WWE History Vol. 4: The Olympians

Before the dawn of the modern age, the original Olympics were held in Athens, Greece. The events included wrestling, chariot-riding, archery, and pancreas, an early precursor to what we call Mixed Martial Arts.

While many things have changed about the Olympics over the many years of their existence--for example, the competition used to be for men only, and those men competed bare naked--one thing has remained the same; The Olympics is a place for the most elite athletes in the world to display their talent for an appreciative audience.

If you're wondering just how hard it is to get chosen for an Olympic spot, consider this. Less than .0013% of amateur athletes ever make the cut. Those are worse odds than becoming a professional athlete in any sport you'd care to name, from major league baseball to cricket.

The WWE is also home to some of the most elite athletes, and a select few have also been proud to be involved in the Olympics.

Here are eight WWE Superstars who are former Olympians, and some of the names might surprise you.

#1 Giant Gonzales

Our first Olympian in our retrospective is none other than Giant Gonzales. The towering Gonzales was taller than Andre the Giant but lacked the latter's charisma and presence.

Born Jorge Gonzales in Argentina, he represented his native country in the 1988 Olympics, competing in basketball though he failed to earn a medal.

After spotting him at the Olympic games, Ted Turner offered Gonzales a contract with his burgeoning World Championship Wrestling promotion. Dubbed El Gigante, he feuded with the Four Horsemen, frequently teaming up with Sting and Brian Pillman to take on the villainous group.

Gonzales would jump to the WWE a few years later, where he became one of The Undertaker's victims during his legendary streak. Most fans remember Gonzales for his tacky fake muscle leotard, but to be honest, he wasn't the best in-ring performer.

Health problems forced him to retire and led to his eventual death. He never won a title in WWE, but PWI did name his and Undertaker's feud, the worst of the year.

Gonzales used chloroform to to knock out the Undertaker and was hence disqualified from his match, giving the phenom another Wrestlemania victory. It is interesting to note that the former remained the closest wrestler to beat the Undertaker before Lesnar ended the Deadman's streak.

#2 The Iron Sheik

"Iran number one! USA, ach-tooey!" If you were a fan of WWE during their classic era, you probably remember that line coming from perennial wrestling villain Iron Sheik.

But, a lot of people don't know that the Iron Sheik was a decorated amateur wrestler prior to his professional days. In fact, he was an Olympian.

During the 1968 Mexico Olympic games, he represented his native Iran in amateur wrestling, though he failed to medal. A few years later, Sheik emigrated to the United States, where his experience landed him a spot as the assistant coach to Team USA in 1972.

After his Olympic coaching career ended, Sheik became involved in pro wrestling. Since he was an Iran native, promoters often pushed him as a terrible villain, even though in real life Sheik is known to be one of the funniest and most personable wrestlers to ever lace up the boots.

He defeated long-reigning champion Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship, only to lose it a few weeks later to a guy you may have heard of named Hulk Hogan.

As far as controversies go, the Sheik is never far off. His social media profile screams of profanity and he holds no punches back.

#3 Giant Silva

Not even both members of Kaientai can lift Giant Silva off his feet.

Born Paulo Silva in his native Brazil, the man who would eventually be known as Giant Silva began his career playing basketball.

The towering Silva stood at a legit seven foot two and a half inches. His height served him well in the sport of basketball, and he played for Brazil in the 1988 Olympic games, though he failed to earn a medal.

Silva eventually transitioned to pro wrestling and made his way to the WWE in 1997. Silva was huge. Unfortunately, he lacked much dexterity or coordination. He flitted around between promotions after his WWE career ended, and also tried his hand at MMA, having a 2-6 record overall.

Most fans know Giant Silva from his time in the Oddities stable, where he teamed up with other big men Kurrgan and Golga -- formerly known as Earthquake.

It still baffles us as to how a stable like the Oddities failed to deliver despite having men of such enviable physiques.

#4 Ken Patera

Ken Patera was born into a highly athletic family, with nearly all of his family members being involved in sports competitions.

Ken Patera is a two-time Olympian. He competed at the 1968 Olympics in Shot-Put. After a disappointing performance, he turned his attention to weight lifting.

