10 Famous People You Won't Believe Were Wrestlers

7. Blazing Suplexes

Mongo The infamous character of Mongo from the hit Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles will forever be remembered for the performance of Alex Karras. Even though he was only a few inches over 6 feet tall, Karras still towered above many of the cast, giving him an impressive, remarkable look. A controversial American Football player, Karras had a number of run-ins with NFL officials, who didn't take kindly to his admission to betting on other games in the NFL, or his ownership of a bar which league management were worried had links to organised crime. During suspensions from football, Karras entered the world of wrestling, an industry he had actually been involved with initially in the late-1950's. Fast forward to the 60's, and the man was tangling mid-ring with Dick The Bruiser! An incredibly colourful personality, the big guy even acted in the 1977 movie 'Mad Bull', playing a washed up heel grappler, and later starred in sitcoms such as Webster and fulfilling guest roles in other shows like M*A*S*H.
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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.