Wrestlers You Never Knew Served In The U.S. Military

The pipeline from the USA military to the world of skilled wrestling is surprisingly real and vast, with many who’ve served crediting their military experience for his or her ability to quickly learn what it takes within the ring. From the physical stamina and discipline it takes to survive basic training, then train to run the ropes, to the flexibility to perform under extreme stress each in the sector, then in front of hundreds of fans, these military veterans honed these skills back after they selected to serve their country.

There are some wrestlers throughout history who’ve been open about their military service to the purpose it has been integrated into their gimmicks. The previous Lacey Evans, a veteran of the USA Marine Corps, flaunted her veteran status throughout her time with WWE, each as a babyface and a heel. WWE Hall of Famer Jesse Ventura, a veteran of the Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams (the predecessor to the Navy SEALs), didn’t outright use his time within the service in his gimmick, but would often mention it on commentary and is commonly seen sporting a Navy hat.

Other wrestlers, like Sgt. Slaughter, didn’t actually serve within the military, however the soldier gimmick got over with fans. John Cena might need used military themes throughout his profession to the purpose fans assumed he served, but Cena only played “The Marine” on movie screens.

There are other stars across all major promotions who did serve within the military, across all branches, and their service to America is not at all times recognized within the wrestling world. From former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and his time within the Army Reserves, to Tama Tonga’s profession as an Air Force mechanic, there are many skilled wrestlers fans may not know served within the U.S. military.

WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash is probably known best for being considered one of the founding members of the Latest World Order after jumping from the then-WWF to WCW, but he had quite the interesting life before diving head-first into the skilled wrestling industry. Nash was initially on a path to turn out to be a basketball star. He first played for the University of Tennessee from 1977 to 1980, then for Bowling Green State University after a series of incidents led to him leaving his first school. He moved to Europe and played skilled basketball for various teams before suffering a career-ending injury in Germany in 1981.

After the injury, Nash enlisted within the Army and was stationed in West Germany when he was assigned to the 202nd Military Police Company where they guarded “items of national security interest,” in response to Nash. He also worked in a NATO facility for 2 years and was promoted to the rank of specialist during his time. 

Nash spoke about enlisting on his “Kliq THIS” podcast and said it was perfect for him, but he knew all the things was going to vary. He also explained that he needed a “waiver” because he was so tall. The Army has specific height and weight requirements for enlistment, but “Big Daddy Cool” was in a position to skirt around them with approval of the recruiter.

Following his time within the Army, Nash would debut in WCW, for the primary time, as Steel of the Master Blasters, in September 1990, but would move on to the WWF on the behest of fine friend Shawn Michaels in June 1993, and the remaining is history.

Randy Orton served within the Marines for a really transient period, but his time within the service wasn’t exactly memorable for the suitable reasons. The third generation WWE star enlisted within the service in 1998 after graduating highschool. He went AWOL, or was absent without official leave, on two separate occasions, and disobeyed his commanding officer. He received a nasty conduct discharge (different than a dishonorable discharge, because the latter is for serious crimes similar to desertion, spying, or murder) in 1999.

Orton was tried and convicted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and spent 38 days within the brig at Camp Pendleton. After he served his time, Orton made his skilled wrestling debut in 2000 in his hometown of St. Louis.

He spoke about his enlistment in his “Evolution of a Predator” WWE documentary. He said he had “no reasons” for doing it, aside from the very fact he likes guns and said his recruiting officer was “cool.” In an episode of “WWE Evil” in 2022, Orton said that basic training was “utter hell” and there have been “numerous negatives” that he didn’t enroll for. Orton was originally forged in “The Marine 3,” but was pulled from the film when several Marines complained.

Former WWE star and current AEW star Bobby Lashley is an Army veteran, something fans learned during his time in WWE, but something that is infrequently brought up about him nowadays alongside his Hurt Syndicate stablemates. “The Almighty” followed within the footsteps of his father, who was a drill sergeant, and served from 1999 to 2002, enlisting after he graduated college at Missouri Valley. As he was serving the country, Lashley even honed his amateur wrestling skills that may serve him later in life when he began in Ohio Valley Wrestling in January 2005.

