10 WWE Superstars and what jobs they did before wrestling

The WWE Superstars we see on Raw and SmackDown Live every week have spent much of their lives working hard to be in the position they’re in and there’s a good chance they wouldn’t swap their current job for any other profession.

However, while there are a few exceptions, most WWE performers worked in other occupations before they made it to the big time.

In this article, we select 10 current Superstars and take a look at what they did before their wrestling careers really took off.

#10 Kevin Owens was a gas station attendant

Kevin Owens hasn't always been a "Prizefighter"

Nowadays, Kevin Owens is an arrogant, boisterous WWE Superstar who pushes people around, challenges authority and doesn’t care who he upsets along the way.

However, way before he went by his WWE name, Kevin Steen was a young wrestler who was trying to get by in the business and simply make a name for himself.

As is often the case early on in a performer’s career, the money isn’t always great, so Kevin used to work as a gas station attendant to help pay the bills before he made it big in wrestling.

#9 Carmella was a cheerleader

Carmella was a cheerleader for four years

Carmella, real name Leah Van Dale, is the only person on the list whose previous job has been mentioned frequently on WWE programming.

Before she was “The Princess of Staten Island”, Van Dale was a cheerleader for the New England Patriots (2007-2010) and the Los Angeles Lakers (2010-2011).

She also has a background in gymnastics, as she recently highlighted in the build-up to her Mixed Match Challenge match alongside Big E, while she is also a qualified personal trainer.

#8 Daniel Bryan did anything and everything!

Daniel Bryan's road to wrestling stardom took him in many directions

Daniel Bryan revealed in his 2015 autobiography, 'Yes!: My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania', that he worked in several different jobs while saving up for wrestling school.

A young D-Bry worked at McDonald’s and KB Toys, among other places, and he almost ended up working in women’s lingerie for Victoria’s Secret.

However, after informing them that he would have to change his pre-arranged start date, they never called him back.

#7 Mustafi Ali was a police officer

Mustafa Ali is multi-talented!

Long before he was living his dream as a WWE Superstar, 205 Live roster member Mustafa Ali was a police officer for the area of Chicago.

The cruiserweight posted a picture of himself on social media (above) catching a ‘criminal’ during his days as a cop.

#6 Kurt Angle was a sportscaster

It's a good job Kurt Angle turned to WWE!

Kurt Angle recently recalled in an episode of WWE Network show ‘Ride Along’ that he became a sportscaster for Pittsburgh’s local Fox affiliate WPGH-TV following his success at the 1996 Olympic Games.

He told The Big Show, his ‘Ride Along’ buddy, how there was one time when his script flew off the desk and the teleprompter cut out, leaving him on screen with nothing to say for over 30 seconds.

The Hall of Famer admitted he was “probably the worst sportscaster ever”.

#5 John Cena was a limo driver

Thankfully, John Cena never gave up and became a WWE Superstar

John Cena will go down as one of WWE’s greatest ever Superstars, but things could have worked out very differently for the 16-time World champion had he been more successful in his previous professions.

A 21-year-old Cena tried to become a police officer in Santa Monica but failed the California Highway Patrol, while he also worked as a limo driver.

He told Ask Men: "I worked as a limo driver for a while, and it was before GPS was commonplace like you still had to go off a map... And I was not good. At all.”

#4 Becky Lynch was a flight attendant

Becky Lynch returned to wrestling in 2013

Becky Lynch took a five-year break from wrestling between 2008 and 2013. During that time, she worked as a flight attendant, an actress, a stuntwoman and a personal trainer, while she spent time studying how to be a clown (yes, really!).

During her stuntwoman days, she appeared on popular TV series “Vikings”. For those who are fans, see if you can spot her in the 2013 “A Kings Ransom” episode!

#3 Sheamus was a bodyguard for Bono

Sheamus was also an IT technician!

Before becoming WWE’s “Celtic Warrior”, Sheamus worked as a bouncer at a bar in Dublin. He was so good at the job that he was assigned the duty of being the personal bodyguard for U2 lead singer Bono whenever the band visited the bar.

The four-time WWE World champion, who also worked as an IT technician, told Independent.ie: “I’d be standing there, making sure nobody spiked his drink, or try to steal his pint. It was a handy way to make a bit of wedge.”

#2 Roman Reigns installed office furniture

"This is my chair now!"

Most fans will know that Roman Reigns was a professional football player before he followed in his family’s footsteps and became a WWE Superstar.

However, between the end of his football career and the start of his WWE career, Reigns actually worked alongside Jimmy and Jey Uso assembling furniture in offices for a company that his sister owns.