10 Wrestlers Who Played Professional Sports

10. Roman Reigns

Before he was Roman Reigns, Vince McMahon's personal pet project and villain to the smart marks in the audience, he was Joe Anoa'i, football player.

Anoa'i began his football career in Pensacola, Florida, being named Defensive Player of the Year by the local newspaper and earning Division I scholarship in the neighboring state of Georgia. He played for one of the largest college football programs in the country at Georgia Tech and started on their defensive line for three years. He was also the team captain and named to the first All-ACC team his senior year. 

Anoa'i was not drafted in the 2007 NFL draft but was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Vikings shortly thereafter. Once the Vikings cut him loose, he joined up with the Jacksonville Jaguars for a short time before heading where every NFL washout goes: Canada.

In 2008, Anoa'i signed with the fearsome-sounding Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League and played one season for the squad. He mainly served as a fill-in when other players were injured but did manage to have a decent game against the Hamilton Tigers, forcing a fumble. 

Anoa'i finally realized that he wasn't going to achieve football glory and instead set his sights on the family business of wrestling. Anoa'i was trained by the Wild Samoans and made his ring debut in 2010 as Roman Leakee.