The chest-beating, body-slamming, over-the-top antics of professional wrestling don\u2019t usually bring academics to mind. There are a fair few unwarranted stereotypes associated with the wrestling world and its fans, but many pro wrestlers have proved that their brains are just as well honed as their biceps. Don\u2019t let the spandex and baby oil fool you \u2013 they managed to find the time to hit the books as well as the ring, earning degrees in fields as diverse as industrial engineering, political science, and criminology. Read on to discover 10 professional wrestlers you\u2019d never guess had college degrees.<\/p>\n
Matthew Korklan, better known by his stage name Evan Bourne (on the right in the image above), was passionate about wrestling when he was growing up in Missouri. Still, he wasn\u2019t sure if he could make enough money as a wrestler and enrolled at Missouri University in 2001. Korklan took classes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and spent the rest of the week traveling to compete in wrestling matches. He graduated in 2005 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in Marketing.<\/p>\n
Eventually, he became the vice president of marketing and sales at a St. Louis mailbox company \u2013 but he still loved wrestling. Korklan continued to compete in his free time and even toured around Japan. In 2008, he caught the eye of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), then became a regular feature on Monday Night Raw<\/em>. However, in March 2012 Korklan was injured in a car crash, and only returned to action a year later, on March 28, 2013. When his wrestling career is over, Korklan plans to go back to school.<\/p>\n In 1998, current WWE Champion John Cena graduated from Springfield College in Massachusetts with a degree in Exercise Physiology. Although his degree could have helped his bid for stardom in the WWE, Cena, who was a college All-American football player, says his education helped him in other ways as well. \u201cAs a student athlete, you not only have the burden of trying to perform,\u201d Cena said on a visit to Springfield. \u201cBut at the end of the day you have to hit the books and get a good education as well. That\u2019s two full-time jobs, at once. And now, of course, with what I do, it\u2019s a full-time job, but I\u2019m able to handle that because I was able to prioritize my life here at Springfield College, between being a full-time student and a full-time athlete.\u201d Cena, who has also starred in several movies, has won the WWE Championship a record-breaking 11 times.<\/p>\n Eve Torres, pictured on the right, is a model, dancer, actress, women\u2019s self-defense instructor and ex-WWE Divas champion. However, Torres is more than just a pretty face, and won a full tuition scholarship to the University of Southern California. As if that\u2019s not impressive enough, she graduated with honors in 2006, earning a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. “My goal was to always get my degree,” says Torres. “Once I did that, I thought I could pursue any other passion because I had something to fall back on if I needed it.” She left WWE in 2013 to concentrate on her self-defense career. She adds, “It’s constantly about pushing yourself into things that might sound impossible in your mind. That’s what my career is about.”<\/p>\n Jack Swagger (real name Jacob Hager) studied at the University of Oklahoma. He graduated in 2006 with a bachelor\u2019s degree in Finance, by which time WWE\u2019s Head of Talent Relations, Jim Ross, had already noticed him. Ross encouraged Hager to finish his schooling and then give him a call. \u201cI had a job lined up with a finance firm in Dallas,\u201d recalls Hager. \u201cThe day I was supposed to sign up and go to work for them full-time was the same day I got the WWE contract in the mail. I had to call [the finance firm] and tell them that I was going to wear spandex and baby oil for a living.\u201d In the end, Hager followed his heart, but he still has his degree to fall back on when he completes his wrestling career.<\/p>\n Growing up in Winnipeg, Canada, New York-born Christopher Irvine, known by his stage name Chris Jericho, dreamed of being a wrestler. Irvine was 17 when he finished high school, but was unable to go to wrestling school until he turned 18, so he decided to go to college to \u201ckill some time.\u201d<\/p>\n Irvine majored in journalism, and the decision turned out to be the best one he could have made during the transitional period of his life. Although he\u2019d initially just gone to college as something to do before embarking on his wrestling life, his schooling really helped him. \u201cI learned a lot of invaluable skills that really helped me along for when I started my wrestling career,\u201d he says. Journalism, radio and television production all helped Irvine learn how to capture people\u2019s attention, proving that a good education can make a difference in any career. In 1990, Irvine graduated with a degree in Creative Communications from Red River College in Winnipeg and soon made a name for himself in the wrestling world.