WWE has also employed several veterans, many of whom have gone on to have outstanding careers with the organization. These brave men and women proudly served their country in the military. 10 Wrestlers Who Served In The Military. Not much. He was an 11-time WCW Tag Team Champion, and as a solo wrestler, he . Nobodys talking about the Sgt. Was Road Dogg in the military? He did his research, the wrestler added. So, who are these patriots? After Big Swole graduated from high school, she went to college. Not everyone has the quality to wrestler with any weight category and then put up worth watching. His first WWE run lasted for nearly a year between 1993 and 1994. Perry Saturn is one of only a handful of wrestlers who have had success in the original ECW, WCW, and WWE. 14/15 * Corporal Kirchner. The Staff Sergeant booked her in a wrestling match on the show and that's where it all began. Lacey Evans enlisted when she was 19 years old, and she went on to serve on the Marine Corps SWAT team. Perhaps most odiously, he responded in detail to infamous Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec. Cutler is also a proud veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Lacey Evans is a legit badass tho!! SSG Warren Swan. The powerhouse out of Junction City, Kansas has had plenty of good fortune during his stints with WWE. Like many young men of his generation, Gagne answered the call of duty and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. That said, he further committed to military service, George Tragos/Lou Thesz Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, in Waterloo, Iowa. To make things official, he later saved Eddie Gilbert from the Sheiks antics, after which he announced, IRON SHEIK, I DECLARE WAR ON YOU! and led the fans in the Pledge of Allegiance. Stars And Stripes: 15 WWE Wrestlers Who Served In The Military The second reason is the main reason Orton was recast in that role, his Dishonorable Discharge. Longtime wrestling reporter, clipping and set off a firestorm of internet discussion and wrestling news website articles. He won the Hardcore Championship twice and the European Championship once. Some controversy caused WWE to drop the gimmick, but Ryker returned in 2021 as a lackey for Elias before movingback into singles action and relying on his military past again. Your login session has expired. 9. The WWE Hall of Famer was a 10-time AWA World Championship and trained many former WWE Champions, including The Iron Sheik and Ric Flair. All of that resulted in the historian expressing discomfort with voting for someone who has brazenly been impersonating a Marine, and sharing the, s message board for subscribers. Wrestling boards archives (2005-2006) Off-Topic archives (2015) Off-Topic archives (2014) Off-Topic archives (2013) Did any WWE wrestlers serve in the military? The former WWE Superstar also served in the reserves after college. His father was a former US Army Drill Sergeant. He started his career in 1990 after signing the deal with United States Wrestling Association. Slaughter. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon himself is a supporter of the U.S. military. Randy Orton. A professional from 2001 until 2016, he has fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, the WEC, ShoMMA, HDNet Fights, and represented the Chicago Red Bears in the IFL. RELATED: The 10 Most Influential Wrestling Families Of All-Time. In 2016, Trish Adora started wrestling in a few promotions like IGNITE Wrestling, American Combat Wrestling, and Go Wrestle. (It doesnt help, though that, even then, he would make the distinction to reporters that he was a real Marine, like in a March 1981 Washington Evening Star story.) Military experience: Graduated from the U.S. When my wife got home from work, I had her take a disposable camera, take some pictures of me growling, and being bad, and took em over to a wrestling office Verne Gagnes wrestling office., The article that set off the latest controversy was originally published in the March 24, 1985, issue of theBaltimore Suns Sun Magazine, which featured Slaughter on the cover. Adora is a United States Army veteran. Raven later decided to ditch his dreams of becoming a CIA agent. Slaughter, thats not me, Remus said of his TV wrestling persona. That seems to also be the case for many others, at least as far as why this story has, somewhat improbably, not come to a head sooner. Youve got to understand: Thats Sgt. Bobby has military background as his father was a drill sergeant in United Stated Army. However, he also has military background. Slaughter, he perfected the act, becoming one of the biggest stars and top villains in the business almost overnight. Bobby Lashley made his initial WWE debut in 2005 and his overall tenure in the company saw him becoming the ECW World Champion, United States Champion and Intercontinental Champion. Did any WWE wrestlers serve in the military? Evans was introduced to pro wrestling by one of her colleagues who promoted indy wrestling shows on the side. