11) Kurt Angle
Job Before Becoming A Wrestler: Sports Broadcaster
Everyone knows that Kurt Angle is a former Olympic Gold medalist. After his amateur wrestling career, he was looking for his place in life. Angle did a number of things, including becoming a sports broadcaster in the Pittsburgh area.
From a WWE.com article on Angle:
“[Kurt] worked as a local sportscaster in the city and even did a local pizza commercial.
Glad he chose professional wrestling.
12) Brock Lesnar
Job Before Becoming A Wrestler: Member Of The National Guard
The beast Brock Lesnar has always been athletically gifted. You might not know that at the age of 17, he joined the National Guard.
From his book: Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival, Lesnar failed one of the National Guard’s tests due to being color blind. As a result he was assigned to clerical duty. He ended up failing a typing test and leaving the National Guard after a few months. Can you imagine Brock Lesnar sitting behind a desk?
He also briefly worked a construction job.
13) Hulk Hogan
Job Before Becoming A Wrestler: Musician
Long before Hulk Hogan was dominating the wrestling world, he had a passion for music. Hogan played bass in a rock ‘n’ roll band called: Ruckus, making a little bit of money.
Hulk eventually chose wrestling after his fellow bandmates only wanted to play local shows. Hogan wanted to tour larger cities and this led to conflict between the band.
From a 2014 article with Noisey.com
“Two of our guys went, “Oh we don’t want to go on the road, my wife just had a baby!” and that kind of pushed me over the edge”
Hogan eventually got a tryout to become a wrestler and the rest is history.
14) The Big Show
Job Before Becoming A Wrestler: A Bail Bondsman
Before becoming a wrestler, the Big show held a number of jobs. In a 2016 interview with Virgin Radio Dubai, Big Show says that he worked as a bail bondsman.
He says that he would wait outside of a bar or someone’s house and bring them back to jail for a bit of money. Due to his size, he didn’t find anyone resisting. Can you imagine the Big Show coming to find you for an unpaid debt?
He also says that he worked as a door-to-door salesman but was horrible at it.
15) Paul Bearer
Job Before Becoming A Wrestler: An Undertaker (Seriously)
Paul Bearer played the character on WWE television for so many years but it was completely based on reality. Bearer worked as a mortician for a funeral home during his early years in the wrestling business, trying to make ends meet:
From an interview with Michigan Live:
“Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be in the wrestling business and to be in the funeral business. When I got married and my wife was pregnant, I decided I was going to need something a little more stable to depend on”
Pretty cool stuff.
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