Brock Lesnar and 3 WWE stars who lost their jobs before becoming wrestlers – and the reason why
Over the years, fans learned about the many jobs that WWE Superstars had before they entered the world of professional wrestling. AJ Styles worked hard and had odd jobs that helped him pay his bills before he made it big.
Similarly, John Cena worked as a limo driver even though he was terrible with his ways. He quit his job and joined a gym – a decision that helped him become a wrestler.
Similarly, many wrestlers worked some outrageous jobs before becoming wrestlers. A few were even fired from their jobs, leading to them changing careers and joining WWE.
That said, check out why four WWE Superstars lost their jobs before becoming wrestlers.
#4. Luke Harper worked as a librarian before he got the call from WWE
As a member of The Wyatt Family, Luke Harper worked his way up in WWE and had some great matches. He was among the underutilized stars who went on to make a big name for themselves in another company after leaving WWE.
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Harper worked as a librarian at Frederick Douglas Middle School. In an appearance on Talk is Jericho in 2015, Harper revealed that he gave all the necessary tests to qualify for the job.
"I was a librarian in a city school. That is correct. I kind of got hooked up through a family member who kind of had a connection and I applied and took the civil service test and all this stuff and kind of got in. I was actually the keeper of the textbooks and stuff, but I helped in the library."
However, he was fired from the job soon after as things did not work out well. It pushed him to the brink of giving up on his dream of becoming a professional wrestler before he got the call for a try-out from WWE.
"My wife told me she was pregnant and I lost my job, I was a librarian at Frederick Douglas Middle School and so I thought the world was over and they called and said, “Hey, can you come for a trial and I said, ‘No, I have a broken leg,’" Harper told. Rochester First in 2018.
Harper moved on to AEW after leaving WWE and kicked off his career in style before tragically passing away ten days after his 41st birthday in 2020.
#3. 'Macho Man' Randy Savage wanted to become a baseball player
Randy “Macho Man” Savage and his father Angelo Poffo. Again, I can’t help to think how different the wrestling world would’ve been if Randy actually perused Baseball https://t.co/DThr6kVYCT
'Macho Man' Randy Savage was among the few men with the charisma and drawing power parallel to that of Hulk Hogan. His work in the ring helped him win the WWE Heavyweight Championship twice in his career.
Before becoming a wrestler, Savage dreamed of becoming a successful professional baseball player. The St. Louis Cardinals organization signed him as a catcher out of high school, and his father supported his dream.
He was 18 when he started playing minor league baseball and invented a training technique where one swings a bat into a hanging car tire to strengthen one's hands. However, an injury to his right throwing shoulder forced him to start using his left arm to throw instead.
Savage was never considered a great thrower, and his coaches pointed out that he was very sluggish. He has played 289 games in four minor league seasons, batting .254 with 16 home runs and 129 RBIs. However, he was fired by the Tampa Tarpons, for whom he played his last season in 1974.
He took the decision hard and went into depression. However, wrestling helped him battle out of it and find a new career opportunity.
"When they walked up and took my uniform out of my locker, I couldn't believe it," he said "It got me pretty worked up," he said, adding "finally, I told 'em if I couldn't play baseball, maybe no one else would either. I told them I just might have to burn down the clubhouse and grandstands."
After wrestling in different Territories for over a decade, Savage signed with WWE/F in 1984. The Macho Man rose to stardom in the Stamford-based company and main evented many pay-per-views, including three WrestleManias.
In 2011, he passed away due to a sudden heart attack, leaving a legacy only a few can match. Macho Man was ultimately inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.
#2. Cody Rhodes worked an interesting job before joining WWE
.@EinsteinBros - you were allowed 1 bagel a shift. I went into the dining area 4 times a day w/a cinnamon sugar bagel toasted with honey almond spread and called out “William - toasted bagel”. There was no William, it was for me. I was terminated. Love that place though forever twitter.com/aliciaatout/st…
WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes has been out with an injury for some time. He made his return to the company at WrestleMania 38 and defeated Seth Rollins to get back to the top again.
The American Nightmare has been active on social media even though it hasn't made many WWE appearances. It has allowed him to interact with his fans and also answer some interesting questions.
Rhodes recently answered a question on Twitter about his first job. He revealed that he used to work for a bagel store called Einstein Bros. In the same tweet, the former Intercontinental Champion revealed why he was fired from his first job.
The WWE star said that during their shift at Einstein Bros., they were allowed to have one bagel each. However, he would pretend that a make-believe person named William ordered a bagel and then ate it himself.
".@EinsteinBros – you were allowed 1 bagel a shift. I went into the dining area 4 times a day w/a cinnamon sugar bagel toasted with honey almond spread and called out "William – toasted bagel". There was no William, it was for me. I was terminated. Love that place though forever," Rhodes Tweeted.
It's one of the craziest reasons why a WWE Superstar has been fired from their job before becoming a wrestler. However, it helped Cody work on himself and become one of the most successful men in the industry.
#1. Brock Lesnar failed to continue his job in the National Guard
Brock Lesnar is one of the biggest superstars that WWE has ever produced. Since his debut, Lesnar has been ripping through top names and winning titles to prove his dominance in the industry.
Over the years, fans have learned about many interesting stories regarding The Beast Incarnate. Even though he works a much lighter schedule now, fans would still love to talk about him and his life both inside and outside the ring.
One interesting fact about the athletically gifted superstar is that at the age of 17, he joined the National Guard. In his book Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival, Lesnar wrote about the time he failed the National Guard's tests due to being color blind.
He was put in charge of explosives that were marked red and green. Once they found out that he was color blind, they realized that it was a big risk leaving such an important task to him.
"I was a typical teenager. I didn't listen to a lot of people. I thought I was the wisest and that I knew everything. I didn't have respect for myself or any authorities for that matter. Then I stepped into the guard, and let me tell you, those bastards put me in check," Lesnar wrote.
His dreams of fighting at the forefront were shattered, and he was assigned to clerical duty instead. His career could not take off as he failed a typing test and was asked to leave the National Guard soon after.
Lesnar also worked a construction job for some time but did not want to continue it for long.
That led him to work on his physique even more and become a wrestler. The decision proved to be a good one for The Beast Incarnate, who has now become one of the most recognizable sports entertainers in the world.