Wrestle Pedia
Veterans Day is a time to reflect on the service of many, including some professional wrestlers who served before making their mark in the ring. Many of those pro wrestlers have made their military service part of their story, but some of them have a history that many fans might not realize.
Bobby Lashley, the former WWE Champion, comes from a military family, with his father serving as a U.S. Army Drill Sergeant. Lashley, in his time with the army, even won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling. Lashley won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at an event hosted by the International Military Sports Council.
Randy Orton, despite his success in WWE, had a less illustrious military career in the U.S. Marine Corps. His time in the Marines was marked by dissatisfaction, resulting in him going AWOL twice and a brief stint in military jail. He paid his debt and has since moved on, and he is able to look back at that portion of his life with a lot of introspection at this stage in his life.
Montez Ford, known for his work as 1/2 of the Street Profits, served in the U.S. Marine Corps under his real name, Kenneth Crawford, before deciding not to re-enlist due to family commitments. He ended up in WWE after that, and the rest was history.
Lacey Evans, before becoming a WWE Superstar, served in the United States Marine Corps. Her military career included working as a military police officer and participating in various training exercises. Evans often incorporated her military background into her wrestling persona, proudly donning her Marine-inspired attire and referring to herself as “The Lady of WWE” until she departed from the company several months ago.
Trish Adora, who has wrestled in various promotions like AEW and ROH, served eight years in the U.S. Army, even being deployed to Afghanistan. She sometimes incorporates her military background into her wrestling persona.
Steve Maclin, a former Impact World Champion, served as a Machine Gunner/0331 Infantry with the Second Battalion 8th Marines Weapons Company, completing two tours of Afghanistan. He was also involved in the Forgotten Sons faction in WWE, a short-lived group with a military theme.
Ashante ‘Thee’ Adonis enlisted in the U.S. Army shortly after high school, serving from 2008 to 2013 and completing a combat tour of Afghanistan between 2010 and 2011. He doesn’t proclaim that as part of his WWE character, but that aspect of his life is included in his real backstory.
Tama Tonga, the adoptive son of Haku, joined the U.S. Air Force after high school and served for six years as a B-2 Spirit mechanic at Whiteman Air Force Base before pursuing a wrestling career. Also, Jason Prime, known for his time in WWE’s NXT UK brand as Primate, was a British Army soldier before transitioning to professional wrestling. Carlie Bravo, who a trainee of the Nightmare Factory, operated by Cody Rhodes and Q.T. Marshall, served as a United States Marine Corps Infantry officer before entering the wrestling world.
There are a lot of people in the pro wrestling world, and this article only includes a fraction of those. Being in the military is not an easy life, but it builds incredible character on top of everything else.
If you served in the military, we would like to thank you for your service. This is a special day for the US Armed Forces, and those pro wrestlers included in this article have a lot of reasons to be proud as well.
What’s your take on pro wrestlers coming from a military background? Does it give them an edge in the ring? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
November 11, 2023 9:38 am
