Top 10 Wrestlers With Amateur Backgrounds In WWE History
8. Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin is all-set to return to WWE after a six year sabbatical with Ring of Honor, NJPW, and Pro Wrestling Noah. His re-emergence will add some much-needed excitement to a threadbare SmackDown roster, and finally give Benjamin the opportunity to shake-off the stigma of being arguably one of the most under-utilized wrestlers in WWE history.
Benjamin’s lack of natural charisma and microphone skills have always been his downfall in pro-wrestling, but he was a highly-impressive amateur wrestler throughout his youth. After leaving high school with a 122-10 record and two South Carolina state championships under his belt, Benjamin was also a NJCAA collegiate wrestling champion. After transferring to the University of Minnesota on a scholarship, Benjamin amassed a 36-6 record, and shared a room with one Mr. Brock Lesnar during his tenure.
After graduation, Shelton became an assistant wrestling coach at his university, and continued training extensively with Lesnar. Benjamin had the opportunity to try-out for the 2000 Summer Olympics team, but he opted to pursue a professional wrestling career instead. He and Lesnar signed-on at Ohio Valley Wrestling (WWE’s developmental territory at the time) at the same time in 2000, and the rest is history.