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Before They Were Pro Wrestling Superstars

From fast food to farming these gladiators of the ring all had their humble beginnings.

by Scott “Future” Felstead
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Before They Were Pro Wrestling Superstars

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1 OF 8

1 of 8

Otung 3

Did you know that Muscle & Fitness cover star David Otunga had a pretty cerebral job before he stepped foot into the squared circle? Check out these other surprising, early employment facts about some of the world’s most famous professional wrestlers like The Rock, John Cena, and Brock Lesnar.  

2 of 8

BROCK 2

Brock Lesnar

Having ripped his way through the NCAA, WWE, and UFC, holding titles in each, it’s fair to assume that Brock Lesnar was born to grapple, but life could have turned out very different for the ‘human monster’. Brock grew up on a dairy farm in Webster, South Dakota. As a young man, he was a keen farmer, and went by the childhood nickname – ‘Broccoli’. It’s unlikely that anyone’s brave enough to remind him of that these days! 

3 of 8

CENA1

John Cena

John Cena may be one of the WWE’s biggest ever attractions. His face appears on everything from cereal cartons to movie screens He’s no stranger to being chauffeured to red carpet events, but for a short time, Cena was a limousine driver.John says he wasn’t very good at the job, which is just as well because, nowadays, he’s more likely to get driven to events than have to cart the elite around.

4 of 8

TRHHH 1

Triple H

The ‘King of Kings’ is one of the most powerful men in all of wrestling. He has held world titles and is part of the McMahon family. He is sitting at the top of the wrestling mountain, but did you know Triple H once worked at Wendy’s?With one of the best physiques in the business, we’re not sure how often he eats there these days.

5 of 8

Rock 2

The Rock

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was born to wrestle. His father, Rocky Johnson, is in the WWE Hall of Fame and so is his grandfather, the High Chief Peter Maivia. Even his grandma, Leah Maivia was a prominent wrestling promoter.  So it may come as a surprise to hear that The Rock could have had a sparkling football career!‘The Great One’ played college football for The University of Miami’s national championship team. He also played for the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL. Football’s loss was wrestling’s gain when an injury forced The Rock out of the sport. The rest, as they say, is history!

6 of 8

Hulk hogan

Hulk Hogan

The ‘Hulkster’ is without a doubt one of the most famous men on the planet, but his early music career didn’t exactly make global headline news.  Hulk dropped out of the University of South Florida to form a band known as ‘Ruckus’.Whether Hulk can rock a tune is debatable, but he’s been consistently one of the biggest names in wrestling since the 80’s, so he picked the right day job in the end!

7 of 8

OTUNG 2

David Otunga

Let the record reflect that Muscle & Fitness cover star David Otunga attended Harvard Law School and passed the bar exam. He is a qualified lawyer. Mess with this powerhouse at your peril. You’ll have no judge or jury to save you. In the ring, Otunga is known for a particularly devastating spine buster called ‘The Verdict’. Our verdict? Now that’s rough justice! 

8 of 8

Sting

Sting

The man they call Sting’ Steve Borden never had any intention of becoming a wrestler when he was discovered one day in a gym. He started his career as a bodybuilder, but was soon made an offer he couldn’t refuse and paired up with a tag partner to form a team called ‘The Blade Runners’. 

Back to intro

Did you know that Muscle & Fitness cover star David Otunga had a pretty cerebral job before he stepped foot into the squared circle? Check out these other surprising, early employment facts about some of the world’s most famous professional wrestlers like The Rock, John Cena, and Brock Lesnar. 

 

Brock Lesnar

Having ripped his way through the NCAA, WWE, and UFC, holding titles in each, it’s fair to assume that Brock Lesnar was born to grapple, but life could have turned out very different for the ‘human monster’. Brock grew up on a dairy farm in Webster, South Dakota. As a young man, he was a keen farmer, and went by the childhood nickname – ‘Broccoli’. It’s unlikely that anyone’s brave enough to remind him of that these days!

 

John Cena

John Cena may be one of the WWE’s biggest ever attractions. His face appears on everything from cereal cartons to movie screens He’s no stranger to being chauffeured to red carpet events, but for a short time, Cena was a limousine driver.

John says he wasn’t very good at the job, which is just as well because, nowadays, he’s more likely to get driven to events than have to cart the elite around.

Triple H

The ‘King of Kings’ is one of the most powerful men in all of wrestling. He has held world titles and is part of the McMahon family. He is sitting at the top of the wrestling mountain, but did you know Triple H once worked at Wendy’s?

With one of the best physiques in the business, we’re not sure how often he eats there these days.

The Rock

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was born to wrestle. His father, Rocky Johnson, is in the WWE Hall of Fame and so is his grandfather, the High Chief Peter Maivia. Even his grandma, Leah Maivia was a prominent wrestling promoter.  So it may come as a surprise to hear that The Rock could have had a sparkling football career!

‘The Great One’ played college football for The University of Miami’s national championship team. He also played for the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL. Football’s loss was wrestling’s gain when an injury forced The Rock out of the sport. The rest, as they say, is history!

Hulk Hogan

The ‘Hulkster’ is without a doubt one of the most famous men on the planet, but his early music career didn’t exactly make global headline news.  Hulk dropped out of the University of South Florida to form a band known as ‘Ruckus’.

Whether Hulk can rock a tune is debatable, but he’s been consistently one of the biggest names in wrestling since the 80’s, so he picked the right day job in the end!

David Otunga

Let the record reflect that Muscle & Fitness cover star David Otunga attended Harvard Law School and passed the bar exam. He is a qualified lawyer. Mess with this powerhouse at your peril. You’ll have no judge or jury to save you. In the ring, Otunga is known for a particularly devastating spine buster called ‘The Verdict’. 

Our verdict? Now that’s rough justice! 

Sting

The man they call Sting’ Steve Borden never had any intention of becoming a wrestler when he was discovered one day in a gym. He started his career as a bodybuilder, but was soon made an offer he couldn’t refuse and paired up with a tag partner to form a team called ‘The Blade Runners’. 

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Written by Scott “Future” Felstead
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