Few would argue that it takes a special kind of athlete to make it as a WWE Superstar. Sports Entertainers often perform in more than 200 matches each year, navigating the globe and dealing with nagging injuries along the way, all with little sleep and no off-season like in other sports.
The WWE lifestyle is certainly not for the faint of heart, and every so often a grappler becomes legendary not just for his ability to get things done inside the ring, but for an insane level of toughness outside the ring too. We take a look at 10 Tough Guys that are perhaps the most “alpha” in WWE history.
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Courtesy of the WWE
Shinsuke Nakamura
Why so tough? The “King of Strong Style,” Shinsuke Nakamura has become a big star in the world of WWE thanks to some incredible clashes with the likes of John Cena and AJ Styles, but did you know that the 6’2” native of Tokyo also has a 3-1-0 record in MMA?
Nakamura, who is a proponent of ‘Vale Tudo’ (full contact with few rules) was offered a UFC contract in or around 2005 but was still signed to New Japan Pro Wrestling at the time. When his contract expired with NJWP, he made a brave leap stateside to WWE, where he has become a regular fixture of SmackDown Live!
At this point, Nakamura believes that his time for another run at MMA has passed, but considering what a talented Sports Entertainer he has become, that might not be a such a bad thing for his millions of fans.
Why so tough? Antonio Inoki stood at almost 6′ tall by the time he was in seventh grade and eventually became a champion shot putter in high school. After moving to Brazil, Inoki’s track and field skills progressed further, earning more victories in shot put, javelin, and discus. It seems that Inoki was born with an insane level of strength.
In adulthood, Inoki was known internationally for both his pro wrestling and martial arts skills. During the ’70s, Inoki founded New Japan Pro Wrestling, which popularized “Strong Style” wrestling—where MMA-style striking is the norm. He would share his time between competing there and in the United States with the McMahons. Inoki’s most famous match took place in 1976, in a wrestler-against-boxer event against Muhammed Ali that was promoted as the world’s first mixed martial arts super-fight. Inoki was known for making his strikes look convincing during pro wrestling bouts, and this was often achieved by throwing genuine punches and kicks!
Why so tough? Known as the “God of Wrestling,” Karl Gotch (real name: Charles Istaz) spent time in Japan and held numerous titles around the globe. including the World Wide Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championship with Rene Goulet. His freakish strength allowed him to master both Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, eventually leading to a spot in the 1948 Olympic games. One of Gotch’s biggest contributions to the business was the innovation of the German suplex, a move that is a staple of some of the top performers today.
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Courtesy of the WWE
Steve Blackman
Why so tough? WWE fans may best remember former bodybuilder-turned-martial-artist, Steve Blackman for his hilarious on-screen partnership with Al Snow as they formed the team “Head Cheese,” but behind the laughs stood one of the toughest men ever to step foot between WWE ropes.
Known as “The Lethal Weapon,” Blackman was a major part of Monday Night RAW between 1997-2002, and it was accepted that he was not someone to play with backstage. One story, told by Bob “Hardcore” Holly, is how Blackman got tired of the constant ribbing by fellow wrestler John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) and ended up knocking him out at the Kansas City Airport. JBL, who was seen as a locker room leader at the time, ended up apologizing to The Lethal Weapon right in front of their peers. After leaving WWE, Blackman set up his own self defence school, and we couldn’t think of a better individual for that job.
Why so tough? As the son of an Army drill sergeant with three elder sisters, Bobby Lashley learned the importance of being tough from a young age. He followed in the footsteps of his father and joined the army, where he competed in amateur wrestling, winning both a gold and silver medal in the International Military Sports Council event for freestyle.
Bobby suffered a serious knee injury in 2003 when he happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and received a gunshot wound from a bank robber. This may have ended his dreams of competing in the 2004 Olympics, but he was able to make enough of a recovery to start a pro wrestling career.
In recent years, Bobby has further cemented his toughness by running up an impressive record of 15-1-0 in MMA while wrestling for Impact Wrestling at the same time. Now back with WWE, Lashley is the current Intercontinental Champion and continues to wow us with his epic athleticism, such as on a recent episode of Monday Night RAW when he took part in an obstacle course challenge.
Why so tough? The “Beast Incarnate” has often been described as a “one in a million” type of athlete, winning numerous titles during his amateur wrestling days on his way to becoming a two-time NJCAA All American and a two-time NCAA All American. His initial run with WWE officially started in 2002, and he quickly became the youngest WWE Heavyweight Champion of all time at the age of 25. After leaving WWE, and finding pro wrestling success in Japan, Brock entered the world of MMA and caught the attention of the world after defeating Randy Couture for the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2008, drawing huge box office numbers. His dominance in the Octagon proved once and for all that Brock was a legitimate tough guy.
Despite a controversial return to UFC against Mark Hunt, which saw his victory overturned after failing two drugs tests, “The Beast” may can now return to the Octagon if wants. For now, he’s sticking with WWE where he has dominated the Universal Title for nearly two years and still looks as intimidating as ever.
Why so tough? Kurt is so tough that he’s earned the nickname “Cyborg” amongst his peers. While many pro wrestlers have on-screen personas based on pure fiction, Angle really did win a Gold Medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, for freestyle wrestling, with a “broken freakin’ neck”. His incredible athleticism and quick adaptation to the world of WWE made him a popular and bankable star. He’s won an array of grappling championships, including the WCW, TNA and WWE World titles. Following several broken necks, and at age 50, Angle can still hang with the best of them in the ring. In 2017, he was deservedly inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. They don’t come much tougher than this Olympic hero.
Why so tough? Dan Severn is the first and only UFC Triple Crown Champion. One of the most successful aspects of WWE’s Attitude Era in the late ’90s was its shift to a more mature, believable style of wrestling. With UFC on the rise, it made perfect sense for the leader in sports entertainment to sign MMA stars as a way of presenting more legitimate grapplers to viewers of Monday Night RAW.
To that end, WWE acquired the services of Dan “The Beast” Severn in 1997. Across the world of MMA, he retired with an astonishing record of 101-19-7. Severn didn’t make the splash in WWE that many had hoped, which was mostly attributed to his straight-forward style and lack of showmanship. But make no mistake, Severn was as legit as they come.
Why so tough? UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock succeeded where Dan Severn failed by making a real name for himself in WWE. His intensity and charisma helped this shooter become a WWE Intercontinental Champion on two occasions—and a Tag Team champ, too. But Ken had tasted more than his fair share of gold already.
Shamrock’s glittering MMA career includes King of Pancrase and the UFC Superfight Championship. His battle with Royce Gracie is still talked about today, since it was the longest match in UFC history at an astonishing 36 minutes. As of 2019, Shamrock is only semi-retired, and often teases that he would like one last run with WWE. We’d certainly be up for seeing that.
Why so tough? Uncle to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Haku was a WWE Tag Team Champion alongside Andre The Giant and was also known in WCW as Meng, where he held the Hardcore Championship. Working in both federations, this tough guy had the power to keep the entire locker room frozen in fear.
There’s a laundry list of tall tales regarding what a badass Haku really was. One rumor suggested that he ripped out fellow wrestler Jimmy Jack Funk’s eyeball during a backstage brawl (he didn’t); and another where he nearly choked Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake out during another fight (he probably did). Oh, and he apparently bit off a fan’s nose because he questioned his toughness (The Rock kinda confirmed this one).
Still not convinced? Here’s 45 minutes of wrestlers talking about how frightening Haku was back in the day:
