8 Wrestlers Who Did Better Things In Retirement
6. Chris Nowinski
It's somewhat ironic that, for a man who rose to wrestling prominence through a show called Tough Enough, it was brains, not brawn, that proved Christopher Nowinski's greatest asset. The Illinoisan earned a WWE contract having finished third in the reality show, and the company soon honed in on the rare fact he was a grappler with a Harvard degree.
As a modern day cross between The Genius and The Varsity Club, Nowinski made a moderate impact in the promotion. He's probably best remembered for being cast as a conscientious objector to the Iraq war, the inexplicable heel opposite the jingoistic, soldier supporting Scott Steiner. An Ivy League education was no match for Steinernomics, and Nowinski and his La Résistance crew found themselves pulped in the name of patriotism.
Booksmarts were all well and good, but it turned out there are some things you just can't teach - in particular, how to avoid injury. Nowinski's short WWE tenure ended in 2003, after he'd suffered post-concussion symptoms for over a year. Following his retirement, and due to his experience, Nowinski decided to devote his intelligence to sports-related head injuries, founding the Sports Legacy Institute (later renamed Concussion Legacy Foundation), and writing a book: Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis.
The Harvard grad's dedication to studying and understanding CTE has since massively contributed to the recognition, prevention and treatment of brain injuries from sport - an accomplishment far worthier than his Tough Enough bronze medal and two year WWE sting.