‘Hong Kong Sevens is the Wrestlemania of rugby’ says awed WWE star JBL
The former champion and current commentator is a massive rugby fan and finally got to pay a visit to the greatest Sevens show on earth
Among the sea of costumed revellers in the South Stand at every Hong Kong Sevens, it is common to see outfits paying tribute to iconic stars of World Wrestling Entertainment.
Whether it’s the yellow and red of Hulk Hogan, the purple of “Macho Man” Randy Savage or the pink leotard formerly donned by Bret “Hit Man” Hart, you can always expect a few wrestling fans.
This year, there was an actual former WWE star in the flesh: former champion and current commentator John “Bradshaw” Layfield was relishing his first Hong Kong Sevens – although he gave the South Stand a miss.
“I’m too scared to go in there,” the 50-year-old laughed from the safety of a row of table seats near pitchside.
Layfield had flown straight to Hong Kong via Dallas from Orlando, where WWE hosted its biggest annual extravaganza, Wrestlemania, the weekend before. “The Hong Kong Sevens is like the Wrestlemania of rugby,” he said, looking around the 40,000 capacity crowd at Hong Kong Stadium and soaking up the atmosphere.
