Who was the greatest WWE superstar to ever play in the NFL?

[CM Steel]

Thanksgiving is now over, but not football. Saturday college, Sunday the NFL pros.

But who was the greatest WWE superstar to ever play in the NFL? The National Football League, that means not college in where the easy answer would be Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Who Played college football in Miami as a Miami Hurricane, but didn't get drafted to the pros along with his Hurricane teammates in Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp.

So my answer to the question would have to be...Ron Simmons. Simmons was drafted by the "original" Cleveland Browns in the 1980's where he made an impact before going up north to play for the CFL. His former tag team partner Bradshaw (JBL) was signed as an free agent by the then-Los Angeles Raiders, but was cut by the team before the 1990 NFL season started.

And Brock Lesnar oringinally left the WWE in 2004 to try out for the Minnasota Vikings in the NFL. But didn't make it on to the main roster. So began Brock's MMA career.And NFL great William Perry is a WWE hall of famer as a member of the class of 2006, along side Bret "The Hitman" Hart. Eliminated Big John Studd and Tony Atlas in the WrestleMania 2 Battle Royal.


But in your own opinion. Who was the greatest WWE superstar to ever play in the NFL?

 

[Dysturbed]

Hypothetically Brian Pillman, despite originally being known for WCW (and briefly ECW) could have been up there with his WWE stint but he of course passed away and, despite his great persona, we don't know what would have happened with a continued WWE career, especially since it existed post accident. So I'll eliminate him as an option.

If we were to expand your thought to wrestling in general and not just WWE, then I'd probably go with Goldberg. He was only a "wwe star" for a year but the relevancy that he had in the business should be acknowledged in this conversation imo. However, since he is is primarily considered a WCW star I suppose he isn't fitting of your critieria. Ron Simmons also is known for WCW but since he is well known from his years in WWE I am in agreement with your answer of him.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Well it's a shame to limit this to only "WWE" stars... since many pro football stars had pro wrestling success. Even Ron Simmons was mostly a mid carder in WWE, where as in WCW he was a Word Champion.

Lex Luger was the biggest star in WWE who also had a pro football career. Like Pillman & Simmons, his Pro Football career was short lived and he initially became a wrestling star outside WWE but during his time in WWE he had high profile feuds with Brett Hart and main evented SummerSlam, giving him a much better WWE run than Simmons ever could have dreamed of.

Likewise Goldberg beat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, feuded with Triple H, and was WWE Champion. His run in WWE might be slightly above Luger's as the best a football star ever had in the company.

Still, the biggest wrestling star who was also a pro football star was Wahoo McDaniel, a full time starter for The New York Jets (much more significant pro foorball career than Simmons, Pillman, Luger, or Goldberg had) and he was a main event level star for over two decades afterwards in pro wrestling. The length of his pro wrestling career far exceeded the other names mentioned here (although Luger comes close) and his pro football career FAR exceeded the others, not even close.

 

[boozinjedi]

If we're going all time....
It's easy,

How about Ernie Ladd?

I believe he is the only guy to be in the hall of fame for BOTH the NFL and WWE.

 

[closet_fan]

If we're going all time....
It's easy,

How about Ernie Ladd?

I believe he is the only guy to be in the hall of fame for BOTH the NFL and WWE.

First and only guy I thought of booz. He had a great NFL career and also was a great wrestler. Very athletic in the ring for a guy his size. It will be hard for many to come up with Ladd since most here aren't old enough to remember him, but he is my No. 1 choice.

Boston Patriots center Jon Morris said of Ladd:

Ladd was so big, he blocked out the sun: "It was dark. I couldn’t see the linebackers. I couldn’t see the goalposts. It was like being locked in a closet."

He wasn't inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, but the Chargers HOF. Which is still better than every NFL player turned wrestler ever.

 

[Pedigree1]

This is an easy question and its not that bum William Perry.(Fucker stole Walter Peytons TD in the superbowl and i will never forgive him for that)Ok enough of that rant the answer is quite easy.

Ernie Big Cat Ladd! At 6'9 315 Pounds he was the biggest man in the NFL during his era. Hell during any era he would be one of the biggest. He was a monster DT during his stint as a San Diego Charger. And as a wrestler easily one of the biggest heels ever to step foot in a ring. He battled greats like Mil Masceras,Bruno Sammartino,Bob Backlund. Ernie was the best of the bunch by far IMHO. A Charger HOF and WWE HOF long live Ernie Big Cat Ladd

 

[CM Steel]

well i'm including WcW in this and saying Steve (Mongo) McMichaels !!!!

