8 Wrestlers Who Did Better Things In Retirement
From A-Train to Ace Trainer.
It's well-established that many wrestlers take the Rick Astley approach to retirement, steadfastly refusing to ever give the business up, let the pops down, or say goodbye for good, no matter the desperate plea of their aching, decaying bodies. Darren Aronofsky even made a film about the phenomena. You may have heard of it: it's called The Fountain (he made another, less subtextual flick on the same subject, called The Wrestler).
Simply put, nothing can match the thrill of performing, the camaraderies of the locker room, and - perhaps most importantly - the financial clout of the paycheque than traveling town to town, slamming onto mats night after night. Superannuated stars may settle into a semi-retirement with a regular day job, but the pull of spot shows and fanfests will always draw them right back in.
Fact is, very few go on to accomplish great things after leaving the wrestling business behind. Realistically, what could ever top being cheered on by thousands of adoring fans? Even The Rock, who now makes easy money as Hollywood's number 1 action man, still considers WWE his home.
Arguably, he's an obvious exception. But there are a few others.
8. Brian Glover
In pro wrestling terms, Brian Glover is a name only resonant these days to British grans with hazy memories of tuning in to ITV's World of Sport every Saturday afternoon. As 'Leon Arras, the Man from Paris' - a moniker given to him by a desperate promoter after a French import failed to turn up - Glover would leave viewers in stitches with his antics, in particular, shouting "ask 'im, ref!" in a gruff Barnsley accent which belied his supposed French origins.
It was Glover's exposure as Britain's toughest Tyke which led to his casting in 1967's class-and-kestrel struggle Kes, set in his South Yorkshire hometown. Despite having no prior formal acting experience, Glover excelled as the overbearing PE teacher Mr. Sugden, and soon his unique characteristics as a rough Yorkshireman were in demand. Though he remained active in the ring, notably sharing an uproarious contest with Les Kellett in 1970, 'Arras' gradually faded into the background as Glover's acting career took over. He'd go on to star in a range of TV and film roles, most notably a small part in Alien 3.
Despite being often typecast, Glover nevertheless enjoyed a diverse acting resumé; he was Bottom in BBC's adaptation of A Midsummer's Night's Dream, and Mr. Rottweiler in BBC's slapstick sit-com Bottom.