We've all seen football players transition into professional wrestlers. Here are a few notable examples:
Ron Simmons
A College Football Hall of Famer who played at Florida State, Simmons became a trailblazer in wrestling as the first African American to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
Bill Goldberg
After playing for the University of Georgia Bulldogs and in the NFL, Goldberg transitioned to professional wrestling, achieving fame in both WCW and WWE with his impressive winning streak and powerful persona.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Before becoming one of the biggest names in professional wrestling and Hollywood, Johnson played college football for the University of Miami, where he was part of a national championship team.
Roman Reigns
Reigns played college football for Georgia Tech before making his mark in WWE, where he has become one of the company's biggest stars.
This week on Monday Night Raw, we saw Bronson Rechsteiner, the son of a retired wrestler, Rick Steiner and former Kennesaw State Owl football player. Known by his ring name Bron Breakker, he is one of the biggest rising stars in WWE today.
Bron Breakker will face Sami Zayn at Summer Slam for the Intercontinental Championship after defeating WWE superstar Ilja Dragunov in a number one contender's match. During a backstage interview, he shared his thoughts on Sami Zayn:
"Look, I showed the world tonight what happens when you get in the ring with me. When I am 100 percent laser-focused and paying attention to detail, I am the most dangerous man in that locker room. Now, Sami Zayn, it's OVER for you, man, it's OVER! All the hopes and dreams that you give these people out there every single week about how you take a beating and just keep getting back up and up and up and fighting for your life – all that hope is GONE! Because when you step foot in the ring with me at Summer Slam, I'm gonna break you in half to where you wish you never did. It's time for the younger generation to get a chance, for the young guys to get an opportunity around here to prove themselves. And I'm gonna put it to you like this, man: you are the Kirby Smart to my Nick Saban because you got lucky once, but it'll never happen again."
If you're a fan of both college football and wrestling, the mention of Georgia and Alabama football on Monday Night Raw is pretty thrilling. It’s intriguing to see Bron Breakker, a football player from Kennesaw, Georgia, taking a jab at Kirby Smart. It might hint at some personal frustration, especially if he felt overlooked by Smart during his football career.
Comparing himself to Nick Saban, one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, seems a bit premature for Breakker, who is still establishing himself in WWE. Sami Zayn, with over a decade in WWE, has built a legendary career akin to Saban’s in football. It makes sense for Breakker to aim high, but winning a WWE title before drawing such comparisons might be more fitting.
As for Kirby Smart, he remains the top active coach in college football today, but with Nick Saban retiring in January 2024, the landscape is shifting. Kirby Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs are set to face the Alabama Crimson Tide with new football head coach Kalen Deboer on September 28, 2024, at 7:30 PM EST, marking a new chapter in college football.