Wayne Rooney slaps trash-talking WWE superstar, wins Dad of the Year

While he may be a long way from winning the PFA’s Player of the Year Award, Wayne Rooney just won Dad of the Year, laying the smack down on a WWE star in front of his son inside a packed Manchester Arena last night.

Watching WWE Raw yards from ringside alongside six-year-old Kai, the footballer was subject to a series of barbs aimed by Brit wrestler Wade Barret. Standing alongside his tag team partner Seamus, the man-mountain said: "In this ring are two men who can be easily be described as championship material. Which is more than can be said of Wayne Rooney and Manchester United."

Ooh, big talk. And he wasn’t done, targeting Rooney’s offspring:

"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."

Well not one to back down of course, Rooney was having none of it and stood up to call him out. Seconds later and the 6ft 7in Lancastrian-born left the ring to confront the footballer in a staged tussle for cameras.

And then the footballer went and upped his hero status with his son forever, slapping the wrestler and watching him fall to the ground – which, in truth, was probably less exaggeratedly than any Premier League footballer would fall after a slap by the England captain.

Later on, Barrett tweeted: "I'm heading to Old Trafford early tomorrow morning. I hope @WayneRooney has the guts to meet me there." Then adding, "Does anyone have Phil Bardsley's phone number?"

So there we have it, should Wayne Rooney feel his powers in football are waning, there’s always the chance of a second sporting career. We think he’d look quite good in a cape.

The Silva Twins could even join him. They'd be brilliant.