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies. Follow him on twitter @goodeals79. Sgt. Colter is a Vietnam War veteran.Aug . He was a member of the Underwater Demolition Team during the Vietnam War in the 20th century and was stationed in the Philippines. pic.twitter.com/2XLPE1YFvl, SoCal UNCENSORED (@socaluncensored) January 9, 2020. Why UFC Generate More Revenue Than Other MMA Events Or Promotions. Before becoming a professional wrestler, Ford took part in other athletics, which he was successful in. UFC Referees Salaries | Herb Dean Highest Paid MMA Official With $500k Salary, Most Expensive UFC Fighters Contracts Deals. Seven years before becoming a WWE Superstar, Cutler was in the military. Making sure all the, uh, the grunts dont [go] AWOL on us, and keep em all in line., After Remus claimed that the Sgt. Lashley is a two-time winner of the 'Extreme Championship Wrestling,' and a one-time winner of the 'WWE United States Championship.'. Trained in sports and martial arts, I have awards and ranks in boxing and wrestling. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The gimmick wasnt entirely new: When he first became Bob Slaughter in 1976 in the Kansas City territory, he was billed as an ex-Marine drill instructor and nicknamed The D.I. But as Sgt. During college times, Nash was a skillful basketball player and later on, he worked hard to get into Military Police Company in Germany where he reached the rank of specialist before turning pro in professional wrestling. Vernon Logan: Logan won individual NCAA titles for Oklahoma State in 1940 and 1942 at 155 pounds. Over the years WWEhas had an excellent relationship with the United States Armed Forces. His best came out in World Wrestling Entertainment. Vince McMahon has also hired several former U.S. Army members over the years. Howlin' Wolf, circa 1970s. After serving a tour of duty, the former Intercontinental Champion made his return to sports-entertainment, competing in WCW and Smokey Mountain Wrestling before joining WWE. He began his run with the company back in 1994, managing Jeff Jarrett. Check out his weekly wrestling history podcast, Between The Sheets, on all major podcast platforms, and subscribe to his Substack at BabyfacevHeel.com. WWE is a lot of things, but stupid enough to send a valor thief to military events isnt one of them. Well, yes. WWE CEO (and owner) Vince McMahon is an outspoken supporter of the military. After he was discharged from the Navy in 1946, Freddie Blassie returned to the ring and attained more success. The Sheik is arguably one of wrestling's greatest villains ever - and every great villain needs a hero. After all, it, Well, yes. A few current WWE Superstars have also had the same experience. Before starting his wrestling career, Jesse was in United States Navy Underwater Demolition Team. The veteran currently works as a backstage producer and writer in WWE. Case in point: Yes, he responded when Jim Norton of Sirius XMs, him if he really served in the Marine Corps last February 18th. Before joining the promotion, Ellenberger racked up a 12-0 MMA score. Slaughter is a wrestling star who rose to prominence in the 1980s. Today we take a look at the top 5 wrestlers that served in the military. Few current WWE Superstars have. 10 Wrestlers Who Served In The Military - YouTube 0:00 / 3:19 10 Wrestlers Who Served In The Military Top10Wrestling 224K subscribers Subscribe 3.3M views 6 years ago Hello and welcome to the. He competed in many promotions throughout his career, including WCW, ECW, TNA, and WWE. convention, Slaughter gave him a similar story, one that, even as someone with family who served in the Marines, he bought. (It doesnt help, though that, even then, he would make the distinction to reporters that he was a real Marine, like in, Remus has long given and continues to give out-of-character interviews where, despite being introduced as Sgt. After serving overseas, the former WWE Champion returned to the US and got into pro wrestling. As Diesel, Nash was even able to capture the WWE (then WWF) Championship. If various rock 'n' roll memoirs are to be believed, nearly every American musical group . Not to mention, in the ensuing years, the YouTube and podcast booms hadnt really gotten going yet at