When I made this thread I originally put it in the WWE section, but it later got moved to the Old School section. Fair enough I guess? So from here on out let's just go with "Who was the greatest wrestler to ever play in the NFL?". And on that notion, I agree with you on the answer. Steve "Mango" McMichaels.

He was a beast on any NFL football field!

 

[THTRobtaylor]

If you're going for one off's then the Fridge or LT would get the win as both guys were pretty stellar players who wrestled once.

Bronko Nagurski was the first guy to win an NFL and NWA title back in the day, so he rates highly.

Ladd is perhaps the most influential "dual sports star" of his era. McDaniel was more known for wrestling and his gimmick than football in the end, where as Ladd was always "NFL-star" turned wrestler. Pillman was not in football long enough and his gridiron time never was a factor in his career. The OP's assertion that The Rock would be the most famous College level player is one I cannot agree with, Ron Simmons would get that honour. They even retired his number.

The guy who no one has mentioned is Vader, who I think would be the winner on the virtue that he was a multi-time winner of titles in the US and Japan, and for a time he was the dominant wrestler on both sides of the pacific AND he was a part of Superbowl 14 for the LA Rams, although not a starter and on the losing side.

 

[coolant]

When I made this thread I originally put it in the WWE section, but it later got moved to the Old School section. Fair enough I guess? So from here on out let's just go with "Who was the greatest wrestler to ever play in the NFL?". And on that notion, I agree with you on the answer. Steve "Mango" McMichaels.

He was a beast on any NFL football field!

You have it reversed. He is perhaps the greatest football player to ever be a professional wrestler. He is by no means the greatest wrestler to play in the nfl.

Anyways, I will say that, I too, believe the McMichael was the best football player to ever be a full-time professional wrestler. While Ernie Ladd had a few more individual accolades (4 probowls to 2). McMichael was on THEE greatest defense to ever step on the field. You pick the 85 bears or the 86 bears? He was also a starter on a superbowl championship winning team.

 

[The Living Receiver]

Well, technically Bill Goldberg made history as an NFL player (he was the first player ever cut by the then expansion Carolina Panthers).
Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart was a nose tackle for the Cowboys, Ron Simmons' success is needless to point out.
If we are going to count Perry (I don't but others are so i'll play along) We certainly cant leave out Lawrence Taylor now can we?


By the logic of Perry being counted, Taylor is the obvious choice here, being that he was arguably the greatest outside linebacker to ever play the game.
If one match is all it takes to qualify, how can this be disputed really?

 

[crippler]

with the list of Wrestlers to play in the NFL.

Droz
Played for the Denver Broncos in the NFL.
Goldberg
Played for the Atlanta Falcons for three years in the NFL.
Kevin Greene
Played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL.
John Heidenrich
Played for the NFL's Washington Redskins, the New Orleans Saints, and the Atlanta Falcons.
Junk Yard Dog
He played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers.
Lex Luger
Played in the CFL for the Montreal Alouettes, the Green Bay Packers in the NFL and Tampa Bay Bandits and Memphis Showboats in the USFL.
Steve McMichael
Played for the Chicago Bears in the NFL.
Ernie Ladd
He played for the San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers and the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL.
Tito Santana
He played professional football as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL and the British Columbia Lions of the CFL
Ron Simmons
Played for the NFL Cleveland Browns and USFL Tampa Bay Bandits
Jim Niedhart
He played for the NFL Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys

After looking at the list alot of names like Luger, Goldberg & Ron Simmons however the title is WWE stars and these guys were never that big in WWE even though Goldberg was world champion his WWE stay was mediocre at best.

The best WWE Star to have played in the NFL I would have to say Tito Santana. he was a WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times) and a WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times). Tito put on some great matches in his career against guys like Greg Valentine, Randy Savage, Don Morocco and Mr. Perfect

 

[Duke]

That would go to the late great Edward "Wahoo" McDaniels. If you knew his history you would see his only problem was that he loved the taste of alcohol. He had a very good career in the pros. He made his best impact after knocking out two police offers and being traded to the Jets where his career took off.

