Fans at WWE’s international live event in Manchester received an unexpected treat when British comedian Michael McIntyre made a surprise in-ring appearance.

The event took place at the AO Arena, with top stars including CM Punk, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and The New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods competing. After Kingston and Woods fell to the War Raiders, they were quickly matched against an unannounced duo billed as the Manchester Maniacs.

In a shocking outcome, the Maniacs won the match, marking their professional wrestling debut. The reveal afterward showed the men behind the masks were none other than Michael McIntyre and a local father of two.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the entire segment was filmed for McIntyre’s Big Show, which airs on BBC. The father’s children, Charlie and Dexter, joined the celebration on stage, where it was explained that the match had been for a heartfelt cause. Charlie had previously survived a life-threatening battle with sepsis thanks to treatment at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

As part of the surprise, £10,000 was donated to the hospital by WWE and McIntyre’s Big Show, honoring the family’s story and the hospital’s life-saving work.

Michael McIntyre at a WWE show? Wasn’t expecting to see that today!

Great moment when they air it on his BBC show in the future pic.twitter.com/p3SlZMcHcz

, Richard Land (@maskedwrestlers) August 26, 2025