<\/p>\n David Otunga is a 250-pound professional wrestler originally from Illinois. He has won the WWE Tag Team Championship twice during his career, but he\u2019s not all brawn \u2013 this is one muscled figure who is as smart as he is strong. Otunga graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor\u2019s degree in Psychology. After a stint spent working as a lab manager for a cognitive neuroscience center at Columbia University, he was accepted to Harvard Law School. He graduated from Harvard, passed his bar exam and began working at law firm Sidley Austin. Still, Otunga didn\u2019t fancy a future stuck behind a desk, so he made the leap to reality TV before ending up in WWE.<\/p>\n Pennsylvania-born Kurt Angle is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling, and has the distinction of being the only professional wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal. He clinched the gold during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, competing in the heavyweight freestyle wrestling category.<\/p>\n In 1998, Angle began wrestling with the WWE (known as the WWF at the time) and enjoyed significant success both there and with TNA, which he joined in 2006. He is the only wrestler in history to win the WWE and TNA Triple Crown \u2013 meaning he emerged victorious in all the regularly competed titles at both companies. His achievements are not limited to the world of sports, however. In 1993, Angle graduated from Clarion University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Education. Besides serving as the president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, he was on the school\u2019s Student Senate for two years as well.<\/p>\n Current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler, whose real name is Nicholas Nemeth, has been in love with wrestling since he was a five-year-old boy. Still, Nemeth managed to hold out long enough to go to college. In 2003, he graduated from Kent State University with a major in Political Science and a minor in pre-Law. \u201cRight before my tryout I was living in Phoenix, applying to Arizona State Law School; I was going to become a lawyer \u2013 and that still may happen someday,\u201d Nemeth told the Rio Rancho Observer<\/em>. “I always thought I’d be a good attorney if I wasn’t doing this,” he said. “I did my work in school and I want to take myself seriously.” Despite his career with the WWE, Nemeth says he stays up-to-date with current events and maintains an avid interest in politics.<\/p>\n Glenn Jacobs, better known as hulking WWE superstar Kane, graduated from Truman State University (previously Northeast Missouri State University) in 1990 with a degree in English Literature. The ex-college football and basketball player says his degree is still useful, even in his career as a professional wrestler, because the creativity inherent in that line of study, as well as a background in literature, comes in handy. \u201cIt happens to all of us,\u201d Jacobs muses. \u201cWe plan something and end up doing something entirely different. At this point, when I turn back and think, I don\u2019t know if I would have come this far if I had taken up something else [other than wrestling].\u201d Jacobs has been Intercontinental Champion twice, and has won the WWE Tag Team Championship a staggering 12 times.<\/p>\n Dwayne \u201cThe Rock\u201d Johnson is a WWE wrestling legend and Hollywood action star. Johnson is one of the most successful wrestling actors of all time, recently starring in movies like Fast & Furious 6<\/em>, G.I. Joe: Retaliation<\/em> and Snitch<\/em>. In 1995, he graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor of General Studies in Criminology and Physiology. When he was passed over in the NFL draft due to an injury, though, Johnson chose to make a go at wrestling instead. The switch isn\u2019t as surprising when you consider that his grandfather and his father are both WWE Hall of Fame members, wrestling under the stage names \u201cHigh Chief\u201d Peter Maivia and Rocky Johnson respectively. Since Johnson spent some time wrestling as a heel (a villain), perhaps studying criminology helped him create a believable persona.<\/p>\n Related Resources:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n9. John Cena<\/h2>\n
8. Eve Torres<\/h2>\n
7. Jacob Hager aka Jack Swagger<\/h2>\n
6. Christopher Irvine aka Chris Jericho<\/h2>\n
5. David Otunga<\/h2>\n
4. Kurt Angle<\/h2>\n
3. Nicholas Nemeth aka Dolph Ziggler<\/h2>\n
2. Glenn Jacobs aka Kane<\/h2>\n
1. Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock<\/h2>\n