10 Unsuccessful athletes that took their talent to the WWE

It is often said that, to get into WWE, you need to have lady luck by your side. Talent alone doesn’t get you into the leading sports entertainment organization in the world. Saying that, success itself is 90% hard work, and 10% of ‘being in the right place at the right time’.

The WWE Superstars are often called ‘talent’, and for a very good reason. These are athletes at the peak of their physical conditioning, putting their bodies on the line for around 200 days in a year. And unless you perform every single time under the bright lights, you can’t expect to stay in the promotion for too long.

However, in the past, there have been Superstars whose first love wasn’t professional wrestling. While guys like Batista and Diamond Dallas Page got into the business after crossing 30, there have been others who tried their hand in a different sport. When that didn’t work out, they found their calling in the professional wrestling business.

Reigns transitioned from an unsuccessful career in Football

#10 Roman Reigns

Dubbing himself ‘The Guy’ in WWE, Roman Reigns has won multiple world titles, and is the current Intercontinental Champion. Being the cousin of one of the greatest Superstars of all time is anything but easy, and Roman has found out the implications of being pushed too soon the hard way.

In a sense, Reigns’s and The Rock’s career trajectories have overlapped. Both the Superstars tried their luck in football, with Roman playing for Georgia Tech. While he did very well in high school, he couldn’t replicate his form professionally. Reigns played for the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars, but when it became obvious that he wouldn’t be able to reach the heights he wanted to achieve, Reigns turned his attention to professional wrestling.

#9 Jim Neidhart

Jim Neidhart was a part of one of the greatest tag teams of all time, along with his brother - in - law, Bret Hart. Jim and Bret revolutionised the tag team division, and along with The Rockers, breathed new life into the mundane and monotonous division.

However, Neidhart did not grow up dreaming about becoming a professional wrestler unlike Bret. Jim played shot put in high school, and wanted to become a footballer. He played practice and preseason games with the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys after graduation, but when that didn’t work out the way he wanted, he decided to try his hand in wrestling.

Needless to say, he instantly found his place among the wrestlers and went on to become one half of one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history.

#8 Brian Pillman

Pillman’s “Loose Cannon” gimmick made him one of the most exciting, and unpredictable Superstars in wrestling history. In fact, Dean Ambrose’s “Lunatic Fringe” character is loosely based on Pillman’s gimmick!

Pillman was made for professional wrestling. However, similar to Neidhart, Pillman initially harboured hopes of becoming a professional footballer. Pillman played as the defensive tackle for Miami University, and caught the attention of the scouts when he set a record for tackles for a loss! In fact, Pillman was a two time Second Team All - American, but wasn’t drafted in the National Football League.

Brian did sign for the Cincinnati Bengals later in 1984, and then played for the Buffalo Bills in ’85, but was cut before the season started. While Brian did sign up with the Calgary Stampeders the next year, he decided to focus on his wrestling career, and signed with Stu Hart’s Canadian Stampede.

Brian achieved notoriety while working for WCW and ECW, before he eventually joined WWE as the unhinged mad man.

#7 Ron Simmons

Those who did not watch pro wrestling in the 90s would know Ron Simmons as the guy that randomly pops up to say ‘Damn!’ However, Ron was the first ever African American World Champion in a major organization, and was the leader of the controversial stable, the Nation Of Domination.

But before he decided to take on the status quo and pave way for the future generation of African American wrestlers, Simmons was a football player in high school, and was named the lineman of the year, before playing for Florida State, where he was named the All - American defensive nose guard, and became an Orange Bowl Hall Of Famer!

He then tried to replicate his collegiate accolades as a pro, when he was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft in ’81 by the Cleveland Browns. However, after playing for the Browns for two seasons, Simmons’ football career nosedived, ending up with USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits, before deciding to try his luck in the wrestling business

#6 Lex Luger

The man who was tipped to become WWE’s biggest star in the early 90s, only to fade away into the bowels of mediocrity and obscurity, wouldn’t have even become a professional wrestler, if it wasn’t for an injury!

To put things into context, Lex played as an offensive guard for Penn State and University of Miami. However, the future United States Champion had a hard time staying out of trouble, and was kicked out of the team. Luger then decided to join the Canadian Football League, playing for the Montreal Alouettes, before being picked up by the Green Bay Packers.

Unfortunately, Lex picked up a groin injury during the training camp, and never played for the Packers. Instead, he had to spend an entire season on the team’s injured reserve list, and was released before ever taking the field for the team. Luger was later signed by USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits, Memphis Showboats and Jacksonville Bulls, but it was fairly obvious that Luger’s opportunity to make it big in football was long gone.

