From pumping iron to beating faces.

With WWE Tough Enough due to premiere tonight, there’s been a few concepts floating around the office. Namely why bodybuilding fans crossover to wrestling so seamlessly. It’s no secret that we at Generation Iron are pretty big fans of professional wrestling, but it appears you guys enjoy the WWE as well.

There’s no getting around the idea that bodybuilding is a bit of a niche sport. Either you’re all in or you have no interest whatsoever. That being said, it’s pretty refreshing to see that despite being fans of pro bodybuilding most of you have a shared interest in the world of professional wrestling. We’ve been searching for the reason behind that connection and it’s become painfully obvious that the connection isn’t a coincidence.

Many of the WWE superstars that have gained popularity over the years haven’t just competed in professional wrestling. Indeed, many wrestlers started off their athletic careers engrossed in some other kind of competitive endeavor, one of those being bodybuilding. That’s right, some of the most talented and popular wrestlers that have had the privilege to perform in the WWE’s squared circle started out in competitive bodybuilding before making the leap.

So besides John Cena of course, what other big names began their careers in bodybuilding before crossing over to the more mainstream world of pro wrestling?

Triple H

Before gracing the ring as the popular wrestler Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Paul Micheal Levesque was an avid fan of wrestling, in particular the legend Ric Flair. His love of wrestling as well as the wrestling physique drove Levesque to take up bodybuilding in high school. After graduating he would go on to compete in a number of bodybuilding competition, even being crowned Mr. New Hampshire.