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Over the past several years, we’ve seen WWE employ men and women from all walks of life into their company. While most of the backstage managerial roles are taken up by those that have been in the business, it's the talent in the ring that makes the product watchable and brings the fans in.
The Superstars of WWE come from all over the world and each one of them has a very different background. While some have degrees in accounting and management, others like Xavier Woods work on to get to the Ph.D. level!
On the other hand, many Superstars have come and gone who could not finish their degrees during their younger days due to various reasons. While some had to quit because of financial or other issues, some others did so because they wanted to focus on becoming a WWE Superstar full time.
In either case, many would believe that they made the right decision after becoming major stars on screen, and their past doesn’t make a difference anymore.
In this article, we will look a the 6 Superstars who dropped out of school early in their life and still went on to become successful at what they love.
#6 Bray Wyatt
The Eater of Worlds and host of the ‘Firefly Funhouse’ Bray Wyatt is one of the most interesting characters on this list. Even though Wyatt doesn’t have as many titles under his belt as many fans would like, he remains one of WWE’s top Superstars as his gimmicks have always been entertaining.
Wyatt new ‘The Fiend’ gimmick has captured the imagination of the WWE Universe. His father was also a WWE Superstar, and his brother Bo Dallas is also currently signed with the company even though he is not remotely as successful as his brother.
Bray Wyatt ended up in WWE even though he was a football player
While Wyatt was good at studies and football, he never thought of following the regular path and becoming a doctor or lawyer, or even a football player. After finishing high school, Wyatt earned a football scholarship to Troy University where he continued to play football for two more years.
However, he did not earn his bachelor’s degree and dropped out just 27 credit hours short of graduating in hopes of becoming a wrestler. Few will argue the move after seeing how big he has gotten with the WWE Universe over the past few years!
#5 Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch is arguably the biggest name in wrestling today. The WWE Superstar had it rough early on, but she fought her way to the top of the company where she now comfortably sits as the face of WWE.
The longest-reigning RAW Women’s Champion of all time has been an inspiration and broken the norms to do things many couldn’t have even imagined before.
Lynch began watching wrestling at a young age and took an interest in activities such as swimming, basketball, and horse riding. After going through high school, Lynch decided to attend university to study philosophy, history, and politics.
The Man found her real passion which led her to WWE
However, The Man claims that she hated it and decided to walk out of the course. Even though she thought about changing her major and returning to college, she took interest in wrestling and started training to become a wrestler.
She claims that she was going down the wrong path and was consuming too much alcohol but wrestling pulled her back on track. Thankfully, she made the right decision at the right time and is now one of the top WWE Superstars of all time.
#4 Lita
Four-time WWE Women’s Champion and 2014 Hall of Famer Lita is known as one of the best female wrestlers to have come out of WWE. She was attached to some massive WWE Superstars such as Edge and The Hardy Boyz and did extremely well on her own too during her time in the company.
She was a rebel on television who connected very well with the fans of that generation and continued to build up the women’s division along with Trish Stratus.
During her childhood, Lita changed several schools which led to her having some trouble with her studies. After graduating, Lita went on to attend Lasiter High School following which she got herself enrolled in Georgia State University.
Lita became a revolutionizer in WWE
According to her, she did not enjoy her time studying there as she believed that it was too much like high school and very repetitive, as revealed in her biography Amy Dumas. Lita: A Less Traveled R.O.A.D – The Reality of Amy Dumas (ch. 41). This led to her dropping out of school to head towards a different path which led her to fall in love with professional wrestling.
She is regarded as one of the best female wrestlers of all time. As a WWE Hall of Famer, not many would question her move to drop out of school!
#3 Ric Flair
Ric Flair checked all the boxes when he walked into WWE. He had the looks, charisma, and athleticism to make it big in the company. Along with that, Flair was a football star at college like many other men we know in the ring today.
After a successful career in NWA and WCW, Flair was destined to make it big in WWE and he did not disappoint.
Ric Flair's big decision made him a true WWE megastar
Born in 1949, The Nature Boy loved football and played the sport at high school level where he was admitted after receiving a football scholarship. He then went on to attend the University of Minnesota but dropped out soon after.
According to the book Ric Flair: To Be the Man, his parents were beyond unhappy with his move but understood that he wasn’t fitting in well and he wanted to try his hand at wrestling. The Nature Boy made the right decision, especially considering the fact that he wasn’t fitting in well and took five years to graduate from high school, and then went on to make it big in the wrestling industry.
#2 AJ Styles
AJ Styles is regarded as one of the best pro wrestlers in the world today who has traveled all over the world to show fans what real professional wrestling stands for and how it’s done. After conquering Ring of Honor (RoH), Impact Wrestling (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling), and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), Styles joined WWE and instantly became a major hit.
As one of the most iconic WWE Champions of all time, Styles has proved time and again that hard work and dedication can take a person anywhere they want - and he has largely remained uncontroversial while doing so.
The Phenomenal One made a bold decision early on before reaching WWE
The Phenomenal One was interested in professional wrestling at a very young age. He attended Johnson High School in Gainesville, Georgia, and graduated in 1996. He was enrolled at Anderson University in Anderson, South Carolina, on a partial wrestling scholarship but decided to drop out before it was too late.
He did so to pursue his dreams of becoming a sports entertainer and entered a professional wrestling school.
Luckily for him, he made the right decision at the right time and has excelled at everything he has done since then.
#1 Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels is arguably the biggest name on this list and all of wrestling. The Heartbreak Kid was able to take the WWE by storm with his charisma, excellent mic work, and unmatched in-ring skills.
Michaels spent almost 25 years of his life inside the squared circle, a majority of which was in WWE. He managed to win several Championships during his career, and during his prime, he was bigger than any title in the company.
Just like many WWE Superstars, HBK too was a football fanatic who played the sport at school and college level. He was a linebacker at Randolph High School and went on to become the team’s captain.
HBK chose the path thstled to an iconic WWE career
According to his biography Heartbreak & Triumph: The Shawn Michaels Story (p. 48-49) he joined Southwest Texas State University in Texas but realized that he had a passion for professional wrestling more than college and football and hence decided to drop out.
While many would have objected to Michaels’ decision at that time, they must be glad that he took the step to follow his dream and become one of the most iconic men in all of sports entertainment!
He is currently signed under a Legends’ Contract and continues to help out, mentoring and training young Superstars behind the scenes at NXT.
