Top 10 Wrestlers With Amateur Backgrounds In WWE History
7. Bob Backlund
One of the most interesting characters in WWE history, Bob Backlund is a true pro-wrestling legend. He served as the “Face of WWWF” from 1978 until the inception of Hulkamania in 1984, and was a huge draw who sold-out Madison Square Garden on a regular basis. This might be tough for fans who’ve only recently been introduced to Backlund as Darren Young’s eccentric life coach to take, but Backlund was a huge star throughout the territorial era, and even defeated Bret Hart to capture the World Heavyweight Championship as recently as 1994.
Attending college in Iowa, Backlund was considered an All-American (one of the top 6-8 collegiate wrestlers in the country) in both wrestling and football during his freshman year. Success continued to follow him. In his second year, Backlund finished national runner-up in the 190lbs weight category, and one year later, he won the Division II NCAA Championship in the same category.
Moving-up to heavyweight in 1972, Backlund finished 5th overall at the NCAA Championships. Though it’s highly unlikely that any of Backlund’s collegiate opponents had to endure his infamous Crossface Chickenwing, they were certainly worn-out by a tireless, tough-as-old-boots future WWE Champion.