8 Most Ridiculous Newcastle United Rumours That Never Happened

1. WWE Meets NUFC

Probably the rumour every Toon fan and childhood wrestling enthusiast yearned for there to be a grain of truth in. As it was, we were sent hurtling back to reality from the top turnbuckle.

It was way back in 2011 that gossip hit fever pitch as word spread faster than Lita's legs in a clinch with Edge that McMahon had designs on delivering a boardroom power bomb to Mike Ashley and seizing control of St James' Park with several hilarious theories sprouting as a result.

Wrestling bouts on the pitch at half-time was a huge favourite of those mooted, while it was claimed McMahon harboured plans to move one or two of the Magpies' fixtures to the United States.

Official word from Newcastle was that it was a rumour without traction and so it lay dormant for nearly three years until it resurfaced in early 2014 when British website winnersports.co.uk claimed the billionaire was "sniffing around" the Club again as he sought to increase the influence of his WWE brand across the Atlantic.

But, to our irreconcilable sorrow, it was completely debunked and we were left to wonder what might have been had the man with the most overly-pronounced corporate power walk in sports entertainment added Newcastle United to his wrestling dynasty.

Naturally the internet had a field day with those handy with photoshop knocking up a bunch of humorous mockups, memes and wit-laden tweets. Torture on a level that exceeded that of a Brett Hart sharpshooter.

NBC Sport's ProSoccerTalk, meanwhile, came up some catchy catchphrases in its coverage with our favourite being the Hulk Hogan-themed "Whatcha gonna do when Newcastle United runs wild on you, brother?"