Lex then met Bob Roop, and immediately decided to make the jump to professional wrestling.

#5 ‘Big Van’ Vader

When you think about behemoths doing moonsaults and flips like they were cruiserweights, Vader’s name comes to mind. During the late 80s and early 90s, ‘Big Van’ Vader was arguably the scariest wrestler on the planet.

The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion was one of the most agile ‘big men’ - a trait which can be attributed to his years of playing football. Before Vader became a professional wrestler, he played for the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL.

Vader played college football for the University of Colorado, and was twice named an All - American, before he was picked up by the Rams during the NFL Draft in 1978. Leon White played three seasons in the NFL before suffering a career ending injury. Vader also appeared in Super Bowl XIV, but as fate would have it, he made his name in the professional wrestling business.

#4 Bill Goldberg

Goldberg was one of the most dominant Superstars to ever walk through the curtain, and the former Universal Champion ploughed through the competition in WCW. Goldberg soon became synonymous with the promotion itself, and was one of the most marketable wrestlers in his heyday.

But before he ran through the competition, Bill Goldberg was a defensive end at the University of Georgia, and was picked by the Los Angeles Rams during the NFL Draft in 1990. Bill spent two seasons on the practice squad, before joining Atlanta Falcons for two more years.

Goldberg was then picked by the Carolina Panthers during the Expansion Draft in 1995, but the Panthers cut him before ever played a single game for them! Bill played in 14 NFL games during his pro career, but his football career came to an abrupt end when he tore his lower abdomen off his pelvis.

While he thought about returning to pro football, his injury meant that he had very few suitors, and he decided to get into professional wrestling instead. It turned out to be the right decision, and Bill went on to become one of the most iconic professional wrestlers of all time!

#3 Kevin Nash

It was never difficult for Nash to stand out from the pack. Standing at 6’10”, Nash was one of the most physically imposing figures in WCW. Nash won the WWE Championship, and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, and will go down as one of the most successful professional wrestlers to ever step foot inside the ring.

However, growing up, professional wrestling wasn’t Nash’s first love. While studying at the University of Tennessee, Nash played as a centre for the Tennessee Volunteers basketball team from 1977 to 1980. Nash even made it to the NCAA Sweet 16, but an altercation with the head coach, aggravated by a series of on - campus incidents meant that Kevin was a liability to the team, and resumed his basketball career in Europe instead.

However, that didn’t work out for Nash, as he tore his ACL in 1981 while playing for Gießen 46ers. Nash then enlisted in the military, and after two years of service, Kevin Nash decided to take up professional wrestling.

#2 Brock Lesnar

‘The Beast Incarnate' has been on a rampage over the past few years. From beating John Cena senseless, to breaking The Undertaker’s undefeated streak, Brock Lesnar has made it clear that he will leave his mark on the industry.

Lesnar is also a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and made it look relatively easy when he made the jump to MMA. However, even before he started his wrestling career, Lesnar wanted to become a football player. But with WWE knocking on the door, Lesnar decided to join the company.

However, in 2004, Brock finally made up his mind to give football a shot. Lesnar joined the Minnesota Vikings, and played in a few preseason games, but it was obvious that Brock was out of his depth. When he got cut, Brock decided to take up mixed martial arts, and went on to pummel the likes of Frank Mir and Shane Carwin.

#1 The Rock

The most electrifying man in sports entertainment is now one of the highest earning actors on the planet! When Dwayne Johnson decided to leave WWE over a decade and a half ago to give his acting career a legitimate shot, very few would’ve thought The Rock would achieve the success he did.

The Rock was made for professional wrestling. His charisma, mic skills and his personality saw him become one of the most intriguing characters in WWE. With Steve Austin, The Rock created a rivalry that would go on to define the Attitude Era. However, all that wouldn’t have been possible had ‘The Brahma Bull’ realized his dream of becoming a football player.

Rocky Johnson, Dwayne Johnson’s father never wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. Instead, he wanted him to play in the NFL. Johnson went to the University of Miami on scholarship, and played defensive tackle, and he found himself on the Miami Hurricanes’s national championship team in ’91.

However, a knee injury, and a spot on the Calgary Stampeders’s practice squad brought Johnson’s hopes crashing to the ground. And when he was cut from the team, Dwayne decided to give professional wrestling a shot. And we all know how that turned out!

What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.

Edited by Pratyay Ghosh