Athletes put a lot on the line night in and night out for our enjoyment. The put their blood, sweat and tears into perfecting their craft to become the best there is at what they do. Like all athletes, your favourite wrestlers work tirelessly to become the best and obtain that coveted golden belt. We all know athletes are a strange, superstitious lot, but some get weirder than others. After all, they’re just people like you and me at the end of the day. Some enjoy a copious amount of Tic Tacs. Okay. Others, well they collect lizards. Hey, we don’t just at The Sportster.
From pre-match rituals to hobbies to just all around strangeness, these are the 15 Unusual Habits Of Your Favorite WWE Superstars.
15 15. Triple H's Midnight Workouts
Wrestlers put in a lot of time to stay in prime physical condition. Not only do they need to look great in spandex, but they also need the strength and endurance to lift grown ass men over their heads and to compete in long, grueling matches. For Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, two poorhouses in the WWE who pretty much run the entire show and compete in matches themselves, when can they possibly find the time to do any exercises at all? At midnight, apparently. Yes, the happily married couple find themselves listening to Metallica and doing bench-presses at midnight every night because it’s the only time they have to squeeze in a workout. And, of course, they post their workout videos to their Twitter accounts for the world to see.
14 14. The Rock’s Cheat Days
To be in the kind of shape that Dwayne Johnson is, I think I’d have to work out 24/7 365 days a year. Even then, the dude would still whip my jabroni ass. Not only does he still compete in the WWE (not often, mind you), but he’s also one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. From the Fast and the Furious series to the upcoming Baywatch reboot, The Rock has to look good. His muscles are part of his appeal as an action movie star, which also means endless meals of chicken and broccoli. However, that doesn’t mean Dwayne doesn’t get his cheat days. And cheat he does. In one cheat day, he’ll eat 12 pancakes, four double dough pizzas and 21 brownies.
13 13.The Serene Mick Foley
You’d figure a dude like Mike Foley would listen to some Megadeath or Slipknot before a match. You know; to get himself pumped up for getting his skull destroyed by a folding chair. If you did guess that, you’d be waaaaaay off. Before Foley gets tacks stuck in his face or gets thrown 30 feet onto an announce table, we should turn on his CD player and throw in a little Tori Amos. His favourite song? Winter. The hardcore legend has been quoted in saying that the song helps him get in the right frame of mind, and helps with visualizing the matches with his opponent. Here’s a link to the song, if you’d care to put yourself in the shoes of a WWE legend. Enjoy.
12 12. William Regal, Reptile Collector
Some people collect coins. Others collect stamps. Some, who have the money, collect cars. But there are some of us who collect reptiles. From lizards to turtles to snakes; these select few love all there is about the cold blooded. WWE superstar William Regal is among those who adore the scaled, and is said to have collected two snakes, eight lizards and a tortoise. He’s quoted as saying, “This, to me, is the greatest thing in the world, right here.” There’s no doubt Regal’s collection has grown since then. Check out Regal showing off his collection in some videos, you can tell he truly does love these creatures. Feel free to call William a NERD, as he’s part of the New England Reptiles Distributors. Now that’s commitment.
11 11. Goldberg’s Head-butt
Wrestling is an aggressive sport. To get pumped up before a game or match, some athletes listen to music, or hit the exercise bike. Bill Goldberg slams his head against the wall. In his pre-match ritual, to ramp up his intensity, the wrestling legend would head-butt the wall mere moments before hitting the big stage. Recently though, Goldberg has learned that maybe he’s taking this ritual a tad too far. In this picture, blood runs down Goldberg’s forehead after his opened up his skin before appearing on mic. He admitted to feeling ‘loopy’, and it was obvious. It took him a few tries to deliver a line, but eventually seemed to gather himself. Goldberg posted on his Instagram that perhaps it’s time to retire the ritual entirely. Probably a good move, Bill.
10 10. Pushin’ Up With Cesaro
Cesaro is a wrestler getting a recent push from the WWE, and as a former United States Champion and Tag Team Champion, he’s destined for great things. Recently pairing with Sheamus, Cesaro puts on a good show. He’s athletic, which doesn’t come easy. Cesaro is sure to spend a lot of time in the gym, but his favourite workout is push-ups. Before matches Cesaro spends some time doing all manner of push-ups, from Hindu push-ups to Hand-Stand pushups, Cesaro does them all. Check out his twitter feed where his love of the workout is evident. The Superstar says that push-ups make your body stronger and more functional. With Cesaro’s recent WWE success, we say keep up with the push-ups. Doing some exercises, no matter how unorthodox seems like a much better idea to prepare for a match than hitting your head against walls.
9 9. Zen is King Booker
For such an intense sport, you’d figure meditation would produce the exact opposite desired emotions before a match. That’s exactly what you’d find King Booker doing before his big matches though. He begins his pre-match ritual with one hour of meditation. One hour! Quiet, calming and relaxing. Then, when his mind is cleared, King Booker moves on to getting his body in tune with thirty minutes of jumping rope, followed by 300 push-ups, then 200 sit-ups. He also says stretching is a big part of his pre-match ritual, for obvious reasons. After meditation, exercise and stretching out, King Booker then drains two Red Bulls before making his entrance to the ring. Meditation and energy drinks. Now there’s an interesting mix of energy and serenity. Whatever works!
