Top 10 Wrestlers With Amateur Backgrounds In WWE History
4. Bobby Lashley
A real late bloomer, Bobby Lashley is only just hitting his prime at the age of 40: his recent TNA run has been the most productive of his career, and a huge improvement on his bland WWE spell. Widely regarded as one of the time period’s most over-exposed wrestlers, Lashley had the look and the power, but lacked in charisma and technical ability. He was widely rejected as a credible main eventer, and released from his contract in 2008.
Despite this, Lashley was an Olympic-calibre amateur wrestler and a multi-time college wrestling champion. Voted an All-American four times throughout his time at Missouri Valley College, Lashley won three consecutive National Championships from 1996 to 1998, and continued to wrestle throughout his spell with the United States Army.
Considered a likely candidate for the 2004 United States Olympic team, Lashley was training for the Athens games when he found himself stuck in the middle of a bank robbery. Lashley suffered a severe knee injury during the commotion, thus ending his Olympic dreams, pushing him towards a pro-wrestling career.
Lashley was green and unseasoned during his WWE career’s early stages, but he was always an impressive physical specimen blessed with real explosive power. It’s a shame he never got the chance to represent his country at the Olympics, but his amateur wrestling background provided the perfect base for both his pro-wrestling and MMA careers.