When Liam Payne fought WWE Hall of Famer in a pro wrestling match: "Enough of your trash-talking!"

Liam Payne was just one of the many mainstream celebrities who had somewhat of an experience in professional wrestling, though not specifically in WWE. Although his "match" didn't happen in the Stamford-based promotion, he defeated a Hall of Famer a decade ago.

On November 23, 2013, One Direction held an interactive livestream presentation to promote their third album, Midnight Memories. The event featured games, interviews, live performances, and more from each member of the boy group. During the occasion, Liam dressed up as a luchador with the nickname Liam "The Payne Train" Payne and locked horns with WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, who at the time was still signed at IMPACT Wrestling, now known as TNA Wrestling.

Before the match began, a brief interview was conducted with both competitors. The host mentioned that Liam was a fan of Kurt, to which the Hall of Famer responded by saying that he wasn't aware of it before insulting Payne's costume.

Payne replied, "I've had enough of your trash-talking," and expressed his readiness to face the wrestler. Payne also revealed that he had wanted to be a pro wrestler "all my life," but his former bandmate, Zayn Malik, said he had no idea and joked that he had already seen the costume, as Liam was supposed to wear it during a fancy dress party.

Liam Payne and Kurt Angle later had a short showdown, with the former surprisingly getting the upper hand against the Olympian and eventually winning. Liam's other bandmate, Louis Tomlinson, wasn't shocked by his victory against the WWE star, as Payne was strong and confident. Meanwhile, Zayn expressed he hadn't seen his bandmate "flip like that."

What did WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle say about Liam Payne after their match?

Although Liam vs. Kurt wasn't technically a full-fledged match, a defeat is always a tough pill to swallow. Despite this, the WWE Hall of Famer didn't have anything negative thing to say about the band.

In an interview with On Demand Entertainment in November 2015, Kurt shared that he had a lot of fun working with Liam Payne and the rest of One Direction, adding that he got to meet his daughter's favorite, Harry Styles.

"It was great. I had a lot of fun with these guys; I got to meet my daughter's favorite human being in the world, Harry Styles. It was a lot of fun because I didn't know these kids were big wrestling fans; I didn't know they watched Kurt Angle growing up. It was mutually rewarding, you know. We both enjoyed each other's company and to wrestle Liam was a lot of fun; to put him over was even more fun," he said. [0:31-0:58]

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Liam Payne unfortunately passed away on October 16, 2024, after accidentally falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit One Demand Entertainment and give H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.

About the author

Hazel is a WWE features writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling. Currently a BS Psychology student in her third year, she ensures that multiple accurate and reliable sources back every piece of information in her articles. She phrases even mundane information in her own words, especially when using single sources like books or social media posts, to add a hint of personal touch.

Hazel has had a penchant for writing since high school. Apart from pursuing Humanities and Social Sciences for her senior year, she attended classes about creative and nonfiction writing. In 2019, Hazel started working as a ghostwriter, and three years later, she began working for Sportskeeda. In 2023, she became a published author under 8letters Books Publishing House. Even today, when she is not studying as a pre-med student or writing for Sportskeeda, she enjoys reading and writing novels.

Her favorite wrestlers are Edge and Randy Orton. She recalls watching John Cena vs Big Show vs Edge in WrestleMania 25 in her first wrestling match. Hazel enjoyed the entrances, and what got her hooked was how cool and ruthless Edge was and how John Cena never backed down from his challenges.

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Edited by Yash Mittal