Anthony Joshua meets WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre tears into Wayne Rooney in front of his family at ringside as wrestling takes over the O2 Arena… with Gladiator star Apollo also getting in on the action!

Anthony Joshua, Wayne Rooney and British rapper ArrDee were spotted at the O2 on Friday night watching WWE Live.

Joshua not only watched the event but also went backstage to meet undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and WWE Superstar Natalya.

The two-time world heavyweight boxing champion was on hand to see British Gladiators’ Apollo (Alex Gray) make a surprise appearance.

Apollo was there to help Ricochet in his epic battle with JD McDonough – who is a member of The Judgment Day stable.

Apollo is a 32-year-old gladiator who began his professional rugby career as captain of the England 7s. He was also the first British rugby player to join the NFL.

Joshua not only watched the event but also went backstage to meet undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and WWE Superstar Natalya.

Rooney has appeared at several WWE events in the past and even slapped Britain’s Wade Barrett at the Manchester Arena in 2015.

Rooney was sitting in the front row with his son Kai when Lancashire-born Barrett grabbed the microphone and said: “In this ring are two men who can easily be described as championship pieces. This is of course more than can be said about Wayne Rooney and Manchester United.

Footage of the iconic incident showed the professional wrestler coming down to confront Rooney before the footballer knocked him down in a theatrical climax.

Rooney also took part in Friday night’s event, with Drew McIntyre speaking to the former Manchester United star during the opening match.

He said: “We are two British icons, I am only a three-time WWE British Champion. He smashed football but we’re not the same age?

‘What happened to you?’.

The former England international couldn’t help but smile as the crowd burst into laughter at the O2.

Rooney has appeared at several WWE events in the past and even slapped Britain’s Wade Barrett at the Manchester Arena in 2015.

AJ and Rooney were there to see UK Gladiators’ Apollo make a surprise appearance

Apollo was there to help Ricochet in his epic battle with JD McDonough – who is a member of The Judgment Day stable.

WWE also made headlines Friday night for releasing several stars during the SmackDown broadcast, including a former world champion.

This happened as AJ Styles defeated LA Knight in a #1 contenders match, with the former beating his opponent with a thumb to the eye and a phenomenal forearm.

Styles is now set to face Cody Rhodes at Backlash as a challenger for his undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Bayley and Naomi also faced off for the WWE Women’s Championship, and despite both wrestlers clashing with several holds and strikes, the bout was ruled a no contest, with Bayley retaining her title.

Amid the action, Fightful and PWInsider reported that Jinder Mahal, Xia Li, and Xyon Quinn had all been released by the company.

Apollo is a 32-year-old gladiator who began his professional rugby career as captain of the England 7s. He was also the first British rugby player to move to the NFL.