5 AEW stars who had strange jobs before pro wrestling
AEW wrestlers are world-class athletes with larger-than-life personalities. So it might be jarring to think of them working normal jobs before signing full-time with All Elite Wrestling.
Some have had actual careers, owned businesses or trained in different fields before making their wrestling dreams come true. They might even be in industries that you didn't expect.
With that in mind, here are five wrestlers who worked rather strange and unexpected jobs before signing with AEW.
#5. AEW veteran Big Show was a bail bondsman
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The Big Show is known as “The World’s Largest Athlete” and for good reason. Standing seven feet tall and weighing just under 400 pounds, he is a literal giant and someone you wouldn't want to mess with.
As a 25-year veteran in pro wrestling, Show has achieved success in every promotion he's been part of, including WCW and WWE previously. Now a certified legend in the business, he is imparting his knowledge and name value through his work as a commentator and backstage mentor in AEW.
It's hard to believe somebody of his stature would have excelled in any other job, but Paul Wight's career before wrestling made good use of his natural assets.
Years before The Big Show began his wrestling journey, he worked as a bail bondsman and bounty hunter. In those days, he would drag folks who tried to resist arrest to (or back to) jail for cash. Imagine this behemoth turning up at your door. What a terrifying thought.
#4. AEW star Rebel is a licensed cosmetologist
Rebel is working with AEW doing hair and make up for the crew. https://t.co/D7sAl7jBTs
AEW star Rebel is primarily known as the former Women's Champion Britt Baker's sidekick. But she's also a woman of many talents.
Before becoming a pro wrestler, Rebel attended the Napoleon Perdis Makeup Academy and trained to become a licensed cosmetologist, which means she can provide cosmetic treatment for hair, nails and skin.
Rebel would bring her skills to her current career as she is also a hair and makeup stylist for the women’s division, on top of being an in-ring performer.
#3. Former AEW women's champion Britt Baker is a trained dentist
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Your dentist prob doesn’t look like this.
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Speaking of Britt Baker, it's common knowledge among wrestling fans that she works two full-time jobs simultaneously. Her dentist character in AEW is not a gimmick, as she is a practicing dentist in real life.
Before achieving fame and success in All Elite Wrestling, Baker enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. It's amazing to think that she was able to find time to train as a wrestler and perform on the independents while simultaneously attending school.
Unlike all the other AEW stars on this list, Baker did not leave her job after becoming a full-time pro wrestler. The former Women's Champion has confessed that working two full-time jobs is no easy task. In an interview with Diva Dirt, she said:
"Definitely takes mental toughness more than anything, because sometimes the schedule of everything that needs to be done in a day, going to the dental office, getting to the gym, getting to the wrestling ring, watching wrestling matches, keeping up to date what’s the latest science behind the industry," said Baker.
#2. Dark Order member Stu Grayson owned a flooring company
The best wrestlers are great at self-promotion. As independent contractors, they are essentially their own bosses. Chris Jericho is a great example of managing different interests beyond wrestling as a rock star, podcaster and, most recently, cruise operator.
So it's not surprising to learn that another AEW wrestler has had experience running their own business. Dark Order member Stu Grayson only wrestled part-time before signing with Tony Khan. He was previously the owner of a flooring company.
In an interview with the Ottawa Sun, Grayson revealed:
"As much time, effort and training as we’d put into wrestling each week, it still wasn’t a priority. We (Grayson and Uno) finished our school and we had real jobs.. that was always our priority. We never necessarily believed we would make a living out of wrestling."
It took years of effort, but Grayson and Evil Uno's hard work finally paid off when they were signed by Tony Khan:
"We always kept (wrestling) in our lives because it was our passion, but the fact that it became an option to make a living out of wrestling was a bit of a surprise. When All Elite Wrestling became a reality, we realized wrestling could be Plan A now; we could build our lives around it," he said.
Grayson would eventually sell his business once he was sure that wrestling would be a viable career. With Dark Order becoming a huge part of the company, it seems like everything has turned out for the best.
#1. AEW World Champion Hangman Page was a high school teacher
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AEW World Champion Hangman Page might be on top of the wrestling world right now, but his journey to get there took many twists and turns. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech, majoring in communications with an emphasis on film. But he always wanted to pursue a pro wrestling career.
In his early wrestling days, Page knew he had to get a full-time job to support himself, so after graduating, he applied to become a high school teacher. Hangman would go on to teach graphic design, multimedia, and journalism while he plied his trade in wrestling promotions such as Ring of Honor on his off days.
While he managed that schedule for a number of years, Page's life changed when he joined The Bullet Club:
"My life did a 180 when I joined Bullet Club. Joining Bullet Club opened the door to New Japan for me. It made me more valuable. I probably got the news in April [2016] and I joined in May, so I threw my papers in the air and left my teaching job because I knew I was going to be wrestling full time. It totally changed my life," he told ESPN.
It's interesting to think what his students thought of Page's moonlighting side hustle. If not for joining the NJPW faction, Page might still be teaching to this day. Instead, he is now the top star of the second-biggest wrestling company in the world.