One Direction in awe of Liam Payne’s ‘secret talent’ – and how he pulled it off-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Liam Payne and Kurt Angle met in the ring back in 2013 (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

Liam Payne was known as a huge pop star around the world, but he also had a lifelong love for WWE and professional wrestling.

The One Direction star died on Wednesday aged 31 after falling from a hotel balcony, and legendary wrestler Kurt Angle was among those to pay tribute to the singer.

‘RIP @LiamPayne…. it was an honor to step in the ring with you during 1 D Day! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏,’ he wrote on X alongside a clip from 2013 when the two appeared to lock horns.

The world of professional wrestling fans hold a special place in their heart for the star, who got in the ring with the 55-year-old Olympic gold medallist during 1D’s Midnight Memories world tour.

As part of the event, it was arranged through TNA/IMPACT Wrestling – who Angle worked for at the time – to give Payne a chance to live out his grappling dream.

It’s a surreal clip to look back on now, with Scott Mills getting between the two for a pre-match trash talk segment before Payne pulled down his luchadore mask, and the DJ turned to his bandmates for a quick chat.

The pair appeared to lock horns in when Angle was TNA world champion (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

The camera panned back to the ring as Angle and his opponent traded moves in the ring, with the masked pop star surprising everyone with his athleticism, even pinning the former world champion.

‘Liam becoming TNA World Champion and Zayn and Louis shocked faces in the end. I remember this like it was yesterday,’ one fan wrote as the video spread round social media after Payne’s death.

‘That arm drag was wild,’ replied another fan, while in the video Zayn Malik quipped: ‘It’s the first time I’ve seen him flip like that!’

Louis Tomlinson teased: ‘It was typically Liam if I’m being honest — he looked strong and confident, and he really showed that throughout the fight.’

TNA shared a picture of Payne and Angle together and paid tribute to the late star, hailing him ‘a wonderful man and artist’.

They added: ‘Liam was a huge wrestling fan and we were honoured to be able to work with him on 1D Day when he wrestled, and beat, @RealKurtAngle.’

Payne has a win over the former Olympian (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

However, it turns out maybe not everything was quite as it seemed, as then-TNA wrestler Johnny Yumo has claimed he was actually the man behind the mask, and they orchestrated a quick ‘switcheroo’ to bring everything together.

Speaking to Armbars & Sidebars earlier this year, he recalled: ‘”Liam cant wrestle, so we’ll do the old switcheroo, we need someone that’s roughly boyband size.” Guess who doesn’t really look like a wrestler? Me!’

As Payne and Angle went to opposite corners, the cameras focused on 1D, with the live crowd also turning their attention to his bandmates.

‘While they do that, I’m hiding under the ring. He hops down like he’s gonna tie his shoe, he goes under the ring and I pop up,’ Yumo added, laughing: ‘We were not very similar in size, not gonna lie! He was a little bit taller than me, I was much stockier, bigger butt.’

Payne’s One Direction bandmates have paid tribute to him after his death (Picture: Tim Whitby/Getty Images)

Payne died aged 31 on Wednesday after falling from a balcony, and the autopsy confirmed he died from multiple injuries sustained in his fall that led to ‘internal and external haemorrhaging’.

The Teardrops singer shot to fame alongside Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles on The X Factor in 2014, and as well as their joint statement, they have all shared their own individuals tributes.

Payne leaves behind his son, Bear, seven, who he shares with Cheryl Cole, his parents, Geoff and Karen Payne and his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy.

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