least not to the degree that it would be easy to be aware of what Slaughter has claimed about being a genuine Marine while explicitly out-of-character. Last, but not least, we have Randy Orton. Saturn teamed up in his last match with former WWE Superstar Raven to defeat Brady Pierce and Mad Man Pondo in a Raven's Rules Tag Team Match at RPW Lights Out. Blassie joined WWE in 1964 and worked as a manager from the 70s before his official retirement in 1984. The now 60-year-old originally got his big break in WWE using the ring name Diesel. Still, the 1985 article was explicit and well-reported, and a legitimate veteran-turned-pro-wrestler, Jesse Ventura, would later state the truth about Slaughter, article, wrestling historian J. Steve Hicks , . Today we're counting down my picks for the Top 10 Wrestlers that have served in the military, let's get it started! The Viper currently competes on Monday Night RAW as a heel. Randy Orton, the legend killer, the apex predator. I like my privacy, I like to play golf and listen to music. His duties included arranging travel for Marines if they needed training. . pic.twitter.com/bIpik22dln, SoCal UNCENSORED (@socaluncensored) January 14, 2020. He later became a singles competitor, chasing the Hardcore and European Titles. Will Vin Sant Leave You Jacked or Scammed? . WWE Hall of Famers Kevin Nash and Freddie Blassie are two examples of wrestlers who have served in the military before becoming pro wrestlers. The Sassy Southern Belle also competed in the first women's match in Saudi Arabia when she collided with the Natalya at WWE Crown Jewel in 2019. Several months after I first spotted the Sun article, wrestling historian J. Steve Hicks he uses the pen name Karl Stern online was researching Slaughters case for induction in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame. Stay tuned for more information! Back in 1986, James decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corp. A fellow marine, who was a promoter on the side, booked her in a match on an indy show and the rest is history. Policies should never be aimed at reaching a quota or making a press release. After a successful year-long run doing strong business with great matches (primarily against, in the Carolinas, another famously lucrative territory, eventually, Slaughter would return to the WWF shortly after the traffic jam, changing his villainous ways to a good guy after about a year. While its fine that he portrays a character that was a Marine, him doing non-kayfabe interviews claiming to serve 2 tours in Vietnam, that he was a drill instructor, etc. A member of the Republican Party, Jordan is a former collegiate wrestler and college wrestling coach. Military police as a SWAT officer badass #Raw pic.twitter.com/LDMKGB7DRC. Zeb Colter worked as a territories star named Dirty Dutch Mantel before he came to WWE and served as a manager for men like Cesaro and Jack Swagger. In early 2016, a new class of WWE Performance Center recruits was announced. How many wwe wrestlers served in the military? . But in 1985, Slaughter was mostly understood to be pretending to be a Marine strictly as a wrestling gimmick. Youve got to understand: Thats Sgt. The 5-foot-8 WWE star was a military police officer who served for 5 years. Please logout and login again. WWE - Current . Bobby Lashley is an American professional wrestler and a mixed martial artist. 15/15 * Montez Ford. Since that time, he was gone on the become one of professional wrestlings biggest attractions. After that answer, the topic was mercifully brought back entirely to wrestling. RULES. He would go on to become a star in his own right after teaming up with Billy Gunn and forming The New Age Outlaws. Kirchner ended up winning a Flag Match against Nikolai Volkoff at WrestleMania 2. So I thought, Well, thats probably what Ill do. Two tours of Vietnam, yeah. Before pursuing a career in professional wrestling, WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash was a basketball player. During that process, he came across not just the Sun article but also Remus more recent claims to have genuinely served. Professional Wrestlers Who Served In The United States Military In honor of Veterans Day, we decided to salute 13 wrestlers from different decades who fought for their country before battling inside a WWE ring. Part of the issue, too, is that Slaughter is an undisputed legend in pro wrestling. It was less disorienting than usual, though, because he grounded the tall tales in enough ostensible reality connecting everything to wrestling stories, e.g., getting the Sgt. However, Randy faced premature dismissal due to disobeying an