It’s complicated being a wrestling fan sometimes. Wrestling fandom is often rather a toxic thing: dare to say anything positive about any company and you better be prepared for a million ‘wrestling experts’ politely explaining how wrong you are and where you should shove your positivity.
Recently, WWE has made several changes to their company and brand. With Impact Wrestling, MLW and the NWA chugging away, NJPW making head roads into the United States and AEW providing a big budget alternative to daddy Mac’s wrestling empire, WWE have attempted to make some changes, many of which haven’t proved popular.
In the past, WWE would frequently hire people who aren’t wrestlers, train them how to wrestle, then turn them into stars. Many hardcore fans don’t like this approach, and I’m sure that there are many out there who would prefer to support wrestlers who want to be just that: wrestlers. But it’s not all doom and gloom, as it’s easy to forget that some of the biggest stars in wrestling history didn’t set out to be wrestlers, so maybe the next big star may not come through the indies, but from somewhere different entirely.
Here’s 10 of the most famous wrestlers who didn’t start out as wrestlers.
1. Ultimate Warrior (Bodybuilding)
While the Ultimate Warrior isn’t as memorable to casual fans as his peer Hulk Hogan, or latter star The Rock, he’s still a widely known figure in pop culture today. His record wasn’t particularly distinguished, with a couple of Intercontinental Championship wins, a world title run and plenty of ‘worst’ awards. Yet, despite all this, he’s remembered for his high energy entrance, incredible physique, as well as a colourful wardrobe and face paint.
You may not be aware that Warrior was actually an amateur bodybuilder before turning to professional wrestling. Despite being an amateur, that didn’t stop him entering multiple competitions and even winning the 1984 NPC Mr. Georgia Contest. He wasn’t the only wrestler from the 80s who had previously been a bodybuilder, Hulk Hogan and Warrior’s former tag team partner Sting also made the jump from bodybuilding to wrestling. These three men are some of the most well known wrestlers in the world, even today.
2. Steve Austin (College Football)
It’s almost impossible to think of Steve Austin as anything but a professional wrestler. Whether you enjoy his ‘Stunning’ or ‘Stone Cold’ persona, he is one of the most recognisable names in professional wrestling today. However, it might surprise you to know that Steve Austin was a college football player with a lot of potential. Playing as a linebacker, he won a football scholarship to Wharton County Junior College. Sadly, an injury would prevent Austin from taking his football career any further.
In wrestling, Steve Austin gained notoriety in WCW as part of the Hollywood Blonds as well as the Stud Stable. Austin would be fired while out injured as Eric Bishoff didn’t see Austin as being marketable. After Steve Austin had an impressive but short run in ECW, he joined the WWF. Following a bumpy start as the Ringmaster, he’d develop his ‘Stone Cold’ character and the rest is history.
It’s also worth pointing out that fellow attitude era star, The Rock, actually wanted to also be a football player, playing college football in Miami.
3. Trish Stratus (Fitness Model)
Late 90s WWF is a hard watch today, especially when it came to women’s wrestling. As the Attitude Era rolled on, the ‘WWF Divas’ became increasingly sexualised, and it became apparent that the WWF favoured looks over talent. WWF head of talent relations John Laurinaitis was known for hiring models with no wrestling experience, so it’s possible that the WWF saw fitness model Trish Stratus as just another model to take part in tacky gimmick matches.
While she did indeed start out as merely eye candy, managing the awfully named team T&A, she became a wrestler in 2001. Naturally, Stratus was new to wrestling and her first year wasn’t the most accomplished in terms of in-ring ability. Nevertheless, Stratus continued her training and quickly became one of the most charismatic all round wrestlers on the roster.
Stratus’ wrestling career was rather brief, retiring in 2006, but despite the short career, she’s remembered as one of the wrestlers who really helped to raise the bar in terms of women’s wrestling in WWE.
4. Ron Simmons (Professional American Football)
Ron Simmons was a professional footballer prior to his wrestling career. He’s also previously played alongside fellow wrestler Lex Luger while playing for the Tampa Bay Bandits, and most famously, Simmons played for the Cleveland Browns, and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Simmons then signed for Jim Crockett Promotions (which would later become WCW) and made his debut in 1986.
Ron Simmons would rise to fame in WCW, when he defeated absolute monster heel Big Van Vader in a surprise victory to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in 1992. Simmons would leave WCW in 1994 and would go onto work for ECW and NJPW before signing for the WWF in 1996, as the leader of the Nation of Domination.
Simmons would later team with Bradshaw as the Acolytes, and the pair became popular with fans as the APA. While Ron Simmons wouldn’t get close to another world title victory, he is fondly remembered for his time teaming with Bradshaw (who also is a former pro football player).
5. Goldberg (Professional American Football)
While there are several wrestlers who have made the jump from football to pro wrestling, many haven’t made it beyond college football, and those who become a professional football player rarely have much experience in the sport. Bill Goldberg actually played for a few teams in the NFL during the early to mid 90s, and while he wasn’t as successful as he’d have liked, he was definitely more successful than some other footballer-turned-wrestlers.
