When you’re watching the giants of the wrestling world pulverizing each other in the ring, flipping their opponents around and leaping devastatingly off of turnbuckles, it’s easy to see what great athletes they are. After all, being a wrestler in the WWE isn’t easy by a long stretch, it takes years of dedication, training and hardships to get to the pinnacle, and even more work to stay there. Yet, there are some wrestlers who throughout WWE history have been freakishly great athletes even amongst their peers, and have managed to compete for their country in the Olympic games. With the delayed Olympics 2020 in Tokyo finally now all set to soon start, with the opening ceremonies taking place on Friday 23rd July, we thought there’s no better time to take a quick look back and talk about some of the WWE wrestlers who’ve featured in the most renowned athletic competition in the world, the games of the Olympiad.
Ronda Rousey
This previous WWE Women’s Champion has torn through numerous combat sports and come out on top, plus had a blockbusting Hollywood action career to boot. ‘Rowdy” Ronda Rousey burst onto the wrestling scene with an appearance back at the 2018 Royal Rumble where she confronted Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair and Asuka. The crowd pop went big and later that year Rousey fought her first match at Wrestlemania 34 where she joined forces with another entry on this list, Kurt Angle, to defeat the scheming team of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. She then captured the WWE Raw Women’s Championship and held onto it for a staggering 231 days. Before that, Rousey had made her name in the UFC, and was one of the first household names in women’s Mixed Martial Arts and won multiple belts. She actually started her fighting career in the world of Judo though, and quickly excelled to become the best in the country. Rousey then competed in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and managed to bring home the bronze, which was a huge achievement, as she was the first American female to win a medal in the sport.
Mark Henry
It wasn’t just a wrestling gimmick when Mark Henry entered the WWE in 1996 with the tagline ‘World’s Strongest Man’. The gigantic Henry took place in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics weightlifting competition. Unfortunately, due to a back injury, Henry performed underwhelmingly and only managed to finish in fourteenth place. Henry had notched up some immense powerlifting records before that disappointment though, to make the tagline ring true. Vince McMahon was so impressed with the stature and strength of Henry that he signed him up to an unprecedented ten-year contract. Henry has recently revealed his desire to get back into the ring, and he said that he’ll wrestle again over in the AEW. Good luck, big man, hopefully he can still do the business at fifty.
Kurt Angle
Definitely the most obvious example of a WWE wrestler who also has competed at the Olympics is Kurt Angle. That’s because Angle’s entire WWE wrestling persona was created around his famous gold medal winning performances at the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta. He’d enter the ring with his medals dangling round his neck and constantly remind his opponents and fans that he was a true American hero who stood for the three I’s, ‘Intensity, Integrity and Intelligence.’ It went over with the crowds big time and made him a huge hit. He went on to become one of the most popular professional wrestlers of all-time, with stints not just in the WWE but also in the TNA. Angle won his gold medal in the freestyle wrestling heavyweight class and legend has it that he had a broken neck due to a pre-tournament training injury, but still managed to go the distance for his country. One of the favourites for the Tokyo Olympics this summer in that event is Kyle Snyder, who is priced at 5/2 for any punters over at the best sports betting sites. When it comes to betting online it’s always reassuring to know that you’re getting the most for your money, and that’s where Asiabet comes in. Using all their experience they’ve managed to bring you a comprehensive list of the best online bookmakers. They’ve also compiled the greatest sign-up offers and have guides to sports betting, giving you all the information needed to aim for the gold.
