WWE icon Kurt Angle pays tribute to Liam Payne with throwback wrestling clip

Liam Payne managed to fulfil a lifetime dream by going up against WWE legend Kurt Angle during a promotional event for a One Direction album back in November 2013

Wrestling legend Kurt Angle has paid tribute to Liam Payne by sharing a clip of the time the two of them clashed in the ring.

Payne died aged 31 this week after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The former One Direction star died from "multiple traumas" that caused "internal and external bleeding" sparking an outpouring of emotional tributes from the entertainment world.

What is perhaps lesser well known was Payne’s love of wrestling. Both he and his One Direction band mate Harry Styles were huge WWE fans, having grown up watching it. And Payne got to fulfil a lifeline dream back in 2013 by facing Angle.

While promoting their Midnight Memories in November 2013, the band hosted 1D Day, a live streamed event for their fans. Part of the event saw DJ Scott Mills overseeing a clash between Liam “The Pain Train” Payne and WWE superstar Kurt Angle.

Slightly bemused 1 Directioners watched on as Payne, sporting a Lucha Libre mask and a yellow and blue costume, came back from a slow start to overcome the Olympic gold medallist. Following his tragic death, Angle has shared the clip, tweeting: “RIP Liam Payne… it was an honour to step in the ring with you during 1 D Day!”

“I've never seen this before! Very cool thanks for sharing! RIP Liam,” one fan replied. Another added: “What the hell, that was a cool face buster. Never seen that before.” A third wrote: “He is lowkey tough in the ring”.

Speaking at the time, Angle said: “It was great. I had a lot of fun with these guys. I got to meet my daughter’s favourite human being in the world, Harry Styles. It was a lot of fun because I didn’t know these kids were big wrestling fans.

“I didn’t know they watched Kurt Angle growing up. It was mutually rewarding, you know. We both enjoyed each other’s company and to wrestle Liam was a lot of fun. To put him over was even more fun.”

Unfortunately, it being wrestling, it has since emerged that everything wasn’t as it had seemed. In fact, it was TNA star Johnny Yumo who took on Angle that day, having worn the same bodysuit and mask as Payne and benefited from some nifty camerawork.

Payne’s former bandmates paid tribute to him on Thursday. In a statement signed "Louis, Zayn, Niall and Harry", they bandmates said: "We're completely devastated by the news of Liam's passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly.

"The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam."