No Payne no gain: One Direction's Liam lives out boyhood dream and takes on Kurt Angle in TNA wrestling match

Muscling in: Harry Styles also posed with Kurt Angle

The star looked worlds away from the dapper boy we know and love in the band.

He wore a cream and metallic blue all-in-one wrestling suit with matching boots. His opponent Kurt was dressed in the colours of the American flag.

Liam fared so well, that after their exhibition match, the Olympic Gold medallist and multiple-time wrestling champion presented him with a replica TNA World Heavyweight title belt. 

1D's Liam Payne shows off his wrestling moves

What a belter: Kurt put Liam aka The Payne Train in a headlock after their bout

And now Kurt is just as much of a fan of One Direction as the boys are of him and after the event, he Tweeted: 'What a Day! Thanks and much love to One Direction.'

TNA President, Dixie Carter joked: 'Love seeing Liam as MY World Champ. Finally a REAL World Champion.'

The seven hour event was hosted for the most part by the band. Promoting their upcoming album, Midnight Memories, the lads were joined by a host of other global stars.

Fight right: Liam fulfilled a boyhood dream by wrestling Kurt as part of 1D day

Simon Cowell, Jerry Springer, Piers Morgan were just a few of the names that showed their support.

1D day was streamed live from Los Angeles to the world via YouTube and was viewed by more than 650,000 people.

The match came just before another of Liam's heroic moments. The singer reportedly saved Calvin Harris from being hit by an airborne dwarf at Miley Cyrus's crazy 21st birthday on Sunday night.

Calvin Tweeted: 'Big thank you to Real_Liam_Payne for saving me from getting KO'd by a flying 'person of unusually short stature' tonight.'

Lucky guy: DJ Calvin Harris's tweet

TNA Impact Wrestling will tour the UK and Ireland in January and Febuary 2014. For more information, visit www.impactwrestling.com/uktour