Undoubtedly the biggest shock of this entire list, is the knowledge that former President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln was a pro wrestler. Nicknamed 'Honest Abe', Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth in 1865, aged only 56 years old. Before his Presidency, and long before people wanted to target him for assassination, Lincoln was targeted for entirely different reasons as a wrestler. Of course, the industry was a lot different than it is today, and reports of the former President wrestling largely consist of smaller skirmishes in one of the man's hometowns during his formative years, New Salem, Illinois. One story from Lincoln's youth involves a 'match' against a man called Jack Armstrong, who led a local gang in the Illinois area. Whilst working at a general store in the town, Lincoln's boss was none too shy about extolling the virtues of his new employee, marveling at his size and strength. This crowing didn't really please Armstrong, who wanted to put his future President in his place. Around the town, anticipation was built, until the pair had a showdown. Reportedly cheating after Abe got the upper hand, Armstrong neglected to allow his fellow gang members to join in on the fight, instead endorsing Lincoln to the watching crowd. To put a modern spin on things, this is like Seth Rollins raising the arm of Dean Ambrose after the latter was clearly coming out on top, although it's unlikely Ambrose will go on to become President of the US. Stranger things have happened... What other celebrities do you know who have had a background in either professional of Amateur wrestling? Are there any missing which you feel should be on this list? Let us know down in the comments section below!
