Ranking the 25 Best Pro Football Players Turned Wrestlers

It's not all that easy to make the transition from the football field to the wrestling ring. Just ask former NFL great Shawne Merriman. Last year, "Lights Out" revealed that he was going to start training to become a WWE wrestler. But a short time after he began trying to launch his wrestling career, the WWE reportedly parted ways with him. It's a little bit unclear where he stands with the WWE right now, but at this point, there's a pretty good chance that his pro wrestling career won't ever take off.

Other former pro football players have found success in the world of pro wrestling, though. For example, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan—who turns 61 today—spent his college days playing football for Southern Methodist University before signing with the Falcons in the late 1970s. But when his NFL career didn't pan out due to lingering knee issues, he decided to become a wrestler, and it was one of the best decisions he ever made. He spent more than 30 years wrestling professionally, was eventually inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and is currently signed to a WWE Legends contract.

Duggan's success got us to thinking about other pro football players who have successfully made the jump from the gridiron to the squared circle. So to celebrate his birthday, we went about Ranking the 25 Best Pro Football Players Turned Wrestlers. Let's get ready to rumble.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Spent time playing defensive tackle for the NFL's Vikings and Jaguars and the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos after suiting up for Georgia Tech in college

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Held the WWE Tag Team Championship along with wrestler Seth Rollins as a member of The Shield and broke the record for most eliminations in a Royal Rumble by eliminating 12 wrestlers in 2014

The key to his career change: He is a part of the storied Anoa'i family of professional wrestlers and is cousins with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Although Roman Reigns shied away from taking part in the family business during his teens and early 20s—he tried forging a football career in both the NFL and CFL instead—he settled on wrestling once his football opportunities dried up. He started by wrestling in the WWE's developmental organization Florida Championship Wrestling in 2010 but eventually worked his way up to the big leagues and is now one of the most popular WWE superstars even though he still hasn't achieved much yet in terms in solo success.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Made five Pro Bowls and was selected to the All-Pro team three times during a 14-year career that saw him play linebacker for the Rams, Steelers, Panthers, and 49ers

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Wrestled alongside fellow NFL player Steve "Mongo" McMichael in WCW before later teaming up with former NFL player Bill Goldberg to wrestle against WCW'snWo faction

The key to his career change: He was willing to take part in WCW matches while he was still playing in the NFL.

Greene is one of the only NFL players to ever wrestle on a semi-regular basis while he was still playing football. Teams eventually forced him to stop wrestling by adding a "no wrestling" clause to his contracts. But for awhile there, Greene was using his NFL popularity to aid his wrestling career and vice versa. Had he taken wrestling a little bit more seriously or retired from the NFL altogether to wrestle, he likely would have played a much bigger role in WCW.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Played linebacker for the Bills and Patriots and took part in Super Bowl XXVIII for Buffalo

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Considered an NWA World Heavyweight Championship contender during his time with TNA before he jumped ship and joined the ECW side of WWE

The key to his career change: He signed with the Patriots in 1996 so that he could be situated closer to the World Wrestling Federation headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

Unfortunately, Marcus Cor Von/The Alpha Male never won any major titles during his time in TNA and ECW/WWE. He came close a few times but was never thought of as a major superstar within either organization. But after retiring from the NFL in 1996 and training with wrestlers Dan "The Beast" Severn and Terry "Sabu" Brunk, he did prove that he could make it in the world of professional wrestling and took part in several memorable fights, including one in 2004 that featured him beating Kevin Nash and "Diamond" Dallas Page during a TNA pay-per-view.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Made four Pro Bowls while playing defensive tackle for the Lions

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Took part in matches against fellow NFL player William "Dick the Bruiser" Afflis that drew a lot of attention in Detroit

The key to his career change: He was forced to wrestle professionally in the middle of his NFL career after he admitted to gambling and was suspended from the league from 1962 through 1964.

There's not a whole lot of information out there about Karras' wrestling career. But what is known is that he agreed to wrestle during his suspension from the NFL because he needed a source of income. So he spent about a year and a half squaring off against guys like Dick the Bruiser before resuming his NFL career.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Played nose tackle for the Broncos and made a name for himself during a 1993 Monday Night Football game when he vomited onto a football just before an opposing center snapped it

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Served as the unofficial third member of the WWE's Legion of Doom before a serious neck injury ended his wrestling career

The key to his career change: Vince McMahon fell in love with his ability to vomit on command, as illustrated in a scene in the movie, Beyond the Mat.

