5 things you might not know about Daniel Cormier

#3 He was a pro-wrestler, but not in the way that you might think

Cormier competed in the short-lived RPW promotion in 2004

Everyone knows Cormier is a massive fan of professional wrestling and his mic work – both his post-fight promos and his commentating – are heavily influenced by the wild antics of WWE. But most fans might not actually realise that he once moonlighted as a pro-wrestler – but not in the WWE-ish way that would’ve seen him compete in tag teams or hit an opponent with a steel chair.

Instead, Cormier competed in the competition known as Real Pro Wrestling – a league put together in 2002 essentially to provide amateur wrestlers from the Olympic or Collegiate level with an option to actually be paid to wrestle – hence the term ‘pro wrestling’ but without the connection to the scripted version of that sport.

RPW used a hybrid of rules combining freestyle, folkstyle, Greco-Roman and even sumo wrestling, and wrestlers taking part represented one of 8 teams named colourfully – teams included Minnesota Freeze and New York Outrage.

Unfortunately, RPW only lasted two seasons – 2004 and 2007 – before folding, but a handful of notable names from the world of MMA competed in the league while it was active. One of those names? Daniel Cormier, of course. He won the 96kg weight division in the inaugural 2004 season representing Oklahoma Slam – alongside fellow future MMA star Muhammed Lawal.

As he’s since gone into MMA full time, his RPW stint will probably be the closest Cormier will come to being involved in pro-wrestling – unless a WWE deal is on the table after he retires, of course!