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

1. Chris Jericho

Lex Luger WBF
ABC

Chris Jericho is a master of spinning multiple plates at the same time.

During periods of his career, the inaugural AEW Champion has balanced being a professional wrestler, with being a rock 'n' roll frontman, with being a TV star, with acting in movies, and with delivering audio delights in the form of podcasts and radio stints. Even now in 2020, there are few people in the wrestling industry who are as busy with as many varying projects as Chris Jericho.

Throughout his various ventures, however, Chris Jericho always ends up back in a wrestling ring. But part of what has kept 'Le Champion fresh and entertaining over so much of his career is these other various ventures. Let's remember, this is a man who prides himself on reinvention and of staying ahead of the curve.

Whether it's taking time out to tour with Fozzy, whether it's Dancing with the Stars, or whether it's working on a TV pilot, the other careers that Chris Jericho has partaken in have been a blessing in disguise when it comes to adding to the longevity of one of the all-time best ever.

Where Jericho maybe differs from the rest of the names featured in this list though, is that he's not so much flirted with a non-wrestling career. Instead, he's managed to successfully keep several different careers and avenues going all at the same time.

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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, Jamie Hayer, 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.