order and multiple absents during the training session. After serving in Vietnam for a year, Colter returned to the U.S. and found his calling in professional wrestling. After the troll, Slaughter on a pedestal as having always been there for the troops, the wrestler. During his tour, he even won a gold medal in freestyle (amateur) wrestling at an event hosted by the International Military Sports Council. Will there be PPV Share Money For him in UFC? Which wrestler served in the military? Although he never went into battle, the young corporal gained the mental and physical tenacity of a soldier and used his skills to compete in WWE, Stampede Wrestling and Japan. Your login session has expired. He will serve in Vietnam where he will be killed on July 21, 1970, one of two NFL players to be killed in Vietnam pic.twitter.com/xUILWIOsZV But mostly yes. Konnan has not performed in WWE, but also in Impact Wrestling, Major League Wrestling and many other promotions. Like Trish Adora and Steve Cutler, Saturn also served in a combat zone. I like my privacy, I like to play golf and listen to music. Before his career in WWE, Kirchner enlisted as a paratrooper with the elite 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, N.C. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. Perry Saturn is among the few wrestlers who competed in WCW, ECW, WWE and TNA. Proudly serving on the frontlines, Cutler did two tours in Afghanistan before being honorably discharged. And not just to the media either. I found it interesting, but I didnt think much of it since the extent of Slaughters claims werent at the forefront of my mind. These wrestlers served in different branches, including the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force. I really did! Slaughter was also a member of G.I. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1997 and was a member of the wrestling team. Click on any of the links to read more about wrestlers who served in the military: Verne Gagne Don Leo Jonathan Buddy Rogers Baron Von Raschke Research by Tim Hornbaker All Information is public information obtained through FOIA. . AEW (All Elite Wrestling) (w)Rest of Wrestling. Read the Rules! The now 60-year-old originally got his big break in WWE using the ring name Diesel. Kirshner worked in WWE in the '80s and worked originally as RT Reynolds until 1986 when he took on the military persona of Corporal Kirchner. WWE Network. Corporal Kirchner was another WWE superstar who had his gimmick include plenty of references to his military career. Vera is a veteran of the US Air Force and a former UFC fighter. He snuck the, uh, Twinkies in the barracks. A Highly Questionable Cultural History of Richard Geres Ass Gerbil, The Unexpectedly Sweet Story Behind Those Viral Semi-Truck Pregnancy Photos. Perry Saturn kicked off his wrestling career in 1991. The Road Dogg Jesse James is a Hall of Famer who rose to prominence during WWEs Attitude Era. But they were probably so far removed from each other that you never thought of them together. Bryant then put in a Freedom of Information Act request about Remus, quickly resulting in a letter confirming that, indeed, the wrestler never served. However, before he showed up in professional wrestling, Colter was a member of theU.S. Armys 25th Infantry Division. Blassie served in the Navy during World War II. Blassie was also an accomplished competitor in his own right during the 1950s and 1960s. As Diesel, Nash was even able to capture the WWE (then WWF) Championship. While Didingers statement that his subject was an actual veteran is made in passing (The 34-year-old Marine Corps veteran was dressed in slacks and a wind-breaker) and doesnt quote Remus/Slaughter, the wrestler would continue to claim until as recently as a few months ago that he was a genuine veteran, decades after he had started talking about the wrestling business in more surface-honest terms. He finally won the WWE Championship in 2021. Still he is signed with Impact where he is a member of the creative team. It's no surprise that some wrestlers have had other jobs outside of the ring, and some of them have even enlisted in the United States military. He attributes his discipline and work habits to the military. After a successful year-long run doing strong business with great matches (primarily against Bob Backlund and Pat Patterson), he moved on to Jim Crockett Promotions in the Carolinas, another famously lucrative territory, eventually causing a massive traffic jam in Greensboro for the climactic cage match of his biggest feud in the region, with tag-team partner Don Kernodle, against Ricky Steamboat and Jay Youngblood.