WWE star who played in NFL: Full list, insights & more

By Abhijit Singh

Abhijit has been telling sports stories through his words at Khel Now since 2024. He covers Pro wrestling, MMA, Boxing & Formula 1.

Published at :October 22, 2024 at 7:26 PM

Modified at :October 22, 2024 at 7:26 PM

(Courtesy : NFL/WWE)

Meet the WWE stars with careers in the National Football League

World Wide Entertainment (WWE) and the National Football League (NFL) are two of the most popular sports in the world.

NFL is an American football league consisting of 32 teams that are divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). It is one of the major professional sports leagues in the US and Canada.

Many WWE athletes have crossed over between the two worlds of the NFL and wrestling. These stars have left their mark in both sports and have created a long-lasting legacy.

Here is a list of WWE stars who have also played in the National Football League

Athlete	NFL Team
‘The OTC’ Roman Reigns	Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars
Brock Lesnar	Minnesota Vikings
Goldberg	Los Angeles Rams, Sacramento Surge, Sacramento Gold Miners, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers
Pat McAfee	Indianapolis Colts
Big Van Vader	Los Angeles Rams
Baron Corbin	Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals
Verne Gagne	Chicago Bears
JBL/Bradshaw	Los Angeles Raiders
Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots
Mojo Rawley	Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals
Ron Simmons	Cleveland Browns
Brian Pillman	Cincinnati Bengals
Steve McMichael	Chicago Bears
Lex Luger	Green Bay Packers
William ‘The Refrigerator’ Perry	Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles
‘Cowboy’ Bill Watts	Minnesota Vikings
‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan	Atlanta Falcons
Ernie Ladd	San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs
Wahoo McDaniel	Houston Oilers, New York Jets, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins
Marcus Cor Von	Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots
Ahmed Johnson	Dallas Cowboys
Kevin Greene	Carolina Panthers

How many WWE World Champions have played in the NFL?

Many NFL stars have transitioned into WWE and have gone on to make it big in the promotion. Here we take a look at some of the stars that were able to capture the prestigious WWE title.

Athlete	WWE Titles
Roman Reigns	Undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion
Brock Lesnar	WWE Championship/WWE Universal Championship
JBL	WWE Championship
Goldberg	WCW World Heavyweight Champion

FAQs

What NFL team and football position did Roman Reigns play for?

Roman Reigns played for the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars. The position played by ‘The OTC’ was a defensive tackle.

What NFL team and football position did Brock Lesnar play for?

‘The Beast’ Brock Lesnar played for the Minnesota Vikings. The position played by the former WWE and UFC Champion was defensive tackle.

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Abhijit Singh

Abhijit Singh is a budding sports journalist with over three years of experience in the field, and a photographer capturing stories through his lens since 2018. With a background in philosophy and political science, he brings a thoughtful, analytical edge to his reporting where every word is guided by curiosity and intent. Whether he's capturing the emotion of a moment or unpacking the deeper narratives within the game, Abhijit’s work is rooted in insight and passion. When he’s not covering sports, he’s often exploring new ideas through reading, traveling or just procrastinating.