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Plenty of WWE and AEW performers look like they walked into the ring right off an NFL field. For several individuals, that is exactly what happened.
Roman Reigns is counted among that bunch after his successful NCAA football career at Georgia Tech. At the time, he was known as Joe Anoa'i, who was a star defensive tackle for years with the Yellow Jackets. He even did well enough to get a shot at the next level.
Where did Roman Reigns play in the NFL?
Reigns went undrafted in 2007, but was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings. They cut him relatively quickly, and he signed on with the Jacksonville Jaguars, only to be let go by them as well.
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He decided to head to Canada, where he played one season in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos. Following that lone season, it was time to become a professional wrestler.
Why did Roman Reigns quit football?
The reason Reigns was cut by the Vikings was because they discovered he had leukemia. WWE fans know of his battle with the disease in recent years, but it is something he has dealt with for a long time.
That immediately hurt his chances of signing with other teams, but he also may not have been good enough to stick on a 53-man roster. That meant it was time to follow in the family's footsteps and join the wrestling world.
That decision has paid off well, as it did not take long for Reigns to rise to the top of the WWE world following his debut in 2012 as a member of "The Shield." He became a champion a few years later and remains a face of the company. This is a better alternative than tolling around the bottom of NFL rosters for years.
Reigns' football background is clear whenever he steps into a WWE ring. He has the speed of a defensive lineman, and his spear maneuver looks like he is laying a major hit on a quarterback. He also has the look of an NFL player, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing in at over 260 pounds.
His NFL career did not work out, but life in general has gone well for the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket.
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