It should come as no surprise that various WWE athletes have a background in other sports. Being at WWE superstar requires varying degrees of agility, strength, quickness and other skills that would also come in quite handy in other disciplines.
Some of these superstars were so good at their chosen sport that they ended up playing collegiately, with some even earning scholarships. Here are five of those superstars and the colleges they called home before entering a WWE ring.
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#5 Big E
Before he was part of the New Day, currently the WWE Tag Team Champions, and a powerlifter, Big E was an American football player. Big E, real name Ettore Ewen, even signed a football scholarship at the University, where he was a defensive lineman for a season.
The skills that landed him a gig with a major football program are evident in the WWE ring. He has a rare blend of size, strength, speed and agility that would have been difficult to block on the football field. Maybe the Power of Positivity would have also paid off.
#4 The Undertaker
The Undertaker is known as “The Phenom” in the WWE for good reason. He’s nearly 7 feet tall with the agility of a much smaller man and athletic skill to match, and those skills have held up well over the last two decades or more.
As a result, it should come as no surprise that he had an athletic career before he wrestled in both WCW and WWE. The Deadman, real name Mark Calaway, had a basketball scholarship at Angelina College in Texas prior to becoming one of the most feared men in pro wrestling.
#3 Jack Swagger
Jack Swagger has hit hard times on WWE programming recently, as he rarely performs and doesn’t win meaningful matches much when he does. But Swagger is a former Money in the Bank winner and held the World Heavyweight Championship as a result.
Before that, though, Swagger – real name Jake Hager – was recruited to the University of Oklahoma as both a football player and wrestler. He quit football to focus solely on wrestling, and that helped lead to being named an All-American and recording 30 pins.
#2 Shelton Benjamin
The WWE has made a point of documenting Brock Lesnar’s resume as a former collegiate wrestler and mixed martial artist, but he’s not the only famous WWE superstar to come through the University of Minnesota.
Before he got there, Shelton Benjamin had made the journey from South Carolina to Minnesota, where he – like Lesnar – became a two-time All-American. That should make his successful career as a tag and singles competitor in WWE and other promotions no surprise.
#1 Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns, real name Joe Anoa’i, didn’t just play American football in college, he was quite the force for Georgia Tech. A team captain his senior year, Anoa’i racked up 108 total tackles in his four-year career, including 29 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.
After that, he had a short stint with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings before turning his attention to the WWE, where his family has an extensive history. Maybe that football prowess can explain his high-impact style and athletic ability he shows in the ring.
