5 Wrestlers who enjoyed careers as soccer players 

It appears that being an athlete is definitely a job that requires skill and commitment, which is why more often than not WWE will hire athletes who have already proved their worth either as weightlifters, cheerleaders or football players.

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Over the past few years, there have been a number of high profile cases where WWE have hired soccer players either from the UK or other surrounding countries and then attempted to train them to become wrestlers.

This isn't uncommon, some footballers have been able to build up their body mass to a point where they would fit in well at the Performance Center, which is why there have been a number of former soccer players switching goal posts for ring posts in recent years.

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#5 Nikki Bella

Nikki and Brie started out as soccer players

Nikki Bella is a former Divas Champion and one of the most recognizable female wrestlers in the world right now, but wrestling wasn't her first love.

The Total Divas star started out as a keen Soccer enthusiast and played the sport for Scottsdale Club in elementary school along with her sister, Brie.

After Nikki graduated she went on to play soccer for Grossmont College but a leg injury marked the end of her soccer career and meant that she was forced to change many of her goals in life.

Nikki had the dream of going on to play professionally for Arizona Heat Wave but just a week before she was meant to sign the contract for Arizona State University she snapped her tibia in half which caused her to lose her spot.

Nikki and her sister later decided to move to Los Angeles and find an agent, before the duo auditioned for the WWE Diva Search in 2006 and became WWE Divas.

#4 Andre The Giant

Andre started his career as a soccer player in France

Andre The Giant is one of the biggest legends that WWE ever created, with emphasis on the biggest part.

Not only did Andre completely dominate in the squared circle, but he also once dominated on a football pitch.

Don't let his size fool you, the WWE Hall of Famer played both soccer and rugby when he was younger and was even seen as a quick enough player to fill in the fullback position for his native soccer teams in France.

It probably comes as no surprise that his position of choice was a goalkeeper and even though it wasn't a sport that he continued to play after he signed on to become a wrestler, it was the original love in Andre's life.

#3 Tim Wiese

Wiese made his WWE debut back in 2016

Tim Wiese is a well-known German international footballer who has made a number of appearances for his country at international level as well as playing in goal for the likes of Werder Bremen and 1899 Hoffenheim throughout his career.

Wiese was approached by Triple H back in 2014 and it appears that the company offered him the chance to train at their state of the art Performance Center.

Wiese was spotted as a guest timekeeper for a WWE live event in Frankfurt later that year before it was reported in the summer of 2016 that Wiese had accepted Triple H's invitation.

He made his in-ring debut at a WWE Live event in Munich as part of a team with Cesaro and Sheamus as they took on the Shining Stars and Bo Dallas in the fall of 2016.

Wiese hasn't been seen as part of WWE events since, but there have been no reports of him being released from the company either.

#2 Stuart Tomlinson

Stuart Tomlinson was contracted to WWE for three years

Stuart Tomlinson's move over to WWE after carving out a successful career in the British football league made headline news in the UK back in 2013, since he was the first well-known footballer to accept the offer to move over to WWE and train to be a wrestler.

Tomlinson was later given the ring name Hugo Knox and he trained at the Performance Centre for a number of years before he made his debut at an NXT Live event back in 2014, but it was reported that he had been released from his contract by the company in the fall of 2016.

Knox looked as though he had all the skills to become a star in the company, but there were various reports that suggested that the star was feeling the effects of being homesick.

#1 Grant Holt

Grant Holt has been an interesting addition to the WAW roster

News over the past few days has managed to filter its way into the media concerning former Norwich City striker Grant Holt.

The former Premier League footballer has seemingly given up the football pitch and decided to join his local WAW promotion alongside Paige's parents, where he is advertised for a number of their upcoming shows.

It is unknown how long Holt has been training to be a wrestler for, but he is the first Premier League footballer to ever decide to switch careers and it will be interesting to see how he does in the ring against some of the best talent that the UK has to offer.