5 athletes from outside sports who joined the WWE

Professional wrestling is often seen as the toughest business to get into, but once you make it to the big leagues, it is considerably one of the most lucrative ones. You have numerous superstars signed to 6 or 7 figured contracts, and once you push yourself into the main event scene, you are bound to enjoy the ride.Gates, PPV buy rates, merchandise revenues, bonuses and of course, the contractual payment would be more than enough to lure some of the biggest names in the sports today, and with the example of someone like Brock Lesnar, who is reportedly making 5 million dollars for a very few dates around the year backs up those estimations.In the past, many athletes from other sports had joined the WWE, either because of their love for the business or because of the spotlight and the monetary allurement. Also, WWE is often seen as the proverbial trampoline for an entry into Hollywood, with WWE having their own production/movie studio (no matter how crappy their movies are).In this slide, we take a look at five athletes who chose to jump to the WWE from their respective sports.

#1 Bill Goldberg

Bill Goldberg was WCW’s biggest asset in the last half of the 90s and was arguably the greatest creation of the organization. Goldberg ran through his opponents in the company, and had one of the greatest undefeated streaks in the industry (although it got a bit ridiculous in the end).

Goldberg became the “baddest man” in WCW, and was the equivalent of Ken Shamrock in the company. Bill became a multiple time World champion in WCW, and later came to the WWE when WCW folded. He spent a year with the company, winning the World Heavyweight championship in the process, before choosing not to resign with the company.

Although Bill is mostly known for his stint in the professional wrestling industry, he first burst onto the national scene during the 1990 NFL Draft, when he was picked up by the Los Angeles Rams.

He then played for various teams, such as the CFL Sacramento Gold Miners, Atlanta Falcons and finally the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers chose to cut Goldberg off the team when he tore his abdomen off his pelvis, effectively ending his football career.

Looking back, it happened for the best, as Goldberg then embarked on a remarkable journey, reaching the pinnacle of professional wrestling on various occasions.