Unfortunately, Droz suffered a career-ending neck injury in 1999 during a match against D'Lo Brown that left him paralyzed. Otherwise, he likely would have built on the foundation that he laid during his first two years with the WWE. His regurgitation act probably would have gotten stale after awhile. But even after he got injured, Droz continued to contribute to the WWE by writing essays for the WWE website and magazines, which leads us to believe that he had what it took to become a WWE superstar one day. Sadly, though, his injury prevented that from ever happening.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Made the Pro Bowl twice and won one Super Bowl (Super Bowl XX) while playing defensive tackle for the Patriots, Bears, and Packers

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Appeared ringside for Lawrence Taylor's fight against Bam Bam Bigelow during WrestleMania XI in 1995 before joining WCW and winning the United States Title and playing a role in an nWo storyline in the late 1990s

The key to his career change: He did a commendable job as a guest commentator on an episode of Monday Night Raw, which convinced WCW executives to give him a job as a full-time commentator and, later, a wrestler.

There were a handful of NFL players who appeared alongside LT at WrestleMania XI. McMichael was one of the only ones who used that appearance to launch a successful wrestling career, though. He started off as a WCW commentator but eventually moved into the ring after he challenged Ric Flair to a fight in 1996. After that, he started training seriously to be a full-time wrestler and spent about five years wrestling in WCW.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Started for the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football for one season after spending a brief period of time playing offensive lineman for the Raiders

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won the WWE Championship once, the WWE Hardcore Championship 17 times, and the WWE Tag Team Championship three times (with Faarooq)

The key to his career change: He decided to give independent wrestling a try after the Riders parted ways with him and no NFL teams showed any interest.

Unlike some of the other former football players on this list, Bradshaw didn't find much success when he first started wrestling. In fact, he spent five long years wrestling in the Global Wrestling Federation before the WWE gave him a chance. And once he got to the WWE, it was another few years before he teamed up with former Nation of Domination member Faarooq and got his first real taste of success. But from there, he worked his way up through the ranks and won a variety of WWE titles before retiring from wrestling and landing a role as a WWE color commentator.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Made the Pro Bowl ten times as a defensive tackle for the 49ers, was voted to the All-Pro team nine times, and was eventually named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won the NWA World Tag Team Championship four times with the National Wrestling Alliance of San Francisco

The key to his career change: He needed a way to bring in extra income during the offseason.

Back in the 1950s and 1960s when Nomellini played in the NFL, players didn't get paid as much money as they do today. So guys often worked second jobs in the offseason. Nomellini's second job just so happened to involve him wrestling professionally. And he was every bit as successful in the ring as he was on the football field.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Played linebacker for the Cowboys for a short period of time in the late 1980s

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Became the first African-American to ever win a WWE singles championship when he was named the WWE Intercontinental Champion in 1996

The key to his career change: He didn't last long with the Cowboys and started training with retired wrestlers Skandor Akbar, Scott Casey, and Ivan Putski.

Although becoming the first African-American to win a title belt was obviously a huge deal, Norris probably could have been even bigger things during his WWE career, if not for kidney problems that sidelined him in 1996. He was actually scheduled to take part in a WWE Championship fight the night after SummerSlam that year but had to skip it after doctors diagnosed him with kidney damage. And while he still enjoyed a lot more success after that—he had a memorable storyline with The Undertaker in 1997—he never ascended to the top of the company like some people thought he might do at the start of his wrestling career.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Spent time playing for the NFL's Bengals and Bills and the CFL's Calgary Stampeders after a successful career at Miami University in Ohio, where he was roommates and teammates with John Harbaugh

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won the WCW World Tag Team Championship with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin (then known as "Stunning" Steve Austin) and won the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship twice

The key to his career change: He stayed in Calgary after playing with the Stampeders and trained with wrestling legend Stu Hart.

