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Before entering the pro wrestling industry, several current WWE Superstars served in the United States Army.
WWE has always supported the United States military. The company holds a yearly event called Tribute to the Troops to entertain the brave men and women serving their country.
Vince McMahon has also hired several former U.S. Army members over the years. WWE Hall of Famers Kevin Nash and Freddie Blassie are two examples of wrestlers who have served in the military before becoming pro wrestlers. A few current WWE Superstars have also had the same experience.
Before they became WWE Superstars, a few current wrestlers enlisted in the Army. While some were following in their fathers' footsteps, others just saw military service as a perfect career choice at some point in their lives. Some of these men and women served in war zones during their time in Army.
Here are five current WWE Superstars who have served in the U.S Army.
#5. WWE Superstar Jaxson Ryker
Before fighting in the wrestling ring, Jaxson Ryker fought in a real war with the United States Marines. The 39-year-old enlisted in the U.S. Marines in 2002, two years after his graduation.
"Jobs were scarce, and they started laying people off. I had wanted to serve in the military at one time because of my family background, so I decided to join the Marine Corps," Ryker explained to Mid-Atlantic Wrestling Legends.
After joining the Army, the WWE Superstar became a truck driver and a machine gunner. He served in different countries, including Iraq.
"It's one of those things where you have to be constantly aware of roadside bombs. It was a scary situation, but thank God I came home alive."
Ryker spent four years in the military before focusing on chasing his dream of becoming a pro wrestler. He joined WWE in 2017 following a successful run in TNA.
On NXT, Ryker allied himself with Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler to create The Forgotten Sons. Following a short stint on SmackDown, The Forgotten Sons disbanded in 2020.
Ryker later joined forces with Elias on Monday Night RAW but soon turned on him. Ryker beat his rival several times, including in a Strap Match and a Symphony Of Destruction Match.
Check out the Complete Roster of WWE here
#4. WWE NXT North American Champion Isaiah "Swerve" Scott
WWE NXT North American Champion Isaiah "Swerve" Scott comes from a military background. His father was a sergeant first-class cook in the United States Army. The NXT Superstar lived his first seven years in Frankfurt, Germany, where his dad served at a military base.
Following their return to the United States, Scott excelled in sports in high school. After graduating, the 30-year-old decided to follow in his father's footsteps and enlisted in the Army.
Scott served as a signal communications specialist in the United States Army. He began his pro wrestling training during his military service and began competing on the independent scene occasionally. Scott left the Army after eight years of service and focused all his attention on his pro wrestling career.
In 2019, the 30-year-old signed with WWE and made his NXT debut. Later that same year, Scott challenged Rodrick Strong for the North American Championship but came up short. He also lost a Cruiserweight Championship match against Angel Garza.
Scott tried to capture the Cruiserweight Title again in January last year but failed to win a fatal four-way match against Garza, Travis Banks and Jordan Devlin. The 30-year-old finally captured his first title in WWE when he defeated Bronson Reed for the NXT North American Championship last June.
#3. WWE Champion Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley is another current WWE superstar who used to be in the United States Army. After graduating from college, the 45-year-old followed in his father's footsteps and joined the military.
Lashley comes from a military background. His father was an Army drill sergeant for 24 years, and his uncle fought in the Vietnam War. One of his three sisters also served in the United States Air Force.
"I grew up in a military background. My dad was in the Army for 24 year, retired, and he always taught me a lot of things about the military. I grew up and I did ROTC in high school so there was so much that I did in the military, outside the military, grew up in the military so I always knew that the military was gonna be a direction that I went somewhere in life," he explained in an exclusive interview with WWE.com.
The WWE Champion's military service lasted for three years. He then kicked off his pro wrestling career, joining WWE in 2005. During his first WWE run, Lashley won the United States Championship and the ECW Championship twice before leaving in 2008.
The Almighty returned in 2018 and has had a more successful run so far. He won the United States Championship for the second time and captured the Intercontinental Title twice. Earlier this year, he won the WWE Championship for the first time and still holds the title.
Bobby Lashley will defend his title at SummerSlam when he goes one-on-one with Goldberg.
#2. WWE Superstar Lacey Evans
Although she has not won any titles, Lacey Evans has proved that she is one of the toughest ladies in WWE. Evans' toughness might have come from her military background.
The WWE Superstars is a former Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. She joined the U.S. Marines when she was 19 years old.
"I joined the Marine Corps to get out of a rough situation to learn a better way of life (...) so when I looked at the military, the branches across the board as an option to not only get out of that situation, but to find the life that I was looking for as a young 19 year-old woman, as soon as I walked into the recruiting station, when I found out that the Marines are the most challenging, I was like that's what I need in my life," Evans explained to The Military Times.
Evans spent five years on active duty as a military police officer and a member of the Special Reaction Team at her base. She left active service in 2014.
Two years later, Lacey Evans joined WWE following a short stint on the independent circuit. The 31-year-old fought on NXT for three years before making her main roster debut at the 2019 Royal Rumble.
The RAW Superstar has been absent from WWE television since February after announcing her pregnancy.
#1. WWE Superstar Montez Ford
WWE Superstar Montez Ford also comes from a military background. Like Lacey Evans and Jaxon Ryker, Ford is a Marine Corps veteran.
The former WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion joined the Marine Corps at the age of 18. He explained his decision in an interview with Yahoo! Sports.
"I chose the Marines because at that point in time, my mother and my family were going through a few complications and I didn’t want the burden of having to worry about me on them. I took on the pleasure of going and serving my country for four years and I think it was the best decision I’ve made to date."
In 2012, Ford left the Marines after four years of service to spend more time with his family and children. Nearly three years later, the 31-year-old joined WWE.
Ford's military background has helped him adapt to the WWE lifestyle.
“In the military we have deployments, but in WWE you’re going every week. In that sense, being away from home, it’s very, very similar. When it comes to WWE, you still have to be disciplined. When you’re away from home, you need to make sure you take care of things (...) There are things that are going to happen at home and you need to make sure you’re ready to go out and perform, just like the military, you always have to be ready to go."
Ford is one-half of The Street Profits. Since he joined forces with Angelo Dawkins, they have won the NXT Tag Team Championships, RAW Tag Team Championships, and SmackDown Tag Team Championships.
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