I told you he’d be first in the lede, did I not. There’s probably an easy case to make that, as of this moment, Kurt Angle is the most successful professional wrestler who also happens to have been an Olympic champion. Angle famously won gold in 1996 “with a broken freakin’ neck”. He has enjoyed significant success in WWE and TNA , holding world championships in both companies. Like it or not, he is likely the former Olympian all other Olympians-turned-wrestlers are measured against.
2. Gable Steveson
Credit: WWE
Here is one of the more interesting cases on the list. Steveson was WWE’s first foray into the NIL deals with college athletes. Many whispered that he was the next Next Big Thing. Because of his amateur skill and college of choice, some also felt, or hoped, that he could have a career similar to Brock Lesnar -a fellow Gopher. After WWE signed him, he opted to focus on becoming a pro wrestler and skip any further amateur opportunities. His path was a bumpy one.
Rumors came out that he was slow to pick up on things. He was also sidelined to address a significant and possibly career threatening health issue. He did have a debut match against Baron Corbin, but he didn’t look all that good or comfortable in the ring. WWE released him in 2024 , and he is now signed to the Buffalo Bills. He’s never played football before, but perhaps his ability will afford him a career in the NFL.
3. Jeff Cobb
Credit: AEW – YouTube
If you only watch WWE, you might not know Jeff Cobb. But WWE officials and scouts know of Cobb. The company definitely had interest in him at one point, but the massive man has remained in NJPW. He has also appeared for AEW. As I alluded to, he is absolutely a heavyweight force to be reckoned with. And, as with everyone else on the list to this point, his current day job aligns nicely with his Olympic experience as a wrestler.
Anyone born after 1990, might need Wikipedia to understand Bad News Brown. He was tough and wanted nothing to do with the frills. Black tights with taped fists was all he needed. He won a battle royal at WrestleMania 4 and wrestled Roddy Piper to a double count-out at WrestleMania 6. Before his WWE days, he spent the late 1970s completing at the Olympics in judo.
And, if Angle is the measuring stick, Chad Gable is about as close to a clone of the WWE Hall of Famer as we have right now. The one area he has come up short? In ring championship success. I think he’s done everything else about as well as can be done. Assuming his contract status is resolved and he sticks with WWE, there is no reason WWE shouldn’t consider pushing him up the card, with title reigns to boot.
6. Mark Henry
Credit: WWE
With a moniker like “The World’s Strongest Man”, what do you think Henry went to the Olympics for? Unlike those above him, Mark Henry made trips to the Olympics for weight lifting. Sadly, as strong as he was and is, injuries derailed his dreams of gold medals. But, looking at how his professional wrestling career went, I think it worked out. World titles and a hall of fame induction, I think he did just fine.
7. Tamyra Mensah-Stock
Credit: WWE
The other Olympic champion whom WWE heaped praise on a few years ago is Mensah-Stock . And while Steveson got all the attention and was hotly pursued, it took WWE some time to decide to ink her to a deal. Not sure if that was her choice or the company’s, but you could see from her early guest appearance, she seemed super happy and comfortable in a WWE ring. As of now she remains under a developmental contract and I look forward to seeing her debut soon enough.
8. The Iron Sheik
Credit: WWE
We always remember the The Iron Sheik as the evil heel from Iran. He found great success in WWE, winning gold and working with top names like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. Outside of the ring, he was hilarious. Most of his rants on video or Twitter made little to no sense, but nobody cared. Whenever you hear his name, you knew a great story was to follow. Therefore, it comes as no surprise he was part of Iran’s Greco-Roman Olympic wrestling team.
9. Anthony Ogogo
Credit: AEW – YouTube
Before AEW, Anthony Ogogo was a prominent boxer out of England. He was 11-0, before suffering his only loss to Craig Cunningham for the vacant WBC International middleweight Championship. He is legally blind and being inside a boxing ring was medically not possible. Ogogo went to the 2004 Junior Olympics and the 2012 game as well. After boxing, he joined AEW and worked briefly with Cody Rhodes. Mostly, he is not used and he is one of the pro wrestlers from the Olympics who looked destined to win gold anywhere he went. Hopefully, AEW finds an actual storyline for him.
Well, as I said way back at the beginning, it all was going to wrap with Ronda Rousey . She is one of only two on this list to go to the Olympics but not for wrestling. In the case of Rousey, she was an accomplished talent in the world of judo before UFC and then WWE came calling. So much so that she earned a bronze medal. She is now out of WWE, and based on what’s been said, I have to wonder if she hasn’t closed all the doors and burned all the bridges, but never say never, I guess?
So, any current pro wrestlers you can see wining gold from the Olympics?
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