The journey of becoming a professional wrestler is an extremely interesting one that takes years of practice and hard work as one hones their skill until they feel ready to take the plunge and commit to a difficult and often unrewarding life.
The WWE is the pinnacle in professional wrestling, and it was what most – if not all – wrestlers aim for when they are starting out on their journeys. To headline a Wrestlemania. That is the dream. And, if you look at the WWE roster today, you can see that a number of them have indeed achieved that dream.
The likes of John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins are all globally recognised names today, and they are amongst the elite in the professional wrestling business. But, have you ever wondered how they got to this point in their lives? What was the path they took to get into the business?
Well, that’s what we’re here to find out today. So, without any further ado, here is our list of top 10 current WWE superstars and their story behind getting into professional wrestling:
#10 Kevin Owens
As a kid, Kevin Owens excelled at ice hockey and football, but it was at the age of 11 that he threw away those ambitions in favour of becoming a professional wrestler when he watched Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XI with his father.
Three years later, he started training in his home state of Quebec, and two years later, he made his in-ring debut at the tender age of 16. And, thus began KO’s foray into the world of professional wrestling.
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#9 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe was a talented even as a child. He was part of a Polynesian Dance Troupe with whom he made his stage debut at just 5 years of age in the 1984 Summer Olympics before graduating onto Judo and American Football through high school and college.
From there he decided to start training as a professional wrestler – working as a mortgage broker on the side to make ends meet – and made his debut in 1999 just three months after starting on his training work.
#8 Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman is one of the most over guys in the WWE today. But, did you know that he started training as a professional wrestler just four years ago in the WWE Performance Centre? Before that, Strowman was a professional strongman.
He earned his Strongman Corporation Professional Card in 2011 and worked in strongman competitions through 2012 before getting an offer to join the WWE’s Developmental Program. He hasn’t looked back since, going from strength to strength, especially over the past year.
#7 Finn Balor
For Finn Balor, professional wrestling was all he ever wanted to do. Practising in his backyard as a child, he got his big break in 2000 at just 18 years of age and immediately showed great promise. It was with NWA’s UK Association Promotion, Hammerlock, that he got his first big opportunity, and he worked the NWA circuit for seven years.
From there, he went on to New Japan Pro Wrestling under the name Prince Devitt, and the rest, as they say, is history.
#6 Randy Orton
For Randy Orton, professional wrestling was always in his blood as both his father – Cowboy Bob Orton – and grandfather – Bob Orton Sr – were both professional wrestlers. Although his father warned about the difficulties involved in becoming a WWE superstar, Orton always had it in his blood.
It was some trouble with the US Army, though, which forced The Viper’s hand. He enlisted in the Marines after graduating high school but received a dishonourable discharge the following year and even spent 38 days in a military prison. After his failed stint with the army, he joined up with WWE’s developmental territory to start his life as a professional wrestler.
#5 Roman Reigns
Despite being part of the Anoa’i family, Roman Reigns never really held any interest in becoming a professional wrestler. It was his ambition to play American Football, but he had a failed career in both the NFL and the CFL before turning to wrestling.
He then joined up with the WWE’s developmental program and was pushed quite rapidly into his role as the enforcer of The Shield and his career has only gone upwards since then.
#4 Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins was a wrestling fan right from the early days of his childhood as he entered into his teenage years, he found that he had a natural affinity towards it while putting on wrestling shows with his brother in the backyard.
This led to him skipping out on college, and he instead got started with his wrestling career. He made his debut 12 years ago, at the age of just 19, in a local wrestling promotion called Scott Country Promotion and is now one of the top superstars in the WWE.
#3 AJ Styles
AJ Styles was always a gifted athlete through his high school years and was also an avid amateur wrestler. It was this amateur wrestling talent that earned him a scholarship to attend college, but Styles quickly dropped out when professional wrestling came into his life.
Having been convinced to give pro-wrestling a shot, AJ found that he had a natural knack for it and left everything behind to pursue his dream. Mowing lawns and driving an ambulance to supplement his income, the greatest wrestler in the world today made his humble debut back in 1998 just two years after graduating from high school.
#2 John Cena
How did the face of the WWE get into the business? Well, it wasn’t actually his first choice. John Cena was an avid American Football fan and even played through college but didn’t have a shot at going pro. Instead, he turned to bodybuilding.
It was during this time that he got a shot at enrolling in Ultimate Pro Wrestling which eventually led to a developmental contract with the WWE. From there it has been a few short steps to becoming the biggest name in the WWE.
#1 Brock Lesnar
The Beast Incarnate was never meant to be a professional wrestler. He’s very good at it, don’t get me wrong, but his dreams always lay elsewhere. Even though he was a dominant amateur wrestler with an enviable record, he was never actually interested in the sport of kings.
But, when the WWE made a very lucrative offer, he took the opportunity and signed a developmental contract. Surprisingly enough, he was college roommates with Shelton Benjamin with whom he trained in WWE developmental as well.
Eventually, he forsook professional wrestling to try his hand at playing in the NFL and fighting in the UFC before making his return for good.
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