Lashley was a successful amateur wrestler in college, where he won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Wrestling Championship three years straight, starting in 1996, at 177 kilos. Within the Army, he won gold and silver competing within the International Military Sports Council’s senior freestyle wrestling event.

When he left the military, he moved to live and train in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to try and qualify for Team USA to wrestle within the 2004 Olympics. Life got in the best way and Lashley suffered a knee injury while protecting himself from gunfire when he witnessed a bank robbery. The injury required surgery, ending his amateur profession, but leading him to WWE.

WWE Hall of Famer Verne Gagne served within the Marines for a brief time frame toward the tip of World War II, though he stayed stateside moderately than being deployed because the war was wrapping up. Gagne, who would go on to turn out to be a pioneer within the skilled wrestling industry, enlisted in 1943. Gagne answered the decision of duty in the midst of his college profession on the University of Minnesota, where he returned after the war to proceed his NCAA amateur wrestling profession, in addition to a brief football profession that was so successful, he almost ended up within the NFL moderately than skilled wrestling. The discipline Gagne learned within the Marines only served him further in his wrestling profession when he decided to enter the industry in 1949.

Gagne would go on to turn out to be a top promoter because the owner of the American Wrestling Association, or AWA, the highest promotion within the Midwest during his time. He would win the corporate’s World Heavyweight Championship ten times, in addition to the IWA World Heavyweight Championship once. His almost four-decades long legendary profession led him to becoming considered one of only seven men to be inducted into the Skilled Wrestling Hall of Fame, in addition to the WWE Hall of Fame.

Tama Tonga was introduced to WWE fans in April 2024 after an in depth profession in Latest Japan Pro-Wrestling, but before his time in NJPW, Tonga served within the Air Force. The Bloodline member enlisted in 2000, after he graduated from highschool in Florida, and stayed in until 2005 and received the rank of technical sergeant during that point. Tonga was stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Noster, Missouri, where he served as a B-2 Spirit mechanic.

He decided to turn out to be an expert wrestler alongside his adoptive brother, Tanga Loa, in 2004 while Tonga was still serving. They didn’t start training until January 2008. He would not turn out to be Tama Tonga officially until he made his NJPW debut in May 2010. He and his brother would go on to be often known as the Guerillas of Destiny.

Tonga is one more wrestler who has been open about how their time within the military shaped them as a wrestler. Tonga has often shared photos and thoughts in regards to the subject on his Instagram account, though his service has never been mentioned on air during his time in WWE.

AAA creative team member and former WCW star Konnan’s journey to the military was a bit different than others. In 1976, he began to get into trouble in his South Florida neighborhood and started stealing cars after learning learn how to drive at age 12. In 1982 after he graduated from highschool, he was arrested and charged with bank card and motorcycle theft. He was charged as a juvenile for that crime, but shortly after his 18th birthday he was arrested again, this time for selling drugs. He was charged as an adult and given a selection: enlist within the military or go to jail. Konnan took the primary option and joined the Navy.

Konnan was assigned to a destroyer tender, the usCape Cod, within the Pacific Fleet after relocating to San Diego following basic training. He was deployed to the Middle East following the U.S. Embassy being bombed in Beirut in April 1983. Konnan was also on the Cape Cod within the Strait of Hormuz when the Marine barracks in the world were bombed in October 1983. The next 12 months, the ship was rotated out of the Persian Gulf and Konnan returned to California, where he received an honorable discharge and moved on in his life to start out a profession in skilled wrestling.

Montez Ford is one other Marine veteran who moved from the service to fighting within the ring to advance up the ranks to a successful profession in WWE. Ford was within the ROTC program when he was in highschool and after graduation, selected to not go to school, but to affix the Marines in 2008 due the financial problems his family was going through. He spoke about his decision to Yahoo Sports in November 2019, and said he didn’t want his family to have the burden of worrying about him. He said he “took on the pleasure of going and serving his country” and called it “the most effective decision” he had made so far.

Impressively, Ford scored an ideal 300 on the Marines physical fitness test, which involves a three-mile run, quite a few pull-ups (the one physical fitness test across all of the branches where the exercise is tested), and rather more. Ford served within the Marines for 4 years and left in 2012 to spend more time together with his family. In 2013, he found his strategy to the WWE Performance Center, but was told he needed to placed on some more weight. Ford packed on around 40 kilos and was signed to WWE following his second tryout in late 2014.

