Co Antrim WWE superfan (4) meets his hero Cody Rhodes after powerslamming due to health issues

Oliver Beverland, better known as Ollie, met the undisputed WWE Champion along with his family before a sold-out show at the SSE Arena in Belfast.

The four-year-old, who has battled numerous health issues, was able to square off with his hero after his father Dylan’s pleas were answered on social media after he vowed to one day make his son’s dreams come true. WHERE.

“It all started maybe a year ago, through a charity, Rays of Sunshine,” Dylan said.

“Ollie’s desire was to meet Cody Rhodes, but when the WWE was contacted they said they could not accommodate a meeting at that time due to scheduling.

“So I took it upon myself to try to make it happen. I tried to get the word out on social media as much as possible and on Friday evening we finally heard back and it just snowballed.”

Ollie and big brother Carson, from Ballymoney, were kept in the dark until they were brought backstage.

“It wasn’t until Friday evening that I received a message from Cody, and the UK rep for the WWE tour then contacted us,” Dylan said.

“We kept it a secret from the boys, they didn’t really know what was going on until they walked through the door.”

Dylan said the siblings were left speechless by the surprise.

They wore matching, custom-made outfits that matched Cody’s signature wrestling attire.

“We were taken backstage to the dressing rooms before the show and we really thought this was going to be it,” Dylan said.

“But then the WWE rep messaged me and said Cody was going to keep a little eye on him during his entrance, so we didn’t know that was going to happen.”

During his entrance, Cody approached the boys and lifted them onto the edge of the ring as the thousands in attendance cheered.

Dylan recalled, “Last year, at the end of the night, Cody went around everyone near the ring and I took the two guys down.

“We stood there for about an hour and Cody got about three feet away and then he turned around and went to the other side.

“So we just missed him and we talked to him about it on Saturday.”

He said the experience left a lasting impression on the brothers, who continue to “replay” moments from the meeting.

Ollie has been a fan of Cody – the son of legendary wrestler, booker and trainer Dusty Rhodes – for more than two years after first discovering wrestling during one of his hospital stays.

Dylan said: “We were in Sheffield hospital for tests for about a month, and while we were there I happened to start showing them some wrestling videos and it went really well.

“The first time he saw Cody, that was him!”

Ollie was born in June 2019 with poor rotation in his intestines, which was the start of a long and difficult journey with his health.

After surgery to correct the problem, he spent 10 months in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children because he could not eat his food.

During this time, Ollie received the first of more than twenty blood transfusions he needed as doctors tried to determine the cause of internal bleeding.

He was in and out of hospital and in December 2022, just five days before Christmas, he suffered a massive haematemesis which saw him admitted to intensive care.

In the New Year, Ollie was flown to King’s College Hospital in London where he underwent a seven-hour operation to repair the blood vessels in his intestines and stop the bleeding.

Dylan explained: “He’s been doing a lot better since then. He’s had a few setbacks with infections because he has a small line in his heart, but he’s doing a lot better.

“It was very exciting that Christmas.”

The doting dad added that during this difficult time, he promised Ollie he would “try everything” to ensure his son finally met his hero.

He revealed it was a “real relief” to finally be able to make good on his promise.

“On Friday evening when I received the message, I froze. It was overwhelming,” he said.

“It was a last ditch effort on Friday evening, I thought I’d give it one more try.”

And maybe Ollie will meet his hero again soon after his fifth birthday in June.

Cody personally gave the family four tickets to the WWE show Clash at the Castle, which will take place in Glasgow on June 15.

The video of Ollie and his family meeting Cody was posted to WWE’s social media channels and received nearly half a million views across Facebook, Instagram and X in less than 24 hours.

In the main event at SSE on Saturday, Cody defeated Japanese wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura.