8 Pro Football Players who became WWE Superstars

The WWE has seen stars from many different walks of life join the company and make it big in the wrestling world. Most of the wrestlers started off with small jobs to help them pay for training and gym memberships so that they could pursue their dream of becoming wrestlers.

However, some stars were already doing well in other careers before they decided that it was time to move onto the career with which they’d stick for the rest of their career. Football is one such sport which has seen many players being transported to the wrestling world.

For many of these stars, the switch has been the right one and they’ve managed to make it big in the biggest name in wrestling, the WWE. Here we look at 8 such superstars who first tried becoming football stars before making the ultimate switch.

#8 Mojo Rawley

Mojo Rawley (Left) — Mojo Rawley (Right)

Mojo Rawley is currently one of the most underused superstars in the WWE locker room. He occasionally fights on WWE Main Event but is yet to get any recognition on the main roster until now. His only noticeable feud was with No Way Hose which did nothing for both the men’s reputation.

Dean Muhtadi initially started off as an NFL player for the Green Bay Packers in 2009. His career consisted of four preseason games with the team before being released later on. He was later signed by the Arizona Cardinals in 2010 to play defensive line.

Rawley injured during his stint with the Arizona Cardinals and spent 18 months in recovery. He received a few offers during this time to return to NFL. Instead, Rawley made the switch to wrestling in 2012 by joining WWE’s NXT brand.

#7 Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin is a former WWE United States Champion, Money in the Bank winner, and Andre the Memorial Battle Royal winner. Currently, Corbin is involved in various feuds on Raw while serving as its acting General Manager and full-time Commissioner of Raw.

Under his real name, Tom Pestock played as a former offensive lineman for his college ball at Division II Northwest Missouri State before serving a brief time with the Indianapolis Colts. Pestock too then made his switch to Arizona Cardinals in 2010. After being released and then being signed on by the Cardinals again, Pestock too made the move to join WWE’s NXT.

#6 Dusty Rhodes

The late Dusty Rhodes is arguably one of the reasons WWE has reached the heights it is at today. He joined many different wrestling companies during his long-spanning career, but the American Dream found WWE as his home.

An interesting fact about Dusty Rhodes is that he was a professional footballer before becoming a wrestler. He tried out for the Boston Patriots of the AFL initially and continued to train with the New England Patriots and the New York Giants over the years.

According to the legend, he was called by the Miami Dolphins but the money involved in the wrestling business pulled him away from football and into wrestling.

#5 John Bradshaw Layfield

JBL as a high school footballer in Texas

JBL is regarded as one of WWE’s best champions to date. He was great as a heel in the WWE and became a Grand Slam Champion for the company winning almost all of WWE’s gold at some point of time in his career.

Prior to shifting his focus on professional wrestling, JBL was a coach for Trinity Valley Community College and a player for Abilene Christine University. Later in his career, JBL signed up with the Los Angeles Raiders as an undrafted free agent but was released before the 1990 season began.

Layfield, however, did play in the World League of American Football in ten games of the 1991 season at right tackle for the San Antonio Riders, wearing jersey number 61.

Special Mention - Carmella

Carmella is one of WWE’s biggest female superstars. The former Women’s Champion made her way up quickly in the company and achieved the success very few wrestlers have in such short time. She is also one of WWE’s most hated heel character which says a lot about the gimmick she plays.

Carmella too a part of the NFL before joining the wrestling business. She was a cheerleader for the New England Patriots and remained so for three seasons. In 2010, she moved on from there and auditioned for the Los Angeles Lakers’ dance team. She stuck with that for about a year before becoming a wrestling manager, and later a professional wrestler.

#4 Brock Lesnar

The longest reigning WWE Universal Champion is a former UFC Champion too. He has dominated the scene of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts for quite some time now. He is one of the only wrestlers in the WWE who fight under their real names.

However, Lesnar first tried his hands at football before turning to fighting. He started off playing for the University of Minnesota while studying there.

In 2004, he decided to take a hiatus from the WE and pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. This saw him being signed by the Minnesota Vikings as a defensive tackle but was released before the start of the season.

#3 Goldberg

Bill Goldberg is one of the most powerful and ruthless men to have stepped into the WWE. He is one of the only men to have beaten Brock Lesnar in the WWE and also won the Universal Championship upon his brief return to the company.

Goldberg was a football star at the University of Georgia and wanted to pursue a career in the NFL. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 1992. An injury sidelined him and he was noticed by the WCW who decided to give him a shot at wrestling. Goldberg never planned on becoming a wrestler, but end up becoming a wrestling icon.

#2 Roman Reigns

Currently one of the faces of the WWE and a Grand Slam Champion, Roman Reigns has enjoyed excessive success due to his time in The Shield and for being pushed excessively by the WWE’s Chairman.

Before joining the wrestling business, Reigns was also an NFL player who was destined for success in the business. He failed to get drafted in the NFL and moved to Canada joining the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos. The move didn’t last long, as Reigns then decided to put the brakes on his football career and become a wrestler.

Special Mention – Stacy Keibler

Stacy Keibler is widely known as “The Legs of the WWE”. Her long legs made her one of the biggest divas in the company’s history. She’s known as a great manager and a decent wrestler who was involved in a plethora of gimmicks during her time with the WWE.

Stacy Keibler served as a cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens football team for a while before switching to wrestling. She was only 18 when she decided to become a professional cheerleader and later made the switch.

#1 The Rock

From being “The People’s Champion”, to being a Hollywood A-lister, The Rock has done it all. He’s enjoyed immense success in the WWE, which gave rise to his name and his other talents. Even today fans expect him to make one-off appearances which draw a huge pop from the crowd.

The Rock was a defensive end at the University of Miami which led him to the Canadian Football League where he played for the Calgary Stampeders. Later on, The Rock decided it was time to hang up his football boots and put on his wrestling boots to follow the career of his father and grandfather.