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Iconic football maverick George Best once famously said: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds, and fast cars. The rest I just squandered."
While there are many who graced the beautiful game who can probably relate, ex-Premier League defender David Wheater preferred to invest his hard-earned cash elsewhere – wrestling figures. Formerly of Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers, among others, Wheater carved out an admirable professional career including several years in the English top-flight, for which he will no doubt have been rewarded for handsomely.
Yet the now-retired defender – who, having featured for England at youth level, received one call-up to the senior squad, though never made the field – admits he's forked out a good portion of his wages down the years on buying wrestling toys after becoming "hooked" on the sport as a youngster. Asked on the Under The Cosh podcast whether he was as addicted to wrestling as the hosts had been made to believe, Wheater replied: "Oh yeah, since '94 I think was the first one.
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"We never had Sky, my dad worked offshore and had Sky and he brought WrestleMania 10 back from '94 and I was hooked ever since. Bret Hart and that. I think [Ultimate Warrior] had left by then, but I'd get tapes of Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan. I just started buying tapes, loved it, still love it now."
Wheater, 36, who hung up his boots in September after a second spell with Darlington, revealed he still buys wrestling figures now in a so far unsuccessful bid to "get my kids into it", while his passion for the toys is an issue that has already been brought up by his wife.
"We're just renting a little place now as we're building our house and she's like, 'where are you putting these?'" Wheater revealed. "I said, 'I'll build a room for them'. 'You're not.'"
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Asked if he had a wrestling ring to use with his figures, he said: "Oh yeah, but I don't like them because when you wrestle with them they slip out. The ring is slippy so I just do it on the carpet. I do all the moves.
"I never got into gambling, but I spend all my money on wrestling figures. I don't know what she'd rather me do to be honest: win a bit or spend it all on wrestlers."
Asked whether he had a favourite wrestler, Wheater plumped for fan-favourite 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. "I get the little feet and do [Austin's finishing move] the Stunner with them," he added. "She's filmed me a few times, whipped the camera round and I'm sat on the floor in my pants or whatever, just wrestling, with my figures. It's relaxing. This is not a lie either, this is all true.
Footage of his interview then cuts to a clip of Wheater sitting on the floor at home playing with his wrestlers, saying: "What move do you want? Give me a move." Boys and their toys, eh…
- Hulk Hogan
- Premier League
- Wrestlemania
- Wrestling
- Middlesbrough FC
- Bolton Wanderers FC
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