Professional Football is a common sport that most of the pro-wrestlers would've chosen before they stepped inside the squared circle. WWE superstars like Brock Lesnar and Goldberg had brief stints in the sport apart from their time in pro-wrestling. Various other superstars have also tried their luck in professional football but found themselves in a pro-wrestling ring after going undrafted in the major leagues.
The list is quite extensive and has the names of many famous WWE superstars. With that said, let's take a look at ten WWE superstars we didn't know used to play football.
10 Erick Rowan
Erick Rowan's WWE career has been like a roller coaster ride full of frequent ups & downs. While his initial run as a part of the Wyatt Family turned out to be fruitful, he found it difficult to hang on to his spotlight after WWE disbanded the group.
Before he chose pro-wrestling as a career, he tried his luck with collegiate football when he played for the University of Minnesota Morris. Rowan's current push might've ended abruptly as his football career at the hands of Drew McIntyre, but we can expect WWE to do something new with him in the coming days.
9 Enzo Amore
Enzo Amore was a trash-talking & charismatic WWE superstar who would’ve fared well if it weren’t for his personal problems, which cut short his pro-wrestling career. WWE had big things planned for Enzo Amore and his partner Big Cass before both superstars found themselves out of the company one after the other.
Amore played football for Waldwick High School and continued his career at Division III college Salisbury University. He played as linebacker and safety for the Sea Gulls from 2007 to 2009. However, he ended up pursuing a career in pro-wrestling when he signed with WWE in 2012.
8 Titus O'Neil
The former leader of Titus Worldwide had a decent pro-football career in his early days when he played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1997 to 2000. He also redshirted during the Gator's national championship season in 1996.
He played professionally for the Jacksonville Jaguars and also the Arena Football League from 2003 to 2007. Titus O'Neil chose pro-wrestling as a career in 2009 and signed with WWE's then developmental territory FCW. O'Neil is a former one-time tag team & 24/7 champion and is looking to reach greater heights within WWE in the days to come.
7 John Bradshaw Layfield
Before he fashioned himself as the wrestling God, John Bradshaw Layfield used to play collegiate football. JBL served as a coach for Trinity Valley Community College and as a player for Abilene Christian University. He signed with the Los Angeles Raiders as an undrafted free agent but got released before the season began in 1990. JBL also played in the World League of American Football in the 1991 season at right tackle for the San Antonio Riders, wearing jersey number 61.
He signed with WWE in 1995 and became a main event singles player in 2004 and went on to become the WWE Champion.
6 The Usos
Just like their cousin Roman Reigns, Jimmy & Jey Uso tried their luck with collegiate football before they followed their family tradition in the pro-wrestling business.
The brothers played football at Escambia High School in Pensacola and continued their career at the University of West Alabama, where they both played linebacker. While Jimmy played one season in 2003, Jey played from 2003 to 2005. However, the brothers chose to follow the footsteps of their father Rikishi and signed with WWE in 2009 and went on to become 6-time tag team champions.
5 Big E
Before he started preaching about the power of positivity together with his New Day brothers, Big E tried his luck in powerlifting and football. The world-famous 7-time tag team champion played football at the University of Iowa, where he played as a defensive lineman for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He got redshirted in the 2004 season while missing out in 2005 with an injury and played as a sophomore in the 2006 season.
Big E started his pro-wrestling career in 2009 when he signed with WWE and started performing in FCW. Now he has become one of the inevitable stars in the WWE roster and has the potential to have a major singles run in the future.
4 R-Truth
The record 34-time WWE 24/7, 48/7, 7/11, European, TV Champion, R-Truth has also tried his luck with football before he would become a pro-wrestler. Truth played football at Harding University High School alongside future MLB second baseman Ray Durham. He also tried his best in track & field and chose to pursue a career in music.
However, it would take some time for him to realize that his destiny lies in the pro-wrestling business, and he broke out into the industry in 1997 and is now one of the most famous stars in WWE.
3 Kane
The Big Red Monster Kane has done some cruel things to his opponents throughout his WWE career, and it's hard to imagine him doing the same things to his opponents in a football field.
The 7-foot monster had an interest in sports right from his early days, and he tried his luck in football during his high school days in Bowling Green, Missouri. He also played at Northeast Missouri State University, now known as Truman State University. However, Kane would find success inside a pro-wrestling ring and had a hall of fame worthy career with WWE.
2 Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin's football career dates back to 2007 when he attended NCAA Division II college Northwest Missouri State University and played offensive guard.
He went undrafted in the 2009 NFL after signing with the Indianapolis Colts and later signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2010. He would show signs of the pro-wrestler inside him when he reportedly threw uppercuts in a team scuffle in Cardinals' training camp and got released in September 2010. Corbin signed with WWE in 2012, where he would go on to become one of the top heels and has the potential to become a world champion in the coming days.
1 Bray Wyatt
Before he broke into the scenes in pro-wrestling, Bray Wyatt played football as a defensive tackle and guard at Hernando High School and played as a sophomore offensive guard at the College of the Sequoias for two seasons.
He earned a football scholarship at Troy University and played collegiate football for two years before dropping out to become a wrestler. Wyatt signed with WWE in 2009 and debuted as Husky Harris as a part of the Nexus. WWE repackaged him as Bray Wyatt in 2012 and once again as the Fiend in 2019. Wyatt is having a successful singles run and is all set to take on John Cena at WrestleMania 36.
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