10 WWE Wrestlers Who Came From Other Sports

WWE has a long history of signing athletes from other sports.

Cynics say that it's often driven by a lust for some coverage in the national press, but it also makes sense as a way to recruit talent. Sportsmen and women, apart from being in great physical nick, have a natural appreciation of the pressures of live performance and the sacrifices associated with a life on the road.

The notion of professional wrestling as a safety net for failed football stars doesn't sit well with everyone, though. There's something less romantic about the story of a twenty-something deciding to give WWE a try for the hell of it than there is the one about a childhood fan who spent their summer holidays doing trampoline suplexes eventually making it big.

But in reality, only a selection of us are blessed with the requisite physical attributes (and the dedication that goes with it) to reach the very top. Whether we like it or not, athletes-turned-wrestlers are here to stay, and there is plenty of proof that they can thrive in their second careers.

England's Wade Barrett was sometimes accused of practicing a grappling style not befitting of his 6'7" frame, which is somewhat surprising when you learn about his background as a legitimate fighter. The one-time Nexus leader was a star on Europe's bare knuckle boxing scene before he turned his hand to professional wrestling in 2004.

Bare knuckle boxing is rarely shown live on Sky Sports One, which makes gauging Barrett's level of success a difficult task. What we do know is that he was good enough to graduate to the continental stage, having initially began fighting on the mean streets of Liverpool. To be fair, though, the Brit was floored by a single slap from Wayne Rooney, so perhaps we shouldn't get too carried away.