Uso twins and cousins of The Rock and current WWE World Champion Roman Reigns, Jimmy and Jey, to learn some skills and take on the crossbar challenge against some of Ballyboden’s finest, which included Darragh Nelson and Michael Darragh MacAuley.
Some of the highlights of the visit included a raucous cheer echoing through the Ballyboden grounds as Jimmy Uso quickly mastered his hurling skills, hitting the crossbar on only his second shot of the day.
Speaking to The Echo following the challenge, the Uso twins praised the athletic skills of the Ballyboden teams.
They said: “We really want to take part in a game of hurling after today, or even watch a full game. Obviously in the wrestling ring you’re working with somebody, but playing with the hurley and with the sliotar, your hand and eye co-ordination has to be on point.”
They also joked that WWE superstar and former world champion Sheamus, who hails from Cabra, would benefit from bringing the hurley to the wrestling ring during his matches.
Becky Lynch, who originally hails from Baldoyle, shared her delight at being back in Dublin ahead of the WWE show, which took place in the 3Arena on April 21.
Becky told The Echo: ‘After the past couple of months, headlining Wrestlemania, there were so many goals I had coming into this, it’s especially great to be back in Dublin.
“To be back in my hometown and getting to perform in Dublin for the second time, I’ll be just as excited as the first time, but hopefully with less nerves!”
The visit from the WWE superstars to Ballyboden gained both national and international attention.
Pictures of the visit were shared to the entire world on WWE’s website, and The Echo’s video of Jimmy Uso mastering the crossbar challenge was shared on The Uso’s and Becky Lynch’s Twitter accounts to over one million followers.
