Wednesday, July 21, 2004
The secret lives of pro wrestlers.
Yesterday The Portland Tribune ran an article on the current whereabouts of Portland wrestlers 'Playboy' Buddy Rose (inventor of the world famous Blow-Away Diet) and Colonel DeBeers. It got me thinking about what is probably the most fascinating aspect of pro wrestling...retirement.
Everybody knows about Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, so we're going to go ahead and skip him.
The former Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake left the squared circle to become Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority fare collector, Ed Leslie. That is until he left his stash of cocaine sitting in his booth, setting off an anthrax scare.
The artist formerly known as The One Man Gang and Akeem the African Dream is now guarding death row prisoners in Louisiana.
Former Killer Bee B. Brian Blair is running for the county commissioner seat in Hillsborough County, Florida. Former WWF champion Bob Backlund tried his hand in politics as well, running for congress in the 1st District of Connecticut and garnering 30% of the vote.
Believe it or not, a large number of pro wrestlers have gone on to join the ministry. 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase tours the country with his Heart of David ministries, and has recently started the WWE (World Wide Electronic Church). 'The Russian Nightmare' Nikita Koloff also has a ministry and frequently makes appearances across the country. Former member of the Four Horseman, Tully Blanchard, has somewhat ironically become a man of the cloth.
Everyone's favorite Eric Draven wannabe, Sting has come out of retirement not to preach the gospel, but to wrestle for it, most notably against the Nine Deadly Sins.
Both Road Warrior Animal and Diamond Dallas Page have found new life as motivational speakers and are available for your church, youth group, or seminar.
For my money, the trump card goes to Mick Foley. As the first professional wrestler to hit number one on the New York Times best seller list with his autobiography Have a Nice Day, Mick has set new standards for life after wrestling. Since leaving wrestling the former Mankind has added a sequel to Have a Nice Day entitled, Foley is Good (And the Real World is Faker Than Pro Wrestling), as well as a novel, Tietam Brown and a children's book.
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