Andrew Flintoff Turned Down 'Obscene Money' Offer From WWE

A legend of English cricket in Andrew (Freddie) Flintoff came close to signing with WWE, and he actually pitched a match with The Undertaker.

During his first retirement from cricket between 2010 and 2014, Flintoff ended up training with WWE after pitching an idea to Sky, with WWE's then-UK TV partner getting Flintoff in touch with Vince McMahon.

Flintoff revealed on Stick To Cricket:

"What happened was, it got to a point in Dubai where I was unfit, I'd put weight on and I was just not in a good place. I wanted to get fit again, but I needed motivation. As a kid, I loved WWE, so I came up with this idea, because I was doing League of Their Own with Sky, to fight The Undertaker in Manchester.

"I wrote this treatment up and presented the idea to Sky, it started gathering momentum and next minute it's being passed onto WWE. I was in contact with WWE, Vince McMahon! Dave Roberts, 'Rooster', who was a physiotherapist who lived with us throughout my career, lived with us and looked after us. I asked him to send a trainer over to Dubai for six weeks because I needed to bulk up.

"He sent this fella over, I trained my nuts off, got fit and then the WWE flew me to Tampa. Me and the missus have gone over to Tampa, I've got two weeks at wrestling academy. They fly us over business class, next morning we get in the car and go to WWE's academy, two massive units all branded. We're sitting in the car and these things are walking past me, like 6ft 8in monsters.

"My missus asked, 'Are you going to be okay?' I said, 'Yeah, I'll be fine.' I walked in - on the first day, nobody liked me because it's really competitive with 60 of us all wanting a contract with the WWE - then this English lad walked in."

Training didn't exactly go to plan for the 2005 Ashes star, however, as he ended up with broken ribs after just two days of training.

"So I go in and we do the warm-ups, then they put me in the ring for three hours and I just ran the ropes, I'd run into someone and they'd throw me. The second day I went in there, I had lashes all down my back and my missus said, 'Are you alright with this?' I was sore and thought something's not right here. I said to this physio, 'I think I'm having a back spasm,' so they're all like, 'Ohh the English lad's got a back spasm,' so they put me on the couch, he's pushing me and I can feel my ribs separating," Flintoff added.

"I said, 'Mate, I think I've broken my ribs.' He said I'd be in so much pain and I was like, 'Mate, I want to cry but I can't in there.' I went for an X-ray and this fella who puts it up asked, 'What do you do?', I said, 'I'm a wrestler.' He asked, 'How long have you been doing this' and I said, 'Two days.' We did all of that - on the third day you do acting lessons, but I didn't think I was in on it," he continued.

"I was just sitting minding my own business and they said, 'Fred, you're up.' I got up, and I had the microphone in my hand saying how hard I am, but I didn't like that so said, 'Can I do another?' I looked out and there were all of these weird and wonderful-looking people, so I just tore them all a new one. They were trying to get me to wind up after two minutes, but I was not finished."

WWE offered Flintoff a three-year deal but he ultimately turned them down as his children didn't want to move to the United States.

"Two weeks later, I got an email from WWE, saying, 'You can't do your documentary because you'll give the secrets away, we want to put you on a three-year contract.' They said, 'We'll fast-track you and in 18 months you'll be at WrestleMania and Royal Rumble,'" Flintoff continued.

"The money was obscene, but we wanted to move back from Dubai. The kids wanted to play cricket and didn't want to go to America, so I just changed it to boxing and had a fight instead."

Flintoff had a boxing match in 2012, beating Richard Dawson in the cricket legend's only professional fight. Flintoff is now back in cricket as the head coach of the England Lions.

A cult favourite amongst football fans in Adebayo Akinfenwa almost appeared for WWE and held talks with the company, but a deal never came together.

H/T talkSPORT

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