10 WWE Superstars who served in the Military

The warm connections that WWE has with the US Military are no secret. No matter how much criticism comes in the way of Vince McMahon, the way in which he supports the dedicated personnel in the military deserves a lot of appreciation. Almost the entire WWE Universe is aware of these tributes that WWE pays to the troops but how many of us know about the professional wrestlers who served for US Military?

A person deserves a lot of credit if he makes it into the payroll of WWE and deserves a whole lot more respect if he has a history of serving the Military. So in case you did not know, here are some of the superstars who spent time in the United States Military before earning their respect in the wrestling circuit.

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#11 Honorable Mention: Mr. Kennedy

For the fans who don’t remember this guy, he was the one who used to shout his name twice from the microphone that dropped from the sky. The WWE management was firmly behind Kennedy during his stay in the company but thanks to the friction that he had with Randy Orton and John Cena, he soon dropped down the ranks and was released.

Before his WWE venture, Kennedy worked as a security officer in the Point Beach Nuclear Power plant and this paved way for his entry into the United States Army. He later left the army to take up wrestling as a profession and was groomed by none other than Paul Heyman, during his stay in the WWE developmental promotion.

#10 Perry Saturn

Even if Perry Saturn is not one of those names that would come to our mind when talking about the good old days, he did have a solid career in the business. Saturn spent his time in WCW, WWE and ECW during his wrestling days and went on to win championships in all three promotions, which by the way is a very big achievement.

His days in the military started back when he was 17. He was a US Army Airborne Ranger and served a whopping four years in the military before deciding to become a professional wrestler. He showed a lot of his army attitude in the squared circle as well, where he was someone who talked less and did more.

#9 Kevin Nash

Okay, this one is not a joke; Kevin Nash did actually spend some good time in the US Military. The former Diesel has a notorious reputation for being prone to tearing his quad at every corner but he wasn’t like this during his younger days. Nash was a celebrated NCCA basketball career and once an injury (okay, he was prone to injury in his younger days) ended his basketball career, he enlisted in the US military.

He joined the 202nd Military Police and was immediately stationed in an overseas NATO facility. He later gave up the Military and came back to the United States to become a professional wrestler.

#8 Jesse Ventura

You know Jesse Ventura the wrestler, you probably know Jesse Ventura the politician, and you surely know Jesse Ventura from the movie Predator, but do you know Jesse Ventura from the United States Navy?

The last question is what matters in the list so if you didn’t, here goes: Ventura served in the United States Navy after graduating from the Basic Underwater Demolition School (cool name for a school). The course he took up was a crucial reason for his enrollment in the Navy and it helped Ventura serve as a UDT frogman. And if that was not enough to be impressed, he was stationed in the Philippines during the Vietnam War.

#7 Verne Gagne

The wrestling business suffered a big loss recently when Verne Gagne passed away. Although the modern era fans would find it hard to recognize the former promoter, he is hands down one of the legendary names that made wrestling what it is today.

A great athlete beyond the ring, Gagne got the chance to play football in the University of Minnesota back in 1943. During his stay in the University, Gagne enlisted himself in the US Marine Corps and served during the Second World War. After a year in the Marines, Gagne returned to the University and took up amateur wrestling. He steered his career into professional wrestling back in 1949 and went on to be a 10-time AWA World Champion.

#6 Bobby Lashley

The WWE fans will have a distinct memory of what Bobby Lashley was and what he could have been. His second run in WWE in 2018 However, not many of us are aware of the military background that Lashley had before making it in the wrestling business. Lashley did his studies in the Missouri Valley College and went on to win three national college Amateur Wrestling championships during his time there.

Lashley later joined the US Army where he continued to wrestle. He was also training to take part in the 2003 Olympics but his Olympic dreams came crashing down when he suffered a knee injury. The injury is what made him jump ship to professional wrestling and we all know what happened there.

#5 Konnan

Just like Verne Gagne, Konnan is an important name in the course of professional wrestling. He was responsible for an array of Superstars from Mexico making it into the United States and is currently playing a major role in building up Lucha Underground.

The time he spent in WCW and WWE did not have much to be remembered about apart from being tagged as the Mexican Hulk Hogan but he did have a long stay in the Military. He was arrested during his young age for having dealings with drug lords and street gangs and was given the choice of either going to jail or joining the military.

He chose the latter and served the United States Navy just like that. He went on to become a Boxing champion in the Navy and served in various parts across the world.

#4 Sgt. Slaughter

If you thought that only Sgt. Slaughter’s gimmick had the United States written all over it, think again. After completing his high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps and it was in the Corps where he earned the name ‘Sgt. Slaughter’. Sarge spent some quality time in the Marines before joining AWA to take up professional wrestling.

There, he started off his career as a masked wrestler called Super Destroyer but later decided that it was better for him to take up his real-life persona as it oozed out national pride. The gimmick change worked and he went on to become a legend in the wrestling business.

#3 Zeb Colter

Zeb Colter served for the United States in the Vietnam War. The first sentence itself is enough to show that he deserves respect. He was a member of the US army’s 25th infantry division and spent a whole year in Vietnam before making his return to US soil.

There he found that professional wrestling would be a great business for him and didn’t think much trying his hand there. Colter then went on to be instrumental in moulding the careers of Sting, Ultimate Warrior, Kane, Undertaker, Steve Austin and many more and made an everlasting mark in the wrestling business.

#2 Road Dogg

The rebellious Road Dogg might be the last person you would expect to see in the United States Military, but the truth is, the rebellious part is only restricted to Kayfabe. One half of the New Age Outlaws, He was born into a wrestling family and was the son of Hall of Famer Bullet Bob Armstrong.

He decided that he had a career in wrestling just like his father and made his debut back in 1986. However, his mind changed quickly and soon, Road Dogg enrolled into the United States Marine Corps. He served on a tour of duty for the Corps and later came back to the place he belonged to, the wrestling business.

#1 Randy Orton

The WWE fans would know Randy Orton as someone who followed his father’s footsteps into the professional wrestling business but before he made it in the WWE, Orton was in the United States Marine Corps.

Orton, however, had a tough time in the Marine service and after going Absent Without Official Leave (AOWL) on several occasions, the Apex Predator was dishonourably discharged from the Military. It is a past that Orton would love to forget as he is still blacklisted by the Military. Orton’s departure from the Military, however, proved to be good news for the professional wrestling business, as it received a great third generation superstar who was main-event worthy.

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