From Triple H, John Cena, to Bianca Belair, Athletes Who Swapped Careers Between Bodybuilding and WWE

The sporting world of bodybuilding and WWE rather function simultaneously. Most bodybuilders even have a history of competing in combat sports and vice versa. From Flex Wheeler to Ronnie Coleman, everyone tried their hands at combat sports. However, these are not the only legends who juggled between the two sports before finding their forte. Many WWE superstars have an intriguing past, where they struggled a lot before finding their true metier.

Some of the big names in the world of WWE once had different vocations. The most popular 6 WWE household names are John Cena, Sting, Alexa Bliss, Bianca Belair, Batista, and Triple H. Let’s find out, what they were pursuing before becoming the most regarded WWE champions.

Professional Bodybuilders to Wrestlers

There are great athletes in both bodybuilding and wrestling. Some athletes found their drive in one go, while some struggled before finding their passion for one sport. However, those who figured out became the most significant athletes of all time. The prominent names in WWE, who once indulged in bodybuilding before they made it big in wrestling are:

Steve Borden: Professionally known as ‘Sting’, Steve initially embarked to build a career in bodybuilding. He even took part in various bodybuilding competitions as well. However, after watching his first WWF event in Los Angeles, he was taken aback by the flair of combat sports professionals like Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Since then, Steve was unstoppable and to date, he has fourteen international championships to his name.

Batista: Before earning widespread recognition in wrestling, Dave Bautista started his journey by trying his hand at various sports such as bodybuilding and weightlifting. Dave even became a 6X world champion by winning the world heavyweight championship. Soon after that, Batista’s interest got hooked by wrestling and he dropped off his career of bodybuilding to become a professional wrestler.

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Alexa Bliss: The 5X women’s champion, Alexa started her professional career as a fitness enthusiast and hence took part in various bodybuilding competitions. However, in 2013 Alexa finally chose her forte as wrestling and became one of the youngest female athletes to receive an IFBF pro card.

Wrestlers who pursued different gigs

We have discussed the bodybuilders who ultimately came to know about their true drive. But, without these three names, the world of WWE is incomplete.

John Cena: John Cena pursued several gigs before signing a career to wrestling. He started pursuing his career in bodybuilding in 1998. However, lifting heavy weights and several workout prompts piqued his interest in wrestling. Hence, a year later he switched to professional wrestling. It turned out, his decision of switching careers made him one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

Paul Levesque: Popularly known as Triple H got his first taste of bodybuilding at the age of 14. The sole reason for him to enter bodybuilding is to look like the wrestlers he initially saw on television. Later, his drive to make it into the WWE universe got him to meet the world-renowned wrestler Killer Kowalski. From that point on, his life changed and he became a professional wrestler.

Bianca Belair: Bianca made it into the world of bodybuilding for her interests in fitness and weightlifting. She even won various bodybuilding and weightlifting championships. However, because of a physical condition, she has to swap her career. Hence, she chose wrestling over bodybuilding and powerlifting.

Naturally, a meticulous physique and muscular prowess are required in both bodybuilding and wrestling. Clearly, these champions truly made the best of both worlds.

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