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Over the past few decades, several United States military veterans have competed in WWE. Hall of Famer Freddie Blasie, for example, served in the United States Navy during World War II. Perry Saturn also spent four years in the military and served as an Army Airborne Ranger during Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War.
Meanwhile, a few United States military veterans are on WWE's current main roster. They recently celebrated the United States Marine Corps' 247th birthday and Veterans Day.
Here are five main roster WWE Superstars who have served in the United States military.
#5. WWE Superstar Montez Ford
When he was only 18, The Street Profits' Montez Ford enlisted in the United States military and joined the Marine Corps. At the time, his family was going through hard times. Hence, he did not want them to worry about him, as he explained in an interview with Yahoo! Sports.
Ford spent four years in the Marine Corps. In an interview with The Bump, the former RAW Tag Team Champion disclosed that his older sister was also a Marine during the same period, which he considered a blessing.
"I was in from 2008 to 2012 because I got blessed and fortunate enough because my older sister was in the Marines too. I remember when we did our training for boot camp I requested to go out to the West Coast and spend time with her as well so it was cool, man," he said. (H/T: Ringside News)
Nearly three years after leaving service, Ford signed with WWE. He has since been an active competitor in the Stamford-based company. Alongside his Street Profits teammate Angelo Dawkins, the 32-year-old has won the RAW, SmackDown, and NXT Tag Team Titles. The Street Profits are currently on the Monday Night RAW roster.
#4. WWE Superstar Ashante Adonis
Like Montez Ford, Ashante "Thee" Adonis enlisted in the United States military after graduating high school. Although he initially wanted to join the Marine Corps, he could not. Hence, he joined the Army despite his parents being unhappy with his decision.
In an interview with The Bump, Adonis disclosed why he decided to become a soldier.
"To be honest, I really didn't know what I wanted to do coming out of high school. (...) I had went to my cousin, he graduated the year before me. And I went to his Air Force graduation and both his parents were in the Air Force as well. I went to his graduation and they were convincing me the whole time like you should do this and everything. But like just seeing the lifestyle and everything on base and how everything was, I was like 'man, maybe this something that I can do.' So I decided like maybe I'll check out the military," he said. (0:15 - 0:53)
Adonis served in the United States Army for five years, between 2008 and 2013. He is one of only a few current superstars who had served in war zones as he got deployed to Afghanistan when he was only 19.
About six years after leaving the Army, Adonis signed with WWE. Although the company released him and his Hit Row teammates from their contracts in November 2021, he and the group, apart from Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, returned earlier this year to SmackDown.
#3. WWE Superstar Lacey Evans
Growing up, Lacey Evans had a tough childhood. However, she decided to join the Marine Corps when she was only 19 to get out of the rough situation and find a better way of life, as she disclosed in an interview with The Military Times a few years ago.
In an interview with FOX in December 2020, Evans disclosed why she chose to join the Marine Corps and not any other military branch.
"They were the most challenging. They were the most hard-charging son of a guns out there and I wanted to challenge myself in a way that you can't find anywhere else in the world. So I chose the United States Marine Corps," she explained (1:40 - 1:50)
The 32-year-old spent about five years in the Marine Corps between 2009 and 2014. During her active service, Evans was a military police officer and a member of the Special Reaction Team at her base at Parris Island, South Carolina. She also reportedly served in Afghanistan.
After leaving service, Evans briefly competed on the independent circuit before joining WWE in 2016. She has since been an active competitor in the Stamford-based company.
Evans is one of only three female United States military veterans to compete in WWE. The former Marine is currently active on SmackDown.
#2. WWE Superstar Randy Orton
Although he became a legend in WWE, Randy Orton initially had no plans to join WWE. Instead, he enlisted in the United States military, joining the Marine Corps in 1998. However, The Viper received a bad conduct discharge in 1999 after going AWOL.
In an interview with Stone Cold Steve Austin on The Broken Skull Sessions, Orton detailed his experience in the Marine Corps, disclosing that it started well.
"Boot camp was great, I got a meritorious promotion, came out on private first class, went to school of infantry, was an 0311, was in a boat company Alpha 1-4 in Camp Horno in Camp Pendleton. Did great there, got to the fleet," he said. (H/T: Fightful)
However, things later turned bad for The Viper. Hence, Orton decided to leave the service.
"Then it was restart; bootcamp. It was the opposite of how a locker room should be, where everyone has each other's back. I said, this aint for me. I went AWOL for 83 days, came back, turned myself in and thought they'd give me my release papers. They said, 'Nah, you signed a contract with Uncle Sam, son. Grab your rifle and go to the field.' I sat on my hands and said I wasn't going anywhere. They brought me to the platoon commander and I disobeyed a direct order to return to the field. I got a bad conduct discharge and it took 45 days in the brig before I went home," he added. (H/T: Fightful)
After getting discharged from the Marines, Orton worked at a gas station before giving professional wrestling a shot. In 2000, he joined WWE. He has since become one of the greatest superstars in the company's history, winning 14 World Championships, among several other titles.
The Viper is currently on the Monday Night RAW roster. Nevertheless, he is out of action due to a back injury.
#1. WWE Superstar Bobby Lashley
After graduating from college, Bobby Lashley followed in his Army drill sergeant father's footsteps and enlisted in the United States military. The former WWE Champion spent three years in the Army between 1999 and 2002.
In an interview with WWE.com, The All-Mighty explained why he decided to join the military.
"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 said. (0:00 - 0:22)
Lashley and his father were not the only ones from their family who served in the United States military. The former WWE Champion's uncle fought in the Vietnam war. Meanwhile, one of his sisters served in the Air Force.
About three years after leaving the Army, Lashley joined WWE. Although his first run ended in 2008, he returned to the Stamford-based company a decade later. The 46-year-old is currently active on Monday Night RAW.
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