10 Wrestlers Who Flirted With Other Careers (And Then Came Back)

10. Brock Lesnar

Only a freak athlete such as Brock Lesnar could decide at the age of 27 that they wanted to give the NFL a crack and so nearly come close to making the cut.

Lesnar famously departed WWE at WrestleMania XX back in 2004. Having become disillusioned with life on the road, Brock simply up and quit the business. And with plenty of free time on his hands, this former NCAA Division I Champion decided to try his hand at pro football - even though he hadn't played the sport since his high school days!

Unfortunately for Lesnar, his football training was hit hard when a minivan smashed into his motorbike. Despite those injuries restricting what Brock could do, he still managed to land an initial deal with the Minnesota Vikings. However, it wouldn't be long before Lesnar was cut by the Vikings once the pre-season games were over with.

After eight years away, Brock Lesnar would finally return to WWE in 2012. But before that return, Lesnar had yet another itch to scratch - that being to compete in the world of MMA. Being the force of nature that he is, it came as no surprise to see Brock topple the legendary Randy Couture to become the UFC Heavyweight Champion during his time in the fight game.

Authored by Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.

First Posted On: 18th May 2020

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