Following an injury, Bill Goldberg took up powerlifting and mixed martial arts, before being spotted by WCW. He began training at the WCW Power Plant, and eventually debuted as Bill Gold. He’d make his TV debut as Bill Goldberg, and due to not being as accomplished as some of the wrestlers in WCW during the 90s, his weaknesses were hidden by a series of very short victories.
These decisive wins would see Goldberg be pushed up the card, and before long he was one of the biggest babyface stars in the company, winning the WCW World heavyweight Championship in the process.
6. Kevin Nash (Basketball)
Kevin Nash may not be in the same ballpark as the likes of Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart and co, yet not many people can say they spent years headlining both the WWF and WCW.
Few may be aware that Kevin Nash was a basketballer prior to his wrestling career, playing college basketball in Tennessee before joining the army. Upon leaving, Nash plied his trade as a basketballer in Europe, before a knee injury would see him retire from basketball entirely.
Kevin Nash made his wrestling debut with WCW, and had a trio of gimmick failures as one half of the Master Blasters, Oz and Vinnie Vegas. In WWE he was repackaged as Diesel, and positioned as Shawn Michaels’ bodyguard, which pushed him right into the main event spotlight. A babyface turn saw him win the WWF championship, and was one of the most dominant champions during the 90s. Nash would return to WCW, making history when he, Scott Hall and Hulk Hogan formed the NWO.
7. Big E (Powerlifting)
Big E, not to be outdone, could’ve fallen into two categories on this list, having also played college football. Much like fellow WWE star Mark Henry, Big E spent much of his pre-wrestling career as a powerlifter. Big E competed in the USA Powerlifting competition and finished first in 2010 and 2011, and also broke the American record for the deadlift. Big E then made the transition to wrestling as part of the FCW/NXT brand and won the NXT Championship in 2012.
Big E made the jump to full fat WWE in 2009 and won the Intercontinental title in 2013. Big E would feud with some major WWE stars before winding up in The New Day in 2014, this allowed Big E to show the WWE fans that he was more than just a mere ‘big guy’ and allowed people to see him as a more lighthearted character.
In 2021, Big E won the WWE Championship, a major step in his career. Sadly, Big E would suffer a broken neck in 2022, which would see him out of action for a long while.
8. Alexa Bliss (Competitive Fitness)
Alexa Bliss is one of the most successful women in modern wrestling. Following three years working for WWE’s development brand NXT, Bliss would move onto the main roster and began working for the SmackDown brand in 2016. Over the next few years, she made her way from SmackDown to Raw, and during her tenure won both Smackdown and Raw Women’s Championships. She also won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on two occasions, making her only the second ever women’s triple crown winner.
During her early life, Alexa Bliss took part in several activities, which included softball, kickboxing and gymnastics. However, her focus would shift to fitness and she’d go on to become a fitness competitor. Bliss even took part in the Arnold Sports Festival, a yearly competition which focuses on bodybuilding, strongman and fitness competition, as well as some other categories.
9. Elijah Burke (Amateur Boxing)
Elijah Burke is often forgotten as a talented in-ring performer. It’s easy to forget that back in 2010, he was ranked in the top 40 wrestlers in the world, according to Pro Wrestling Illustrated.
He signed with WWE in 2004 until 2008, and his run was, honestly, a little bland. However, in the years since, Burke has proved himself a solid and entertaining wrestler on the independent scene. He has also spent time working for Impact Wrestling, and, most recently, the National Wrestling Alliance.
You may not be aware that Elijah Burke was also a talented amateur boxer during his early life in Jacksonville. Burke amassed an impressive record, losing only a single bout of his 99 match amateur career (the WWE lists this record as 103-1 Win/Loss).
Burke initially struggled adapting to wrestling, and once told radio show Right After Wrestling, that he often threw real punches in matches.
10. The Undertaker (Basketball)
Let’s face it, we all know Mark ‘The Undertaker’ Calaway. Perhaps you grew up with him like us here at Cultured Vultures, or maybe you only know the older Deadman. Either way, no one can deny he is an icon of professional wrestling. Calaway started out much like another person on this list, Kevin Nash, as ‘Taker too got his start in WCW, yet despite the management of Paul Heyman, ‘Mean Mark’ didn’t connect with WCW fans.
Mark Calaway would then join the WWF where he’d be given the gimmick of an old west undertaker, simply named The Undertaker. He’d be a major feature of the WWF/WWE for the next 30 years.
But The Undertaker initially didn’t want to dominate wrestling — he wanted to rule the basketball court. He was awarded a basketball scholarship with Texas Wesleyan University, and was a college basketball player. He considered moving to Europe to play basketball, just like Kevin Nash, but ultimately decided to focus on wrestling.
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