For the WWE Universe in Germany, a longstanding source of speculation has become a reality: Tim Wiese, the former German national goalkeeper, has accepted a personal invitation from Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE’s Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative, to join the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, for an extended training period.
Wiese, who played for Germany’s national team between 2008 and 2012, plus defended between the sticks for Bundesliga soccer clubs SV Werder Bremen and TSV 1899 Hoffenheim, took to Twitter to make what was a short but definitive statement regarding his acceptance of Triple H’s invitation:
The hulking, 6-foot-4 goalkeeper first fueled conjecture in November 2014, as a guest timekeeper for a WWE Live Event match in Frankfurt. There, Wiese interjected himself into the match, scoring immediate fan approval in the process … not to mention widespread gossip and assumptions from the media throughout Europe.
Throughout 2015, Wiese made several public statements that further implied any future involvement in WWE was more a matter of when than if. Those statements eventually prompted WWE to invite him to a one-day workout at the Performance Center, where Wiese continued to impress the facility’s trainers and WWE executives – chief among them, Triple H, who contacted the former soccer sensation about a longer stay in Orlando.
“Tim is tenacious,” said The Game. “He continues to be very vocal in his desire to prove that he has what it takes, and he has shown tremendous resilience and determination to create an opportunity for himself. This is his break to walk his talk. If all goes well in Florida, he will get his chance in the ring.”
Triple H’s challenge is one that Wiese is extremely motivated to accept – so much that he has even attached a timeframe for achieving his goal: Getting ring-ready by the time WWE Live returns to Frankfurt, Munich, Oberhausen and Berlin November 2nd, 3rd, 8th and 9th, respectively.
“I have been training hard for this, and I am excited for the opportunity,” Wiese said. “No matter what it takes, my goal is to be in that WWE ring this November. I want that match!”
Check back with WWE.com for further details on this developing story.