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Over the past few decades, some non-American military veterans have appeared on WWE television.
Several former and current WWE Superstars have served in the United States military. For example, Bobby Lashley was an Army drill sergeant before becoming a professional wrestler. Meanwhile, Lacey Evans and Montez Ford served in the Marine Corps earlier in their lives.
Some non-American military veterans have also appeared in WWE in the past. While one of these performers served in the British Army, another spent over ten years in the Canadian military.
Here are five non-American military veterans who have appeared in WWE.
#5. Johnny Devine
After growing up in Canada, Johnny Devine (FKA JP Parsonage) moved to Minnesota to go to college. He then decided to join the United States Marine Corps. Nevertheless, his attempt failed as they rejected him because he was Canadian.
After failing to become a United States Marine, Devine returned to Canada and joined the Canadian military, where he spent over ten years stationed in Calgary.
In an interview with See You Next Tuesday, Devine spoke about his experience in the Canadian military.
"I enjoyed my military time. I'm thankful. Some consider it unlucky, but I'm lucky that I've never had to go to actually go to actual war or anything like that. All of my tours were cancelled last minute. So, my boots stayed firmly on Canadian soil, which, you know, is kind of the point of an active military in Canada is to keep them in Canada and not send them all over the rest of the world," he said. [8:51 - 9:18]
Devine's military contract ended in the summer of 1997. He kicked off his wrestling career later that same year.
"Around the end of my military contract the WWE came to Calgary for the Canadian Stampede In Your House PPV that was the show Hart Foundation took on the Road Warriors, Steve Austin, Goldust and Ken Shamrock. After the show I got backstage and I met Bruce Hart who was running the family Dungeon. I trained with Bruce for a couple of months before I had my first match in October of 1997 in British Columbia," he explained in an interview with Alan Wojcik.
The 48-year-old has competed in two matches in WWE in 2005. He lost his first bout against Tyson Tomko on Heat. A few days later, he joined forces with Ruffy Silverstein to face The Legion Of Doom on SmackDown. His team also lost the match.
#4. Primate
After competing in different wrestling promotions in the United Kingdom, Primate (FKA Jason Prime) made his televised debut on NXT UK in December 2018. The 37-year-old has since become an active competitor in Vince McMahon's company.
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Primate served in the British Army. In an Instagram post two years ago, he stated that he was proud to have served in his country's military.
"I'm proud to say I served in the Army, I made some amazing memories and respect the history to our military services," he wrote.
Primate is now one-half of the Symbiosis tag team, alongside T-Bone. They last competed in April when they defeated Oli Blake and Tate Mayfairs on NXT UK.
#3. Edouard Carpentier
In 1926, Edouard Carpentier was born in France to a Polish mother and a Russian father. After the outbreak of World War II, a young Carpentier joined the French Resistance.
Although he was captured by the Germans when he was 16, Carpentier managed to escape. After the war, the French government awarded him the Croix du combattant and Croix de Guerre medals for his bravery.
A few years later, Carpentier kicked off his wrestling career. He worked in a few promotions, including NWA, where he won the World Heavyweight Championship once.
Carpentier competed in two matches in WWE. In 1985, he defeated The Black Demon. His second bout came in 1987 when he participated in a Battle Royal at a live event. Following his retirement from in-ring competition, Carpentier worked for a few years as a French color commentator in WWE.
The former NWA World Heavyweight Champion sadly passed away in October 2010.
#2. WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheikh
Although he is one of the most legendary performers in WWE history, some fans may not know that The Iron Sheikh has legitimately served in the Iranian Army.
The Iron Sheikh was born in Iran in 1942. He grew up in a working-class family before later joining the Iranian Army. In an interview with Vice, the 80-year-old spoke about his time in the military, disclosing that he had to go to the Army to be able to leave his home country.
"I had to go to the Army for me to leave the Iran. I have to leave the Iran because at the time the Reza Takhti was the Michael Jordan of Iran. He was wrestler and he was most important athlete, celebrity, human being in the country. (...) I believe somebody important kill him. This make me very nervous because I was behind him, number two, and he teach me and help me become best wrestler in the world. So I have to go to Army, which make me pay my dues so I leave the country. But because I was most important athlete in the country and best fighter in the world, they let me do training for my Greco-Roman wrestling instead of me beind a soldier who kill people," he explained.
During his time in the Iranian Army, the WWE Hall of Famer became the Shah’s security guard.
"I was responsible for the Shah and his wife in certain situations. I was there to protect the Shah and anytime anyone came near him, I make sure no one touch him. If anyone did, I break their neck. I respect the Shah and make sure he protected," he added.
The Iron Sheikh later moved to the United States to kick off his professional wrestling career. Between 1979 and 1992, the former Iranian military veteran had multiple runs in WWE, during which he won the World Heavyweight Championship and the Tag Team Title. He also competed in several other promotions, including Mid-South Wrestling, NWA, and WCCW.
In 2005, the former World Heavyweight Champion entered the WWE Hall of Fame. He has made a few sporadic appearances in Vince McMahon's company over the past few years.
#1. WWE Hall of Famer Stu Hart
Stu Hart has trained many famous WWE Superstars, including his son Bret, Chris Jericho, and Roddy Piper. However, before making a name for himself in the professional wrestling business, the Hall of Famer served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II, alongside his childhood neighbor Al Oeming.
After the war, the two moved to New York to learn the art of professional wrestling before returning to their home country to establish Stampede Wrestling.
Although he never competed in Vince McMahon's company, Stu Hart made a few appearances on WWE television, including being the cornerman for his family at Survivor Series in 1993.
Hart sadly passed away in 2003 at the age of 88. Seven years later, he entered the WWE Hall of Fame.