Former AEW World Champion and fan-favorite Swerve Strickland was within the Army Reverses for eight years, starting in 2008, the identical 12 months he began his skilled wrestling profession on the independent scene. Strickland grew up a military brat together with his father within the Army, and he spent the primary few years of his life on a base in Germany. After basic training, Strickland went a step further and went through 22 weeks of Advanced Individual Training. He served as a 25U Signal Support Systems Specialist, where he provided technical support and maintenance of communication systems, like radios and data transmissions devices, while also working with tactical teams to maintain all technique of communication functioning.

He was stationed in York, Pennsylvania, for his eight years within the service, and that is where he began to take independent bookings. He trained at Ground Xero Pro Wrestling Training Academy, in Rochester, Latest York, while still honoring his Reserve commitments in Pennsylvania.

Strickland has been open about how his time within the Reserves prepared him for the ring. He told Muscle & Fitness ahead of his first AEW Championship win in April 2024 that training involved a whole lot of endurance, which also helped his posture and form as he was carrying things like rucksacks on his back. He told the outlet he trained to strengthen his back through deadlifts, and at the height of his lifting, could deadlift 425 kilos.

Shane Taylor Promotions and the Infantry’s Trish Adora, a current freelance wrestling star who has worked primarily for Ring of Honor and AEW over the past 12 months, can also be a military veteran. Adora served within the Army for eight years as a military police officer in addition to a signal support specialist. Adora decided to enlist after dropping out of school, which she admitted wasn’t for her. She revealed on the “Pro Wrestling Podcast” that her co-workers at a restaurant where she was waitressing convinced her to enlist, and she or he was hooked after talking with a recruiter.

Adora was deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan in 2012, where she began to take into consideration a profession in skilled wrestling. She told The Washington Post in September 2019 she was faced with either re-enlisting and dealing within the Army for the remaining of her life, or going off to try her hand at wrestling.

“It would not be fair to me if I didn’t at the very least explore what wrestling was,” Adora told the outlet.

When she got out of the Army, she began training on the Dudley Boyz’ wrestling school, Team 3D Academy, in May 2015. Adora has been vocal about how her military training translated well into her training within the wrestling ring. 

Brian James, higher often known as Road Dogg during his time between the ropes, is currently WWE’s Senior Vice President of Live Events and co-lead author for “WWE SmackDown”; he’s also a military veteran. James served within the Marines from 1987 to 1993. He began within the skilled wrestling industry prior to enlisting and had his debut match against Kevin Sullivan for NWA Southeast Championship Wrestling. He put his wrestling profession on hold after that first victory to turn out to be a Marine. 

James was a platoon sergeant during Operation Desert Storm. Following that tour, he got back into wrestling in WCW in July 1991 for a match at Great American Bash before happening one more tour of duty.

James was nominated as the USA Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veteran of the Day back in April 2019, where all his accomplishments were listed, from his time as a Latest Age Outlaw alongside Billy Gunn in D-Generation X, to the very fact he was a six-time WWE Tag Team Champion. He retired from in-ring competition in 2015 before moving on to his executive roles inside the company. Road Dogg was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of DX in 2019.

WWE Hall of Famer William Moody, known higher to fans at Paul Bearer, the urn-carrying manager of the Undertaker and Kane, was a whole lot of exciting, yet wildly varied, things throughout his life. He was also a military veteran prior to his time as a outstanding figure within the skilled wrestling world. 

Bearer began his skilled wrestling profession as a ringside photographer within the Seventies, but left the industry to enlist within the Air Force after he graduated highschool. He served from 1972 to 1976 and achieved the rank of sergeant at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi. Bearer also received the Air Force Good Conduct Medal during his time within the service. Throughout his time within the Army, Bearer would wrestle for independent promotions in his off-duty hours.

Bearer left the Army and got his degree in mortuary science, with certifications as an embalmer and mortician, following the birth of his first son. He would return to the world of skilled wrestling full time in 1984 and commenced managing he Undertaker when he joined the then-WWF in 1990. Bearer had an in depth, Hall of Fame profession that ended officially in 2012 after his final storyline alongside Kane.