Recently, I got into an argument with a friend of mine regarding profession (i.e. WWE-style) wrestling.  In the paste debated the merits of The Rock versus Hulk Hogan and high-flyers versus powerful big men, but this debate was much different.  This time, we were arguing about professional wrestlers and whether or not they have the ability to be top-notch athletes in other sports.  I told my friend that there are a great many professional wrestlers that possess the natural gifts to excel in the real sports world, such as 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle.  My friend fired back with the one name that I had no defense for, and that was Brock Lesnar. 

As you may or may not recall (I'm leaning towards "not" given the decline in the popularity of the WWE since the late 1990s), Brock Lesnar was one of the biggest names in pro wrestling in early part of the 21st century.  With an impressive physique and amateur wrestling background, Lesnar soon was on the fast track to stardom.  His road to success culminated in August of 2002, when Lesnar won the WWE undisputed championship.  (Before I get comments regarding my knowledge of pro wrestling, I know it is fake)   Less than two years after this triumph, Brock Lesnar left the WWE for good to try his hand at professional football.  This career move turned out to be a miserable failure, and Lesnar was very quickly out of the NFL.  Maybe he should have played on the basketball team in college instead of joining the wrestling team, that seems to be the resume preferred by NFL personnel men these days.

Determined to prove that I both correct and a stubborn SOB, I have done some research to determine if professional wrestlers do possess some of the skills required to play real sports at a high level.  After a weekend of digging up figures when I could have been trying to get laid, I have compiled a list of professional wresters that have also participated in real sports in a career that was at least slightly more successful than Brock Lesnar's football career.  Enjoy.

"Alpha Male"Monty Brown, NFL (Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots), TNA Wrestler

Although the first image is extremely difficult to make out, it is a photo of "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown during his college football days at Ferris State.  Brown would follow up his collegiate career by playing four seasons as a linebacker in the NFL, spending three years with Buffalo and closing out his career with the New England.  Brown appeared in 43 NFL games, recording 106 tackles.  Today, Monty Brown is one of the most visible superstars in TNA wrestling.

John "Bradshaw" Layfield, NFL (Los Angeles Raiders), former WWE Champion

Pictured in his college days at Abeline Christian University, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, or JBL as he's known to his jeering fans (he certainly isn't a fan favorite), played briefly on and off for the Los Angeles Raiders of the NFL and in the World League, but injuries cut short his promising playing career.  Now a self-proclaimed Wrestling God, JBL held the WWE championship for nearly ten months between 2004 and 2005.  It was announced this past Sunday that JBL will now become the color commentator on Friday Night Smackdown.

Kurt Angle, 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist, 6-time World Champion (Pro Westling), Current ECW Wrestler

It appears I've made it back to when I began my agrument, back to Kurt Angle, quite possibly the greatest ring technician the WWE has ever seen.  Wrestling for Team USA, Angle captured the Gold Medal in freestyle wrestling in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.  After winning the greatest honor possible in his sport, Angle went on to an extremely successful career in the WWE, becoming a six-time world champion.  One of the most popular superstars ever to grace the WWE ring, Angle now works his craft in the new incarnation of ECW, which the WWE has very recently brought back from the dead.

Although Angle can be described as one of the best pure athletes in professional wrestling, the same cannot be said for either Brown or Layfield.  The fact that these two men had careers in professional football without being renowned for their athleticism in professional wrestling proves to me that there are many pro wrestlers that are athletic enough to play professional sports.  Perhaps if Lesnar had tried his hand at football before wrestling he would've had a chance.  Still it would be interesting to see what kind of marks likes of Bobby Lashley, Kane, Chris Jericho and Undertaker (who has given workout advice to Shaquille O'Neal in recent years) could have left on the world of professional sports if they had chosen that path instead of pro wrestling.  We may never know for sure, but I'd bet they would have been at least moderately successful as professional athletes.