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Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia did his impression of The Rock last night by performing the WWE legend's finishing move during a game.
Sporting KC beat Seattle Sounders 2-1 in the fixture at Lumen Field but there was an utterly bizarre and controversial moment in the early stages of the second half.
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Melia, in challenging Cristian Roldan for the ball in the box, decided to morph into 'the People's Champion' by slamming him to the turf.
It was like watching The Rock going up against Stone Cold Steve Austin in their primes, with Melia somehow only getting a yellow card and not seeing red for his WWE-style maneuver.
Smackdown 😳
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 23, 2021
Sporting KC keeper Melia was only given a yellow for this challenge on Cristian Roldan.
(via @SoundersFC)pic.twitter.com/t2pRnnutRI
The goalkeeper deadass rock bottomed that guy 🤣🤣🤣#MLS pic.twitter.com/GrUBndrgAu
— Yanks Ranks (@Yanks_Ranks) October 23, 2021
A Rock Bottom in the MLS pic.twitter.com/5ngiZU5zre
— James Radhi (@jamesradhi) October 24, 2021
The extraordinary incident promptly went viral, to the point that even Dwayne Johnson himself became aware of his antics being replicated in the MLS.
💯 this is called delivering a devastating, “Rock Bottom” 👏🏾👏🏾
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 23, 2021
+ I assume player in green got up and fought his ass off, unless he got his bell rung.
+ I also assume there was a card delivered in the red color palette 🤣 https://t.co/anvlN9Sx5T
Reacting on Twitter, the wrestler-turned-actor branded the move "devastating" but admitted that Melia should have been given his marching orders.
💯 this is called delivering a devastating, “Rock Bottom” 👏🏾👏🏾
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) October 23, 2021
+ I assume player in green got up and fought his ass off, unless he got his bell rung.
+ I also assume there was a card delivered in the red color palette 🤣 https://t.co/anvlN9Sx5T
Only a few weeks ago Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba was paying tribute to The Rock by "laying the smackdown" on Everton's Yerry Mina at Old Trafford.
During the 1-1 draw, he got into a wrestling match with the Colombian and ended up throwing him to the floor in odd fashion.
lol at Pogba deciding to have a wrestling match with Mina pic.twitter.com/eq3hlmrfE3
— Michael Kennedy 📷🎃 (@KnightOfCups4) October 2, 2021
It wasn't quite as clean as Melia's but there appears to be a future inside the squared circle for Pogba when he hangs up the boots.
The Rock isn't exactly a massive football fan but hilariously, has supported Macclesfield Town ever since he was assigned allegiance to the Silkmen when on Soccer AM in 2008.