15 Pro Wrestlers Who Got Regular Jobs

By Editorial Staff in Sports On 4th September 2016

Pro Wrestling is a sport (sport entertainment, technically) that attracts a huge range of personalities, both in the ring and in the stands. Anyone who’s ever seen Beyond the Mat knows that life after stardom can be tough even for the most famous wrestlers. The performers on this list all went on to get relatively normal jobs after their wrestling contracts were up.

#1 Ivan Koloff

Koloff is now an ordained minister, but before that he was the Russian Bear, an allegedly Ukranian heel who defeated Bruno Sammartino at Madison Square Garden in 1971. Koloff is actually originally from Ontario, and although he portrayed a Communist (replete with hammer and sickle icons), he's a staunchly pro-American nationalist.

#2 Scotty 2 Hotty

Scotty 2 Hotty, real name Scott Garland, kept up with the "hotty" theme and became a firefighter after his wrestling career ended. He graduated from Florida's Lake Tech Fire Academy, and is also trained as an EMT. He still occasionally wrestles on the independent circuit.

#3 The Berserker

he Berserker was a short-lived character on the WWE, who dressed like a viking. His act never really got much traction. His real name is John Nord, and he now sells cars with his brother in Michigan at East Nord Motors.

#4 Tugboat

Tugboat, who made a heel turn to become Typhoon, is named Fred Ottman in real life. After his successful runs in the WCW and WWE, Ottman went on to become a cleaning company called Gaffin Industrial Services. He has three alliterating kids (Beau, Berkley and Bailey) and coaches one of their little league teams.

#5 Skinner

Before he was Skinner, Steve Keirn opened the Professional Wrestling School of Hard Knocks, a venerable institution that trained the likes of Mike Awesome, Goldust and Diamond Dallas Page. The WWE acquired the School, and incorporated its programs into the FCW (later to become NXT). Keirn still works as a wrestling trainer.

#6 Mideon

Dennis Knight, who played the extreme wrestler Mideon, now owns his own catering company called Dennis Knight Catering. His wrestling persona may have been satanic, but his food is just downright devilish.

#7 Damien Demento

Phil Theis describes himself as an artist who "dabbles" in wrestling. His interest in art started with making his own cardboard toys as a little kid. After his run as Damien Demento, a bizarre wrestler who looked like a Mad Max villain, he's back to his roots. He had an exhibition called Karnal that was profiled by the New York Times in 2012.

#8 Duke The Dumpster Droese

Mike Droese played a garbageman in the ring, and after he stopped wrestling, he got a job coaching high school football. He then switched to teaching special education, but was caught selling drugs to an undercover police officer in a sting.

#9 Shawn Stasiak

Stasiak's (real name Shawn Stipich) wrestling career was a difficult one, ping-ponging between characters and stables before being fired for beefing with Davey Boy Smith and Steve Blackman. He never went back to wrestling, and now works as a chiropractor for Advanced Comprehensive Medical Team.

#10 “Mean” Gene Snitsky

Snitsky had some major matches, facing off with Kane, Undertaker and John Cena at various points. Not a bad resume. He's gone on to do a lot of b-movie work, coproducing the movie Manhunt and appearing as Silver Guardian in a Power Rangers movie.

#11 Kurrgan

Kurrgan was played by the enormous Robert Maillet, who put his physique and charisma to work in film after he hung up wrestling. His breakout role was as the huge mutant in 300, and then he was cast in the first Robert Downey, Jr. Sherlock Holmes movie. His fight scene in Holmes won him an MTV Movie Award for Best Fight. Makes sense, since he actually gave RDJ a bloody nose during the filming. By accident, of course.

#12 Rico

Rico only wrestled for a brief time, and a lot of that time with the WWE was divided between wrestling and managing. Fans liked him, but he was cut loose in 2004. He entered a law enforcement training program the next year and now works for the Nevada Taxi Cab Authority as a Sergeant Inspector.

#13 Kamala

Kamala was played by James Harris, a wrestling talent originally discovered by Jerry Lawler. Kamala is now considered a legendary wrestler, but Harris's finances were unsound after his main run. He got some bad news in 1992 he was told he had diabetes, but ignored his doctors' advice to use a dialysis machine and wound up having both of his legs amputated as a consequence. He now makes wooden chairs, which he signs "Kamala," by hand. They sell for $150.

#14 Gangrel

The vampiric and gross-looking Gangrel is now an adult film producer. He still wrestles on the independent circuit, and has appeared on WWE a handful of times since he left.

#15 Tito Santana

El Matador is now a Spanish teacher and basketball coach at Roxbury Township, New Jersey's Eisenhower Middle School. He also teaches aspiring wrestlers at New Jersey's Independent Wrestling Federation, and still wrestles over a dozen matches annually. He also previously worked as a P.E. teacher in New Jersey.

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