Pro Athletes and Pro Wrestlers Who Would Make Bad Ass Tag Teams

Professional wrestling and professional sports are damn near inseparable.

You've got guys like Aaron Rodgers, who celebrates touchdowns by gesturing that he's holding a title belt, Ray Lewis, who channels his inner pro wrestler every time he enters the stadium, and so on and so forth.

Not to mention that when you think pro sports, you think huge, scary guys just like you think that for professional wrestling.

It seems like professional athletes and professional wrestlers could make the jump from one venture to the other without missing a beat, and I wouldn't doubt that that is the case for many of them.

So why not combine the two together?

Here are 10 pro athlete/wrestler duos that would make bad-ass tag teams.

10. Drew McIntyre and Clay Matthews

I'm fairly certain that Clay Matthews and Drew McIntyre were separated at birth.

I mean, just look at that picture of Matthews and this one of McIntyre, and try to tell me that they don't look alike.

See, I told you so.

The WWE could easily throw Matthews and McIntyre together as a tag team because they actually look like they belong together (which is something I love to see out of tag teams), and they're both freakin' animals.

McIntyre is looking as huge as ever these days, and Matthews plays linebacker like an absolute maniac from the first snap to the end of the game.

McIntyre and Matthews could even rip off that rapper, that candy and the team of Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury by calling themselves "M and M."

9. Tyler Reks and Brian Wilson

When I look at both Bryan Wilson and Tyler Reks, I can't help but think, "Man, that dude could really use a shower."

They both have that grunge look going that has helped earn them cult followings among sports fans.

Wilson is known as of the funniest and most "out there" athletes in the world, while Reks is deemed by many wrestling fans as someone who's incredibly underrated and deserving of a push.

I'd love to see them together because Wilson could be the wacky one, Reks could be the powerhouse and Wilson's personality and Reks' unappreciated wrestling skills could really get them over as a face tag team.

Plus, Wilson is a comedic lunatic one with a big bushy bear, and Reks has one too. So they've got that going for them as well.

8. Kharma and Gina Carano

I know that the WWE doesn't technically have a Divas tag team division, but I had to give the women some love in this slideshow.

The company has Beth Phoenix and Natalya as the top heel Divas duo, but now, it needs a top baby face duo that isn't Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly.

Since Kharma just returned at the Royal Rumble, why not bring in MMA star and actress Gina Carano to be her sidekick?

The WWE has already expressed interest in Carano in the past, and I think a Carano/Kharma duo could be a pretty scary pairing.

Kharma's the most feared Diva in the WWE, and Carano can kick some serious ass. Yet, they're both very likable and would be massively over as a tag team. 

7. Jack Swagger and Jared Allen

A lot of wrestling fans say that they can't take Jack Swagger seriously because of his lisp, but try telling him that to his face.

Having seen Swagger at a few live events, I can say with 100 percent confidence that he's a big boy and that I wouldn't want to cross paths with him in a dark alley.

The same goes for Minnesota Vikings star Jared Allen.

The guy is an absolute beast at the defensive end position, and he strikes fear into the hearts of opposing quarterbacks. Swagger actually used to do the same when he was a defensive lineman at Oklahoma University.

I'd love to see these two as a team because Swagger's got the wrestling skills, Allen's got the mean streak and they both have the incredible size, strength and power.

This is not a duo you'd want to mess with.

6. Derrick Rose and Kofi Kingston

Derrick Rose is a phenomenal athlete, one who constantly amazes me with his incredible speed, quickness and agility on the basketball court.

He can run the length of the court in what seems like half a second, then rise up for a thunderous dunk and make it look relatively effortless.

If anyone in the WWE can challenge Rose's sheer athleticism, though, it's Kofi Kingston.

Kingston has the most beautiful cross-body I've ever seen, and his vertical leap, much like Rose's, has to be 40-plus inches.

Kingston and Rose could really rejuvenate the tag team division as a ridiculously athletic team that no other duo can keep up with.

5. John Cena and Ray Lewis

Ray Lewis is a name that always shows up on lists like these, but it's true: He would make one heck of a professional wrestler.

He's already got the build, the intensity and the ring entrance. All he needs is some pro wrestling training.

I'd pair him up with John Cena because I see a lot of connections between the two.

Cena is a former college football player himself, and perhaps more importantly, fans seem to be split on Lewis just like they're split on Cena.

You either love Lewis or you hate him, but no matter which field you fall into, you almost always respect him.

The same goes for Cena, who generates the biggest mixed reaction in pro wrestling.

So I say throw those two together, let them impress with their physiques and intensity and then see whether the crowd boos or cheers them.

4. Dolph Ziggler and Terrell Owens

Dolph Ziggler recently started calling himself "The Showoff," and he's become famous for doing headstands out of nowhere and doing sit-ups mid-match.

Hmmm. I think I might know a certain former NFL star who has a knack for doing sit-ups in weird places as well. 

I'm talking, of course, about the ever-so-controversial Terrell Owens.

Pairing him up with Ziggler would create the most egotistical tag team in wrestling history, one that thrives on over-the-top celebrations and ridiculous arrogance.

I'm pretty sure that the amount of cockiness between Ziggler and Owens would probably rip them apart in like a week, though.

3. Randy Orton and Junior Dos Santos

I never really put this together, but just happened to stumble across this picture and realized that Randy Orton and Junior dos Santos really do like alike.

They're certainly not spitting images of each other, but I can definitely see the similarities.

And given that I prefer tag teams that look like they belong together and that both Orton and dos Santos are considered badasses of their respective fields, I had to include these guys in here.

I don't think many MMA fighters want to cross paths with dos Santtos, and ditto goes with wrestlers and Orton.

They both come in at about 6'4" or 6'5" and 240-plus pounds, and they're at the top of the food chain.

Orton and dos Santos could absolutely kill it in the WWE. 

2. The Miz and LeBron James

The Miz recently revealed his intense hatred for LeBron James, but that doesn't change the fact that I think they would be fantastic as a tag team.

LeBron has turned into one of the NBA's biggest villains, and The Miz is clearly one of the WWE's top heels. Meanwhile, they both have connections to Cleveland, with The Miz calling the city his hometown and LeBron spending the first seven years of his NBA career there.

While The Miz bashes Cleveland whenever the WWE hosts a show there, LeBron will always be remembered for breaking the hearts of thousands of people from the state of Ohio.

If The Miz and LeBron ever teamed up in Cleveland, I fear that the entire city would riot again and mass chaos would ensure.

A LeBron/Miz duo could still get over just about anywhere as a hated heel tag team, though, because they're two of the most loathed athletes in their respective sports. 

1. CM Punk and Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen is a great MMA fighter, but he may have missed his true calling by not getting into the world of pro wrestling.

Why? Because Sonnen is far and away the best trash talker in UFC.

He cuts promos like a pro wrestling veteran, and he has undoubtedly established himself as the CM Punk of MMA.

Sonnen and Punk are a match made in heaven, especially when you consider that they're legitimately friends in real life.

Not only would this duo have unmatched skills on the microphone, but they'd be phenomenal in the ring as well thanks to Punk's wrestling skills and Sonnen's MMA background.

I'd love to see Punk and Sonnen do something together down the road, but Vince McMahon would probably shoot it down again.

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