 

[HBsam31]

Ernie Ladd. WWE HOF Chargers HOF. I can't really argue with that. Steve McMicheals was on one if not the best defenses in history, but he didn't have near the wrestling career that Ladd did. It has to be him.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

There is a big distinction between "training camp" and playing games, so to me guys like Santana, Brock Lesnar don't count as they never actually played a game in the NFL season.

McMichael has a strong case but on balance his career as a wrestler was at best mediocre despite being pushed as a Horseman.


Ladd and McDaniel had upper midcard careers but never quite cracked the top rung of the ladder. You could also say that they were not a part of the "global" wrestling business but territorial stars.

When it comes down to it. Vader played in a Superbowl winning squad (albeit not the final game) and was a main eventer for years in the WWE, WCW AND Japan. Goldberg is the closest to him I guess as he did have a longer NFL career and as big impact on the business in a shorter time, but if you go back to that early 90's period there was no one bigger or more in demand in the business than Vader, carrying titles in Japan, Europe and Germany. So I stand by my pick that on all the factors, and the original question of the "best" WWE wrestler, Vader is your winner. If it was the best ever cross sport wrestler, then McDaniel or even Randy Savage would be in there with his baseball career.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Its really all in how you chose to evaluate it. Luger for example had a HOF caliber career, consistent main eventer in WCW & WWE, High profile fueds with Brett Hart, Yokozuna, Randy Savage, The NwO, prominent run in Horsemen, numerous titles, big matches at WrestleMania, Starrcade, SummerSlam, & Great Am Bash, legendary feud vs Flair, submission World Title win over Hogan, however his pro football career was short lived and nondescript through the NFL, USFL, & CFL. Likewise Steve McMicheal was a successful full time starter on Chicago Bears team that lead the league in defense three times, advancing to three conference title games and winning one Super Bowl between 1984-88. As a wrestler however his career was short lived (two and half years at best) and he was mostly just window dressing for Flair & Benoit in The Horsemen.

If your trying to find a pro football player who had a good-great pro wrestling career than guys like Luger, Ron Simmons, Vader, & Goldberg are among the best choices. However, for combining pro football success AND pro wrestling success than Ernie Ladd and Wahoo McDaniel are probably the leading candidates.

 

[matman8540]

If we're going old school, there is one glaring omission. Dick "The Bruiser" Afflis. He was a starting lineman for the Packers back in the early 50s for about 4 years. Granted, his football career was nowhere near Ernie Ladd or Wahoo McDaniel, but it was still significant enough not to be just a "cup of coffee". He even went so far as to battle with the recently deceased Alex Karras while Karras was serving his one year suspension from the NFL. As far as his wrestling career is concerned, 7 time AWA tag team champion, and even held the AWA world title for a week; beating Mad Dog Vachon.

 

[justtxyank]

Wahoo McDaniel was a pretty big wrestling star. He's easily among the most recognizable names from the 70s and 80s. The wrestling system worked differently then so he didn't win the NWA title, but he was a multiple time Mid Atlantic champion and was a regular challenger for the AWA title.

Not winning the world title does not mean he failed to break out of upper mid card status. Titles worked differently back then. Wahoo was pretty much a consistent main event until the end of his career, feuding with top guys in promotions, including feuding over top titles.

He would be my answer to this.

 

[peter_midnight]

I was going to go with Lex Luger or one of the other choices here, but I have to say LT would be the greatest after thinking about it. Has anyone else from the NFL for their first match ever main evented Wrestlemania? And he won the match, so he's undefeated in WM just like the Undertaker is. IDGAF what HBK or Diesel say, I know I paid to watch LT wrestle Bam Bam, not those two, lol.

Finally, this event featured the debut of Steve "Mongo" McMichael and Reggie White two wrestlers that later wrestled a classic hard fought match prominently featured in a WCW pay-per-view event. Not to mention, where would Botchamania be without "Mongo." Clearly LT is responsible for so much in this great sport, I give the nod to him.

 

[Wrestlefan73]

There are too many variables to this topic. There are several wrestlers that played in the NFL.
But, if you go by the OP's question, the answer would have to be Ernie Ladd. He is in the WWE Hall of Fame, so he is one of "wrestlings greats" as well as being in the NFL Hall of Fame.
If you go by which former NFL player(s) had the BEST Wrestling career, I would have to say a tie between Verne Gagne and Fritz Von Erich. Both played in the NFL and OWNED successful wrestling promotions, as well as both being in the WWE HoF!

 

[anvilx8]

JYD.

Ps. Wasnt pillman in the nfl?