When most former NFL players decide to head north to play in the CFL, it signals the end of their football career. And while that did turn out to be the case for Pillman, the end of his football career also helped propel him into the beginning of his wrestling career. Pillman spent the beginning of his career wrestling in the WCW and ECW, but in 1996, he became the first wrestler to ever sign a guaranteed contract with the WWE and had a very memorable feud with Steve Austin. Sadly, he passed away in 1997 because of a heart condition, but not before he made an impact on the wrestling world.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Played offensive lineman for the Los Angeles Rams for three seasons and appeared in Super Bowl XIV before being forced to retire due to a patella tendon rupture

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship three times and was involved in major feuds with Shawn Michaels and Undertaker in the mid-1990s during his time in the WWE

The key to his career change: He was encouraged to wrestle by someone who saw him working out in a gym shortly after his NFL career ended.

Throughout his career—which has lasted almost 30 years now—Vader has enjoyed varying degrees of success. He's been everything from a headliner towards the end of his WCW career to a jobber during his final days with the WWE. But Vader has worked consistently due to his imposing frame—he's 6-foot-5 and weighs more than 400 pounds—and his larger-than-life personality. He's never been the most popular wrestler amongst fans. But since retiring from football, he has fought for a variety of different wrestling organizations (American Wrestling Association, New Japan Pro Wrestling, etc.) and worked steadily both in America and abroad.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Signed a contract with the AFL's Oilers after excelling at Oklahoma University and later played offensive lineman for the Indianapolis Warriors (an NFL farm team) and the NFL's Vikings

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Feuded with WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino in the early 1960s and took part in title fights in the National Wrestling Alliance and American Wrestling Association

The key to his career change: He learned about how much money he could make wrestling professionally from his former OU teammate Edward "Wahoo" McDaniels.

Most of the former pro football players featured here turned to pro wrestling after it was clear that their football careers were over. But that wasn't the case with Watts. In the early 1960s, the Vikings signed him to a deal and agreed to pay him $7,000 per season. However, he was already making more money than that wrestling and booking wrestling matches, so he decided to forego the opportunity to play in the NFL. Instead, he turned into one of the best wrestling promoters in the world and eventually worked for both WCW and WWE towards the end of his career.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Briefly played tight end for the NFL's Chiefs and the CFL's BC Lions

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won the WWF Intercontinental Championship twice and the WWF Tag Team Championship twice and was named to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004

The key to his career change: He was introduced to pro wrestling by his former West Texas A&M University quarterback Tully Blanchard, one of the original members of wrestling's notorious Four Horsemen.

After brief stints in the Championship Wrestling from Florida and Georgia Championship Wrestling promotions, Tito Santana joined the WWE in 1979 and stayed there almost exclusively until 1993. He never won the WWE Heavyweight Championship but he did play a major part in both the Intercontinental and Tag Team divisions and was the first Mexican-American to ever win the Intercontinental belt. He was also one of the wrestlers who helped the WWE go from a regional to a national success.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Tried out to play offensive lineman for the NFL's Dallas Texans before spending a brief period of time in the CFL playing for the Edmonton Eskimos

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won a handful of NWA and AWA World Heavyweight Championships in cities like Detroit and Minneapolis before eventually helping found World Class Championship Wrestling

The key to his career change: He met legendary wrestler Stu Hart while playing for the Eskimos and agreed to train with him and take part in his Klondike Wrestling organization.

During his time with Klondike, Fritz Von Erich actually played a Nazi character since Nazis were natural heels back in the 1950s. But the big draw surrounding him had everything to do with his patented "Iron Claw" maneuver, which become a very popular move and eventually helped him break into new markets in the United States and Japan. And even though Von Erich passed away back in 1997, he continues to have an impact on the wrestling world thanks to his offspring who have participated and continue to participate in wrestling around the world.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Made four AFL All-Star teams, was named an AFL All-Pro three times, and won one AFL Championship while playing defensive tackle for the Chargers, Oilers, and Chiefs

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Turned himself into one of the first African-American heel characters in pro wrestling history during his time in the National Wrestling Alliance and World Wrestling Association and won the WWA World Heavyweight and World Tag Team Championships

The key to his career change: He sustained several knee injuries towards the end of his football career that forced him to look into wrestling full-time in order to make a living.

Standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing more than 300 pounds, Ladd was one of the biggest, strongest pro football players in the game back in the 1960s. So when he decided to quit playing football, he was a natural fit for pro wrestling. The cocky, arrogant personality that he assumed while wrestling made him a great heel and he milked it for all it was worth, wrestling for almost 20 years before he was forced to retire due to his chronic knee issues in 1986. He later served as a color commentator for the WWE and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1995.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Selected by the Browns in the 1981 NFL Draft and later played defensive lineman alongside future WWE legend Lex Luger on the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship and was recognized as the first African-American heavyweight champion in the history of the sport

The key to his career change: He decided to train to become a wrestler and joined the National Wrestling Alliance after his USFL career ended.

On a personal level, Faarooq reached the highest heights of his pro wrestling career in the early 1990s during his WCW days. But some of his most memorable storylines actually took place once he joined the WWE in 1996. He feuded with fellow pro football player-turned-pro wrestler Ahmed Johnson frequently, beefed with fellow Nation of Domination member The Rock, and formed a Tag Team with Bradshaw that yielded three WWE Tag Team titles. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012 and is considered one of the most important figures of WWE's "Attitude Era."

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Played defensive tackle for the NFL's Rams, Falcons, and Panthers and the CFL's Sacramento Surge and Sacramento Gold Miners but struggled through injuries during most of his career

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won the WCW United States Championship and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship while claiming victory in 173 consecutive matches

The key to his career change: He was urged to give professional wrestling a try after pro wrestlers LexLuger and Sting spotted him rehabilitating from a lower abdomen tear that he suffered at the end of his NFL career.

At one point, Goldberg was arguably the most popular pro wrestler on the planet because of his impressive winning streak. He was WCW's answer to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and was created to be a destructive force inside the wrestling ring. Most of his early matches only lasted for one or two minutes due to his combination of strength and brute power. And while his career fizzled out once the WWE purchased WCW in 2001, he had a great run during the late 1990s.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Spent nearly a decade in the AFL playing linebacker for the Oilers, Broncos, Jets, Dolphins, and Chargers

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won the National Wrestling Alliance U.S. Heavyweight Championship five times and spent time wrestling for a handful of promotions all over the United States

The key to his career change: He was traded to the Chargers by the Dolphins in 1968 after he got arrested for punching two police officers, but rather than suiting up for San Diego, he decided to start wrestling full-time.

McDaniel was known for delivering hard hits on the football field during his playing days. Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson once said that the the hardest hit he ever took came courtesy of McDaniel. So before he even retired from the AFL, he started wrestling during the offseason. And he eventually became a fan favorite and earned a spot in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2010.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Won three NFL championships as a fullback for the Bears, was named to the All-Pro team four times, and was recognized as one of the largest running backs of his era

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won the National Wrestling Association Heavyweight Championship and was one of the first NFL players ever to both play football and wrestle at the same time

The key to his career change: Tony Stecher—the brother of pro wrestler Joe Stecher—introduced Nagurski to wrestling and agreed to manage him throughout his career.

The hits that Nagurski dished out on the football field as a fullback were legendary. One of them involved him running into a handful of players before taking out a goal post and a brick wall. So he was a natural fit for the world of pro wrestling and made the most of his second career by wining several NWA titles and eventually earning a place in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Failed to play for the NFL's Saints and Chiefs after failing physicals for both teams but spent one season playing running back for the World Football League's Jacksonville Sharks

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Feuded with Hulk Hogan at the start of his WWE career and was later inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame, mostly because of his infamous beef with Hogan

The key to his career change: He started to train to become a professional wrestler once it was clear that he was not going to be able to play in the NFL.

If you look through Mr. Wonderful's career achievements, you'll notice that he didn't win many wrestling titles. But that doesn't diminish what he was able to do during his wrestling career that spanned almost two decades. His feud with Hogan—which forced him to work through a painful arm injury—helped turn both wrestlers into WWE superstars and solidified their places in pro wrestling history.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Spent several seasons playing for the Packers as an offensive lineman

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won several NWA Heavyweight Championships and wrestled for organizations like the American Wrestling Alliance, Japan Wrestling Association, and World Wrestling Association

The key to his career change: He started defeating young, up-and-coming wrestlers on a weekly basis in Detroit in the late 1950s and had almost all of his matches televised.

