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WWE superstar Randy Orton sent message of support to Sunderland player after promotion
Martin Macdonald
- 11 Oct 2025 03:02 CDT
- 5 min read
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It seems Sunderland have an unlikely fan in WWE Superstar Randy Orton.
When the Black Cats won the 2025 Play-Off final, Eliezer Mayenda was a difference-maker and scored a vital equalising goal in the 76th minute after Tyrese Campbell gave Sheffield United the lead with 25 minutes on the clock.
Midfielder Tom Watson scored the winner five minutes into injury time to send Sunderland into the Premier League and the fans in Wembley into raptures.
When Mayenda initially scored his goal, he displayed a very particular celebration - one that WWE fans will know very well.
That is, of course, the pose from the legendary Orton, who has performed with World Wrestling Entertainment for a quarter of a century.
He is recognised as one of the biggest names in the business, but even he noticed the celebration from Mayenda, according to the player himself.
“After the final, he wrote to me and congratulated me on the promotion," Mayenda revealed this week in an interview with the RFEF.
"We were talking. If he comes to watch a Sunderland game, I might do it again. I’ll have to ask him, the celebration is his."
Orton actually shared the image of Mayenda doing the celebration to his 7.3 million followers on Instagram.
Mayenda's performances with Sunderland earned him a recall to the Spanish Under-21 side.
He has made five appearances for the Black Cats in the Premier League so far this campaign.
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