Wrestling in the United States has evolved in such a way that it has allowed the incursion of American football players into the business, especially in wrestling. WWE, in which sports entertainment is given priority over anything else.
For example, Wrestlemania are compared to the Super Bowl, since Vince McMahon’s company has used stadiums from the NFL to host the great event. The most recent was held at the Raymond James Stadium, of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Also, many of the talents who have been in a ring of the WWE They also had a pass through the NFL, or at least at the American college level. Also, players have left the grid to go up to the ring.
WWE wrestlers who were in the NFL
Goldberg
The WCW legend was also a defensive tackle for the Rams, team with which he was drafted in 1990. After that, he spent with the Atlanta Falcons and only accumulated 14 games in two years (1992-1994). Carolina Panthers He made him an offer, but an injury kept him from football.
During his stay in Atlanta, Goldberg met Lex Luguer Y Sting, former WCW wrestlers who invited him to venture into wrestling. months later he became an unstoppable beast with a record of 173 wins and no losses.
Roman Reigns
The tribal chief and cousin of The Rock. The current Universal Champion reached Minnesota Vikings in 2007, but his stay only lasted half a year and he was transferred to Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2008 he went to the CFL, the Canadian American Football League, and in 2010 he reached the WWE development territory.
Brock Lesnar
The case of the Incarnate Beast is special, since He already had an NFL contract before becoming a WWE superstar. However, after his participation in Wrestlemania XX, he emigrated to American football.
Before arriving with Vikings, Lesnar went through several injuries, but recovered to play some preseason games. Despite this, he did not get a place on the main roster, so he decided to leave Minnesota to enter the UFC.
Vader
Leon White, aka Piglet Van Vader, is one of the most recognized American wrestlers in wrestling in Japan. But before wearing boots and mask, in 1987 he was selected by the Los Angeles Rams and was part of the team that reached Super Bowl XIV.
There are other stars who went through the ranks of a team, for example: JBL signed with the Raiders in 1990, Brian Pillman played with the Cincinnati Bengals, and Lex Luguer was with the Green Bay Packers..
On the other hand, John Cena Y The Rock They were part of the university teams of Springfield College in Massachusetts and the University of Miami, respectively, but did not make it to the NFL.
In contrast to this, NFL athletes made the leap to enter the WWE ring. Such is the case of Rob Gronkowski, who made an appearance at Wrestlemania 36 and was even the company’s 24/7 champion.
Another case is that of William Perry, running back who played for the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. After his time in the American, The Refrigerator He fought in the second edition of Wrestlemania and entered the WWE Hall of Fame.
El linebacker de New York Giants, Lawrence Taylor, had the opportunity to star in Wrestlemania XI when he defeated Bam Bam Bigelow.
RGS