8 8. Dean Ambrose, the Comedian
Dean Ambrose is a loose cannon. A wild card. You never know what could set him off or when he’ll lose it. He’s also a quirky guy. Apparently Ambrose loves to work out in the desert as opposed to a gym, as it helps energize his spirit and relax his mind. His in-ring persona may be a maniac, bur before a match he likes to keep it calm and relaxed. He cracks jokes while listening to Hank Williams. “I listen to some Hank Williams before I go out. I tell some jokes. I have fun. I don’t waste too much energy thinking about it – I like to save that all for the ring. The calmest part of my day is right before a match.” I never would have guessed it.
7 7. Gregory Helm’s Cup Addiction
To prepare their bodies for the big game or match, athletes tend to eat wholesome, protein-rich meals beforehand. Chicken and broccoli, pasta, fruits and vegetables; something to give their bodies a needed energy boost before they perform. But former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms eats something completely different. Before his matches he always eats Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Nothing like a mixture of chocolate and peanut butter to keep your body in peak physical condition. He said; “The little sugar rush helps the veins pop out, and mainly I like that because I really love Reese's Cups and that gave me a reason to eat them; and I always eat them. If I don't find them, I get really flustered. I have to have my Reese's Cups."
6 6. RVD and His Buds
Usually, athletes who need to stay in perfect form would stay away from any drug, performance enhancing or not. RVD has always done things a little differently. High-flying WWE superstar Rob Van Dam is a known advocate of marijuana. When speaking with the Washington Post in an article about how marijuana can affect athlete’s performances, RVD said that marijuana can have a positive influence on everything he does, from relaxing to performing in the ring. He goes on to stay that different strains of the plant can help with different activities. "If I want to relax and just chill out, consuming cannabis can help with that. If I want to be active, if I'm going to go work out or have a match, then it can help with that, too." Classic RVD.
5 5. Daniel Bryan Clamming Around
When it comes to strange hobbies or habits, this has got to be one of the weirdest. Growing up on small town of Aberdeen, Washington, Daniel Bryan, like the rest of the kids in the area, would gather around on their free time and dig for clams. With shovels, with their hands, it didn’t matter. What they were searching for in the sand was clams, and apparently it was a whole lot of fun. Bryan has been very open about his childhood hobby, as that’s really all there was to do. Nigel McGuinness even calls him ‘Clam Digger Danielson’. The current WWE Smackdown General Manager doesn’t shy away from the fact, which is in part why the WWE fans fell in love with the superstar so quickly.
4 4. Finn Balor is Just a Child At Heart
We all loved playing with Lego growing up. Building the playset, tearing it apart and building something entirely new was all part of the fun. Lego is pure imagination, but eventually, we all had to grow up and put the toys away in the crawlspace. But not Finn Balor. He’s been known to dress up like his favourite comic book characters in the ring, he loves reading graphic novels, he’s also a painter, but not only that, he has an obsession with Lego. The WWE superstar takes great care in setting up each set, then he displays them in his house for all to see. Good for you Finn. We should all take note from Finn Balor and never grow up. Now, where did I stash all those Legos from 1990?
3 3. CoMic Book Punk
CM Punk had one hell of a career in the WWE. Dude won everything. The former WWE Superstar was immensely popular among fans, but not so much with Vince McMahon. After much controversy and bickering behind stage with contracts and storylines, CM Punk officially left the WWE to follow another passion; comic books. Teaming with Marvel Comics, CM Punk has in charge of writing his very own series, for the Guardians of the Galaxy character Drax the Destroyer. He’s also written for the Avengers vs. X-Men story, as well from Marvel, and has contributed to Image Comics as well. He’s building quite a career in comic books, but let’s face it; we all miss him going off-script on the mic, ripping into Vince and the WWE brass. Good times.
2 2. Brock Lesnar, Animal Conqueror
It really comes to no surprise that a dude like Brock Lesnar would like to hunt. With a bow or a rifle, the WWE Superstar usually goes for the big bucks with most impressive antlers. He is very proud of not wasting any of the animal, eating all of the meat and using all usable body parts. However he got in some trouble recently in Alberta, Canada, and was charged with improper tagging of his kill. He was fined over $1700 and is banned from hunting for upwards to six months. Lucky for Lesnar, two other charges, unlawful possession of wildlife and wastage of edible flesh were dropped. Apparently Lesnar was very co-operative with the authorities, but later came out in saying that he’s been hunting since he was six, and never wastes any meat; “just look at my dinner plate”.
1 1. Ticky Tacky Cena
Outside of wrestling, John Cena is doing well for himself in Hollywood. He’s made a number of appearances in big-name movies and we’re seeing more and more of him around Hollywood’s best and brightest. Recently on Ellen, while discussing his pre-match ritual, John let the world in on a strange habit he participates in before every match; Tic Tacs. Yes, the well-known mint in the little plastic container, about two hours before the match this ritual will begin, and Cena consumes numerous boxes before each match. Up to two to five boxes. That’s a hell of a lot of Tic Tacs. It must be a mental thing, maybe sucking and chewing on the tiny candies keeps his mind on something other than winning the WWE Championship for the one millionth time.