Professional wrestlers usually come from one of two camps. One is high school and college athletes that decide to train to become a professional wrestler, many of whom wrestled in the amateur ranks. However, the other wrestlers are the ones who succeeded as professional athletes in one sport or another before moving on wrestling in WWE or elsewhere.
The NFL has had some great wrestlers come from its ranks. However, the best of the best had very short careers in the NFL before getting a start training young. In rare cases, an NFL player will have a successful football career before moving on to wrestling. Here is a look at 10 former NFL football players who won titles in wrestling.
10 BARON CORBIN
Baron Corbin was a successful college football player at Northwest Missouri State, where he made it to four straight Division II National Championship games. He went on to sign with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2009.
He then signed with the Arizona Cardinals for the 2010-11 seasons. Since then, Corbin moved on to WWE and has won the United States Championship one time, while also winning the King of the Ring in 2019 and Money in the Bank in 2017.
9 MOJO RAWLEY
Mojo Rawley is the one WWE superstar who made his NFL career public knowledge. His move set, including his version of the spear, is based on his football career. He played in college for Maryland, where he played with Dan Gronkowski. He signed with the Green Bay Packers in 2009 and also had a small stint with the Arizona Cardinals. In WWE, he is a seven-time 24/7 Champion and also won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2017 when Rob Gronkowski interfered.
8 HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN
Most fans know Hacksaw Jim Duggan from his days in WWE, where he carried a 2X4 and ran around with an American flag, getting fans to chant "USA USA." He also had a little success as a babyface, winning the first-ever Royal Rumble event. He did win titles in WCW and was a massive star in Mid-South Wrestling, winning titles there. Duggan played football at SMU and went on to sign with the Atlanta Falcons.
7 RON SIMMONS
Ron Simmons was a star in football before he moved on to professional wrestling. Simmons played football at Florida State and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2008. He played four years at FSU and finished ninth in Heisman voting in 1979.
As for professional wrestling, he is also a WWE Hall of Fame superstar. He has the honor of being the first African American world champion in a major promotion when he won the title in WCW. He was also a three-time WWE tag team champion with Bradshaw in the APA.
6 VADER
Vader had a disappointing WWE career and never achieved the success he deserved there. However, he was a three-time WCW world champion and one of its most dominant superstars. He also won titles in New Japan and All Japan and is one of the most successful American stars in the Orient.
Before he started in AWA, the Los Angeles Rams drafted Leon White in the third round of the 1978 NFL Draft. He made it to the Super Bowl with the Rams as a rookie.
5 BILL GOLDBERG
Goldberg might be the greatest WCW-created superstar in the history of the company. He was lightning in a bottle, coming in and catching fans' attention immediately as an unstoppable monster that no one could beat.
He ended up as a multi-time world champion over his professional wrestling career, both in WCW and WWE. The Los Angeles Rams drafted Goldberg in the 1990 NFL Draft. He played with the Rams and the Atlanta Falcons, retiring in 1995.
4 ROMAN REIGNS
WWE wanted to push Roman Reigns as one of its top stars, and he was in multiple main events at WrestleMania over the years. He also won four world championships on top of two mid-card titles and the tag team titles, making him a Grand Slam Champion in the company.
Before WWE, Reigns played football with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and was a three-year starter and team captain. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings in 2007 and also signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He ended up playing in Canada for one year before heading to WWE.
3 BRIAN PILLMAN
Brian Pillman was a hugely successful professional wrestler, even without ever winning a world title. He worked in WCW and was a Light Heavyweight Champion, tag team champion with Steve Austin, and United States Tag Team Champion with Tom Zenk. However, he was a bigger-than-life superstar who transcended titles. Before WCW, he played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984, Buffalo Bills in 1985, and then in Canada in 1986.
2 LEX LUGER
Lex Luger became a professional wrestling superstar in the days where fans followed wrestling around the world through magazines. He was hyped as a huge star in Florida, and that made his arrival in Crockett Promotions as a member of the Four Horsemen huge. Luger ended up as a multi-time world champion in WCW while winning several other titles as well. Luger played for the Green Bay Packers from 1982 to 1983 and then moved on to the USFL for two seasons.
1 WAHOO MCDANIEL
Going back old-school, Chief Wahoo McDaniel was a very successful NFL football player before moving on to professional wrestling. McDaniel played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and held the record for the longest punt in NCAA history.
The Los Angeles Chargers drafted him in the second round of the 1960 NFL Draft. He played in the NFL for nine seasons. McDaniel went on to win titles in the AWA and Crockett Promotions, the territory that later became WCW.