10 Wrestlers Who Proved There's Life After WWE

The beginning of Brock Lesnar's post-WWE life wasn't exactly ideal: the company's youngest-ever world champion saw his NFL dreams dashed because of a recurring groin injury, ostensibly confirming fears that 26 really was too late to begin a whole new career.

But the Beast Incarnate is nothing if not determined (and, well, angry), and his second attempt to reinvent himself - in the cut-throat world of MMA - was a qualified success. He made it to the UFC in 2008, winning the promotion's Heavyweight Championship in his rookie year with victory over veteran Randy Couture.

Lesnar's story, of course, is one a freakish and fearsome athlete for whom opportunities at sport's top level have never been particularly hard to come by, making his path almost impossible for anyone else to follow.