Patera would do well in the Pan American games and even won a gold medal in the competition for overall weight in 1971. He would go on to compete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in weight lifting, but despite being heavily favored he failed to medal.

Patera then turned his attention to pro wrestling. He was enjoying a promising career, until one night in a drunken rage, he smashed a McDonald's plate glass window with a boulder. This, and a subsequent brawl with law enforcement, led to Patera missing two years of action while he served his sentence.

Patera returned to the WWE afterward and engaged in a feud with Dino Bravo, the self-proclaimed world's strongest man, but his career unfortunatel never really recovered.

#5 Bad News Brown

"You people watching at home think you're better than Bad News Brown, even though you're sitting on your broken down couch with your fat grandma and drunken daddy."

Few people in the wrestling business had a better gift of gab than Allen Coage, better known by his ring name Bad News Brown.

Allen Coage was a competitive Judo player, and his agility was surprising for a heavyweight. He was one of the few to be selected for the US Olympic Judo team and wound up managing to win the bronze medal at the 1976 Olympics.

Since there are no professional Judo leagues, Brown turned his attention to pro wrestling. He worked his way up through the territories and eventually debuted for the WWE. With his mike skills and amazing Enziguri finisher--dubbed the Ghetto Blaster--Brown was a major player in WWE's classic era. Many fans know him from his feud with Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Brown never won any titles in WWE, but he left a definite impression during his heyday, even facing off against Hulk Hogan at Saturday Night's Main Event.

#6 Mark Henry

Mark Henry, much like Ken Patera, is a two-time Olympian. He competed at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games in weightlifting competitions but failed to earn a medal.

Henry did manage to do much better at the Pan American games, where he won bronze, silver, and gold medals in weight lifting. He also has a legit claim to the world's strongest man title, having won the 2002 Arnold Classic.

Henry turned his attention to the WWE, and initially debuted as a face, but then in his first match, he turned heel and joined the Nation of Domination. He would become the babyface Sexual Chocolate before heading to Ohio Valley Wrestling to bone up on his skills.

Once Henry returned, the Sexual Chocolate was gone. He went on the infamous "Hall of Pain" run and even captured the WWE World title.

Henry still works for WWE under a legends contract and a backstage producer. He was recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of the class of 2018.

#7 Ronda Rousey

Tough as nails, Ronda Rousey is best known for her UFC career, where she was a Bantamweight Champion.

But before her UFC career began, she was a highly skilled Judoka. Rousey won a spot on the 2008 USA Olympic Judo team and competed in the Summer Olympics.

Rousey managed to capture the Bronze medal in Judo at the Olympic games, cementing her status as one of the world's elite athletes.

A lot of doubters nay sayed her UFC career before it had even begun, but Rousey silenced her critics with dominating performances and a title run. Rousey often finished her opponents with an armbar submission, which is quite a feat since her opponents were trained specifically to avoid the move.

Then Rousey, a life-long wrestling fan, joined the WWE. After an impressive debut at WrestleMania 34, she captured the Raw Women's title. Rousey is taking a break from wrestling, but it seems likely she will return to the WWE at some point.

Rousey's decision to join the WWE was part of the Divas revolution setup that helped legitimize the company's women's division.

#8 Kurt Angle

For many years, the world of amateur wrestling scoffed at pro wrestling. The mere existence of sports entertainment was thought to be an insult to Greco Roman and catch wrestling because pro wrestling is not a 'legitimate' competition, but a performance.

However, as the years passed and pro wrestling went mainstream due to the Rock N Wrestling Connection, the number of fans grew to include amateur wrestlers who not only wanted to compete in the Olympics, but they wanted to wrestle for WWE as well.

Kurt Angle won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and was victorious in his final match despite having suffered a 'broken freaking neck.'

Angle made the switch to WWE, where he went on an undefeated streak that ended at the hands of Tazz. That would be the last time Tazz did better in WWE than Angle, however.

Angle has held every title available in WWE except the Cruiserweight Championship, which was created after his time as an active wrestler ended. Angle is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame and will be remembered for being one of the best in-ring performers in history. To this day his moonsault is a thing of beauty.

Edited by Israel Lutete