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For many, “sports entertainment” has provided a natural transition from the gridiron to the squared circle for many college football players, especially those from the South.
Some of them are far beyond what you would call ho-hum figures in the industry. In fact, some of the biggest names in its history have come from colleges in the South.
For the critics of pro wrestling we say yes, we know it’s fake. Just like comics, movies, Donatella Versace and even “reality” TV.
We take a look at some of the most notable college football players from the South who became pro wrestlers.
Bill Goldberg (Georgia)
He was the most unbeatable wrestler in the industry’s history. Goldberg was the man that World Championship Wrestling (WCW) immortalized by shooting him up the ranks in the blink of an eye. Less than 10 months after his debut, Goldberg defeated Hulk Hogan for the championship in the same state he played his college football (Georgia) and pro football (Atlanta Falcons).
Goldberg was introduced in WCW’s last few years and was billed as being undefeated at 173-0 before finally losing a match in 1998. He eventually transitioned to WWE, where he also won the belt and notched wins over the biggest names in the business like The Rock and Brock Lesnar. His trademark “You’re next!” was basically a death sentence.
Before entering the squared circle, Goldberg played two seasons for Georgia in 1987 and 1989 before playing in 14 games over three seasons with the Falcons from 1992-94.
He talks about his football career and his career move to wrestling in this video below.
Here he is tackling Florida great Emmitt Smith with the Bulldogs.
Titus O’Neil (Florida)
Thaddeus Bullard, who goes by the wrestling name of “Titus O’Neil,” redshirted during Florida’s 1996 national championship season. He played on the Gators’ defensive line with the Gators from 1997-2000 under Steve Spurrier, appearing in 44 regular season games while starting three.
Bullard, who’s been part of a tag team championship team, is on record telling ESPN’s Chris Low that he uses his time at Florida to rile up fans attending WWE shows in Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. Now, the 6-foot-5, 270-pounder nicknamed “The Real Deal” is effortlessly throwing around superstars in the WWE now. Don’t believe me?
Here he is as the honorary Mr. 2 Bits for Florida’s game against Kentucky in 2014.
The Rock (Miami)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson could be the biggest superstar in WWE history. Although the majority of his work comes as an actor now, the WWE still weaves him into storylines for big events, even setting a record in this past Wrestlemania with a six-second victory over Erick Rowan in an impromptu match. The Great One’s charisma and fluidity in the ring are unequalled.
Before he was getting jabronis to smell what he was cooking, he played defensive tackle with Miami in four seasons from 1991-94, serving as a backup for Warren Sapp and Pat Riley. He appeared in 39 games with one start, totaling 77 tackles and 4.5 sacks. Here’s one of his sacks against Florida State QB Charlie Ward, the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner.
One interesting nugget: One of The Rock’s favorite insults “candy a–” is said to come from his defensive line coach at Miami and current LSU defensive line coach Ed Orgeron, who recruited him out of Pennsylvania.
Roman Reigns (Georgia Tech)
One of Dwayne Johnson’s cousins is Joe Anoa’i, also known as Roman Reigns. He took center stage in this past Wrestlemania, defeating Triple H to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Reigns made his debut in the WWE as a member of the dominant trio called The Shield. While John Cena (Division III All-America center at Springfield College) has been the face of the company for a long time, it looks as though WWE is hoping Reigns can assume that status now.
Anoia’i was a standout for the Yellow Jackets. Like his cousin Johnson, Anoia’i also played defensive tackle, but he was a three-year starter at Georgia Tech from 2004-06 and earned first-team All-ACC honors as a senior. The Minnesota Vikings signed Anoia’i as an undrafted free agent in 2007, but he couldn’t pass the physical due to injuries.
Here he is flattening former Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn and leveling former Miami QB Kyle Wright while also successfully taking on a double team.
Ron Simmons (Florida State)
Ron Simmons nearly committed to Vince Dooley and his home state Georgia Bulldogs before Bobby Bowden, in just his second season at Florida State, lured him away. It was a big get for Bowden as Simmons would eventually enter the College Football Hall of Fame. Simmons, who played in Tallahassee from 1977-80, was a two-time consensus All-America defensive lineman in 1979 and 1980. His No. 50 jersey has been retired by the Seminoles.
Simmons, who also competed under the name of Faarooq, became the first officially recognized African-American world champion when he beat Big Van Vader in 1992 to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. He later joined the WWE and was the leader of The Nation of Domination and won tag team titles as part of The APA.
I strongly encourage readers to check out this story from ESPN’s Chris Low, who did a great piece on the connection between football and the sports entertainment industry. It includes tons of interesting info about other players who went down the same path and cool nuggets like Ric Flair being great friends with the Head Ball Coach.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
