From Brock Lesnar to Roman Reigns, Here Are 5 Past and Current WWE Superstars Who Who Were Once Part of the NFL

Many WWE fans know that at one point in time, Dwayne Johnson really wanted to be part of the NFL. Unfortunately, or luckily, that didn’t work out for him and we know Johnson as the WWE and Hollywood superstar that he is today. But a few former and current WWE stars did get a chance to fulfill that dream of theirs.

Here are 5 of those WWE wrestlers who made it to the NFL.

1. Goldberg

Long before we knew Goldberg as the monster delivering thunderous jackhammers, he was trying to make it to the NFL. His love for football started in the late 80s when he got a scholarship to attend the University of Georgia. There he played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs. Goldberg struck gold when he was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 11th round of the 1990 NFL draft.

Goldberg continued playing football even outside the NFL with the Sacramento Surge of the WLAF in 1992 and the Sacramento Gold Miners of the Canadian Football League in 1993. He was also part of the NFL team Atlanta Falcons from 1992 to 1994. Later, the Carolina Panthers chose to recruit him in the 1995 NFL expansion draft. However, he never played a game for the team and was subsequently released from the team. Unfortunately, Goldberg’s football career came to an abrupt end when he tore his lower abdomen off his pelvis. Goldberg once even spoke on The Pat McAfee show about how playing in the NFL was his dream.

2. Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar has tried his hands at multiple sports ranging from amateur wrestling to pro wrestling to even MMA. But not many know that he once dabbled in the NFL. After WrestleMania 20 in 2004, Lesnar put his WWE career on hold and decided to pursue a career in the NFL.

Lesnar performed really well at the NFL Combine in the same year. This led to The Minnesota Vikings expressing an interest to sign Lesnar in June 2004. Unfortunately, Lesnar had a motorbike accident in April and suffered multiple injuries along with a pulled groin. This delayed him getting signed up by the Minnesota Vikings. But he fully recovered from his groin injury and was signed by the Vikings on July 27. The Beast Incarnate played in several preseason games but was released by the Vikings on August 30. Later, he received an invitation to play as a representative for the Vikings in NFL Europa. But he declined the offer as didn’t want to leave the United States.

3. Roman Reigns

The Tribal Chief just like his cousin Dwayne Johnson, also had his dreams of making it to the NFL. After playing football in school for 3 years, he went on to play college football with Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets while he pursued his education at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Then later in 2007, Reigns was signed by the Minnesota Vikings in May after going undrafted during the 2007 NFL draft. That’s when he was diagnosed with leukemia and was released later that month. In August, he got signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. But sadly, he was released less than a week later before the start of the 2007 NFL season. Finally, in 2008, the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL) signed Reigns for their team. He played one season with the Eskimos and featured in five games. However, Reigns suffered a familiar heartbreak yet again as the Eskimos released him in November 2008 and that’s when he decided to retire from professional football.

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4. Baron Corbin

For people who don’t know, Baron Corbin was the roommate of NFL star Pat McAfee back in 2009. This was when Corbin was signed with the Indianapolis Colts in April 2009. He was released by the Colts in August and was re-signed again only to yet again be released in September.

Corbin then joined the Arizona Cardinals practice squad in December 2009. He was then signed to a futures contract in January 2010. But was released by the Cardinals in September and signed to the team’s practice squad the same month. Then in January 2011, he was again signed to a futures contract with the Cardinals. But tragedy struck once again in September 2011 as he was released yet again. After that rejection, he decided to pursue a career in pro wrestling by joining NXT in 2012.

5. Ron Simmons

WWE fans lovingly know Ron Simmons aka Farooq as part of the ‘protection agency’ The Acolytes and mostly for his comical catchphrase “DAMN” during The Attitude Era. But prior to his Acolyte and Nation Of Domination days in the WWE, Simmons was playing professional football in the NFL.

Back in 1981, Simmons was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. He then played for the Cleveland Browns in 1981 and 1982. Post that, he went on to play for the Tampa Bay Bandits from 1983 to 1985 in the United States Football League (USFL). Ex-WWE wrestler Lex Luger was also part of the Tampa Bay Bandits during that time.

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But who among the above 5 is your favorite as far as professional football is concerned?