In a surprising reversal of the norm, a possum recently avoided a predator’s attack by “playing wrestler.”

The possum — an arboreal marsupial living in New Zealand — managed to evade the diving attack of a large owl by rolling out of the way at the last second.

The maneuver is much more commonly seen when professional wrestlers “play possum” — pretending to be more incapacitated than they actually are.

The possum was merely feigning injury, goading the owl to leap from the top branch of a nearby tree.

The owl was temporarily stunned, allowing the possum to regroup and launch an attack of its own using a foreign (made in Australia) object it had concealed in its child-rearing pouch.

Rodents and other nocturnal creatures that witnessed the exchange described it as “awesome.”