10 Shocking Jobs Wrestlers Held After Leaving The Spotlight
8. Ron Simmons - Warehouse Manager
Ron Simmons is an important figure in wrestling history. A WWE Hall of Famer, legitimate tough guy and the first African American man to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, Simmons' impact on professional wrestling is one that will forever be etched in wrestling folklore.
Which makes it all the more astounding to discover that, just four years after winning the World Heavyweight Championship, the two-time All-American was out of the wrestling business entirely.
In 1995, Simmons was between jobs after his WCW contract had expired in late '94. Aside from a brief spell in ECW for a couple of months, the gridiron legend had begun exploring the real world of work and, incredibly, began working as a warehouse manager for a Coca Cola plant on the outskirts of Atlanta.
With a guaranteed pension and healthcare, the move to work for the soft drink giant, while drastic, was understandable for the WCW alum. He had a family to support. Luckily, WWF soon lured him out of self-imposed wrestling retirement and, barely a year out of the sport, Simmons found himself back in the game as Faarooq Asaad in the WWF.