From pumping iron to beating faces.
With the WWE getting bigger and more popular each year, it has been made clear that there have been a lot of wrestlers out there with some incredible physiques, resembling professional bodybuilders. That being said, it raises the question as why bodybuilding fans crossover to wrestling so seamlessly. It’s no secret that we at Generation Iron are pretty big fans of professional wrestling, so we are going to break down some big names in wrestling that started out as bodybuilders.
From Bodybuilding to Wrestling
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, many people have a shared interest in the world of professional wrestling.
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 (Triple H), 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.
The Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimate Warrior was no doubt one of the more enigmatic wrestling personalities out there. But before he got his start in the WWE, The Ultimate Warrior was first discovered as a member of a group of bodybuilders hoping to turn pro wrestlers. The team, PowerTeam USA, consisted of four bodybuilders Garland Donoho, Mark Miller, Ed Brock, and two more notable members Steve Borden AKA Sting, and The Warrior himself Jim Hellwig. Borden and Hellwig would go on to form the tag team group The Blade Runners, utilizing their impressive physique to garner attention and popularity in the wrestling community.
Chyna
Before she was known as Chyna “The Ninth Wonder of the World”, she was known as Joan Marie Laurer, a former competitive bodybuilder and fitness competitor. Chyna gained popularity in the mid 90’s as one of the first women in WWE history to not only compete alongside the men, but be a domineering and imposing physical force as well. There’s no doubt that without bodybuilding, Chyna would’ve never have became the WWE superstar we all know.
Dave Bautista
A multifaceted talent with an immense upside, Dave Bautista wasn’t always tearing things up on the big screen. Bautista was a pretty popular wrestler before turning into a full time actor. Before even that however he was leading a pretty hard life, being arrested a number of times and getting into altercations as a bouncer before turning a corner and finding bodybuilding. Bautista has gone on to state that bodybuilding effectively saved his life. His athletic gifts that made him a great bodybuilder ultimately saw him trying out for wrestling where the WWE sent him to train at the famed Wild Samoan Training Centre. The rest is history.
Bodybuilders Turned Wrestlers Wrap Up
All in all, bodybuilding was the start of many wrestlers’ careers, hence the reason a lot of them have these incredible physiques. Are you a fan of pro wrestling? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
