5 times WWE worked with NFL players

#2. WWE brings in just a bunch of NFL guys for WrestleMania 2

Let's be honest here: WWE WrestleMania 2 was just weird, man. Possibly inspired by Live Aid, WrestleMania 2 took place in not one, not two, but three different cities at once. It was an ambitious undertaking, but it was just the icing on the cake for how all-out Vince McMahon would go with the show.

WrestleMania 2 was held in Uniondale, NY for its first hour, Rosemont, IL (outside of Chicago) for hour two, and then wrapped up hour 3 in Los Angeles, CA. WWE also brought in even more celebrities than the previous year, including the likes of sitcom star Susan St. James (who they put on commentary for some reason), boxing legend Joe Frazier, Ozzy Osbourne, political figure G. Gordon Liddy (again, for some reason), and so many... random... others.

Seriously, they brought in two fast food restaurant mascots: Herb from Burger King and the Wendy's "Where's the Beef?" lady.

For the second hour held in Chicago, WWE had a pretty ingenious idea: a 20-man battle royale featuring 14 pro wrestlers and six NFL players. Among the football stars at the time to participate were Jimbo Covert, Ernie Holmes and future WWE Hall of Famer William "The Refrigerator" Perry. WWE would send in some pretty heavy hitters as well, including a number of future Hall of Famers such as Bruno Sammartino, Big John Studd, and Bret Hart in his WrestleMania debut.

To their credit, the NFL players in the bout really held their own. While "The Fridge" is the one most remembered from the match, Bill Fralic of the Atlanta Falcons was impressive, as well. It was clear, just from watching him, that Fralic took being in this match seriously and he even looked like he could have even had a future in the pro wrestling world.

This wouldn't be Fralic's last dance with WWE, however. In 1993, the company invited a number of pro athletes to come aboard the USS Intrepid to attempt to bodyslam the then-WWF Champion, the 550 lbs. Yokozuna. Fralic was among those who tried and didn't succeed, but it was pretty cool to see him again. Sadly, Fralic passed away from cancer in 2018.

Eventually, the match itself would be won by - and prepare yourselves for a shock, everyone - Andre the Giant.

Nowadays, you won't really see currently active pro athletes involved in something like this - there's just too much risk involved. And, while pro wrestling was in a boom period at the time, it still wasn't very well understood or respected by mainstream sports media. Which is why it was so refreshing seeing these NFL players in this battle royal, treating it seriously and not as a gag, and putting on a great show.