Professional Athletes That Would Make Great WWE Pro Wrestlers

Nick Laham/Getty Images

Pro wrestling is not a sport; it's watching guys in a ring doing super-athletic stunts. While pro wrestlers need to have athletic ability, they also need to have the ability to entertain the audience. Essentially, all pro wrestlers are actors/actresses.

Here is a list of professional athletes that would have a chance of making it in pro wrestling, and what each one's ring name would be.

Jon Rauch

Claus Andersen/Getty Images

Don't mess with Big Bad Jon Rauch.  Listed at 6'11", he is the tallest MLB player in history.  Does anyone remember Nathan Jones?  There's no way you can tell me that Rauch doesn't remind you of Nathan Jones.  With that in mind, Rauch would make a perfect heel.

 

Ring Name:  Jon The Giant

Philip Rivers

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Rivers has become known around the league as a great competitor.  Rivers doesn't like to lose, no matter what he does.  And when he doesn't win, he does get angry. 

Sometimes he even gets angry at the fans.  Characters like these are part of the reason why so many people attend a pro wrestling event.  They find it funny how the characters act when something doesn't go their way.

 

Ring Name:  Firebolt

Nick Swisher

Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images

Swisher is one of the most animated players in the MLB.  Whether he's doing well or not, he always seems like he's having fun.  Doing things such as making handshakes for dugout celebrations shows how outgoing he is.  Because he is so outgoing, his gimmick would be similar to The Miz.  He kind of looks like him too, doesn't he?

 

Ring Name:  The Swish

Anderson Varejao

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Characters who have a unique trait about them tend to get more fan attention.  Obviously, the unique trait for Varejao is his hair.  The storyline for Varejao would be that he has a total obsession with his hair, and would then battle someone with his hair on the line.  If Varejao really wanted fan attention, he would shave his head.

Ring Name:  Hector Anderson

Travis Hafner

David Maxwell/Getty Images

Of all the guys on this list, Travis Hafner is probably the one that knows the most about pro wrestling.  Hafner says he is a huge WWE fan, and he proves it by walking up to bat to John Cena's entrance song.  The guy certainly has the passion; so not give him a shot?

 

Ring Name:  Slugger

Darren McCarty

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

If there's one thing we know about Darren McCarty, we know that he knows how to throw a punch.  McCarty will never be in the conversation of greatest hockey player ever, but he most certainly is in the conversation about who is the toughest player ever.  The only question is whether he would be able to turn those real punches into fake punches.

 

Ring Name:  Grinder

Ndamukong Suh

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

There are two obvious things that Suh and the average pro wrestler have in common.  They kick people when they are on the ground, and they are always complaining to the refs.  This business would be good for Suh because he wouldn't have to convince Vince McMahon that he would behave within the rules.  Breaking the "rules" is sometimes what a wrestler has to do because the storyline says so.

 

Ring Name:  Master Crazy

Earl Boykins

Scott Boehm/Getty Images

If you're in the pro wrestling business, and you're short, odds are you're going to be a fan favorite.  I mean, just look at Rey Mysterio and Hornswoggle.  Boykins is listed at 5"5, and can bench press 315 pounds.  He certainly has the strength.  The only thing that's left is to teach him moves off the top turnbuckle.

 

Ring Name:  Early Bird

The Tag Team of Manu Ginobili & Tony Parker

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

They've been team mates on the court for so many years; so why shouldn't we think they can get it done in the squared circle as well?  Plus, it would be a unique storyline to have a guy from France and a guy from Argentina together as a tag team.  Each guy brings out a flag of their country every time they enter the ring, and because of that, they are heels.

 

Parker's Ring Name:  The French Inferno

Ginobili's Ring Name:  Billi Gino

Tag Team Name:  The Foreign Spurs

Brian Wilson

Tony Medina/Getty Images

Wilson could become to arch enemy of Hector Anderson (Anderson Varejao).  Making that a storyline would make the business a lot of money, especially when he ends up wrestling Hector in a Hair vs. Beard match. 

Can you say match of the century?  Everyone would tune in for this match, including  people who don't even watch wrestling, even if it was on pay-per-view.

 

Ring Name:  Brian Beard