Dick the Brusier was ahead of his time. If he launched his wrestling career today, he'd likely be one of the biggest names in WWE. But because he started wrestling all the way back in the 1950s, he had to settle on regional stardom. He started in Detroit and worked his way up to wrestling in other areas of the country like Chicago, Omaha, Neb., and even Hawaii. He was never a nationwide star. But he did become a household name in almost every city he ever wrestled in.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Played for the CFL's Montreal Alouettes and the NFL's Packers before suiting up for the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits, Memphis Showboats, and Jacksonville Bulls

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won five National Wrestling Alliance U.S. Heavyweight Championships and a WCW World Heavyweight Championship and played a role in a number of major storylines for the WWE and WCW

The key to his career change: He was given the opportunity to work out with Hulk Hogan's trainer Hiro Matsuda in the mid-1980s after former pro wrestler Bob Roop spotted him and was impressed with his physique.

Looking at Lex Luger's career accomplishments, it's kind of amazing that he didn't do more in terms of titles during his illustrious career. He had memorable feuds with everyone from Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig to Yokozuna to Hulk Hogan. But most of his championships came long before he started making major moves with the WWE in the early 1990s. Still, he played a vital role in some of WWE and WCW's biggest storylines of the '90s and continues to work behind-the-scenes with the WWE today.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Selected by the Bears in the 1947 NFL Draft but played defensive end for the Packers after Chicago wouldn't allow him to wrestle and play football at the same time

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Founded the American Wrestling Association and won a handful of AWA Heavyweight Championships

The key to his career change: He discovered that he could make more money wrestling than he could playing football.

Back in the 1950s, Gagne was one of the highest-paid wrestlers in the world. At one point, he was reportedly making upwards of $100,000 per year to wrestle. But his accomplishments outside of the ring were what made him such an important person in the world of wrestling. The American Wrestling Association helped spread the popularity of pro wrestling on a regional level and it helped inspire Vince McMahon to take WWE to a national level. Unfortunately, Gagne doesn't always get the credit he deserves from wrestling fans. But he's one of the only wrestlers in pro wrestling history to be in almost ever major wrestling hall of fame, including the WWE Hall of Fame, the WCW Hall of Fame, the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, and the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Signed with the Falcons after playing linebacker at SMU but was released because of knee injuries

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Used a 2x4 and his "U-S-A!" chant to turn himself into a fan favorite during his time in the WWE

The key to his career change: He met Fritz Von Erich during a recruiting trip to SMU and the wrestler later encouraged Duggan to give pro wrestling a try.

While Duggan did win the WCW U.S. Heavyweight Championship and the WCW World Television Championship during his WCW days, he never won a WWE title. That didn't stop the WWE from inducting him into their Hall of Fame in 2011, though. And it was largely because Duggan transformed himself into one of the most beloved WWE wrestlers of all time. His 2x4 is still one of the most recognizable props in WWE history and his successful patriotic shtick is something that plenty of other pro wrestlers have tried to mimic over the years.

Biggest pro football accomplishments: Signed with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders and spent two months with the team after playing defensive tackle for the University of Miami

Biggest pro wrestling accomplishments: Won the WWE Championship eight times and the WWE Tag Team Championship five times and transformed himself into one of the most recognizable wrestlers in the sport's history

The key to his career change: He was trained by his father Rocky Johnson—a former professional wrestler in his own right—after he decided to wrestle professionally like so many other people in his storied family.

The Rock had very little success during his pro football career. No NFL teams wanted to sign him, and he only collected a few paychecks before the CFL parted ways with him. But that was ultimately for the best. Because once The Rock started to take the family business more seriously—both his father and his grandfather Peter Maivia were pro wrestlers—he found his niche and eventually worked his way up from a guy who didn't get much respect during his early fights (fans chanted, "Die, Rocky, die," during many of his first WWE matches) to a guy who was the face of the WWE by the time he decided to take a break from wrestling to go and become a movie star. Who would have guessed that a CFL player would turn into one of the biggest movie stars in the country thanks to a successful stint as a pro wrestler?