Stacy Keibler is fairly well known in the entertainment world, even to those who don’t follow professional wrestling. She started out as a model and actress before she found her place as a “Nitro Girl” for the WWF. The Nitro Girls were basically a cheerleading/dance team that would entertain the crowd at live televised events. Once she found her footing in the federation, she became known as “the Legs” of the WWE.
Stacy has been featured in several television shows and even hosted her own at one point, a show called Supermarket Superstar. She has appeared on hits such as How I Met Your Mother and Psych over the years, before marrying her current husband and raising a family with him. Before the couple met, she was actually known to have dated A-lister George Clooney for a bit. She has also been made into a character in several video games, including Dancing with the Stars.
The Great Khali Is Great on TV
The Great Khali is known for being a real-life giant, towering over the rest of us puny humans at a whopping 7-feet tall. But his height isn’t the only thing that made him (understandably) feared in the ring. If the ex-wrestler climbed up on the ropes and threw himself on top of you – you had better brace yourself for about 350 pounds of rage to flatten you into a pancake on the mat. Before Khali went into the WWE, he terrified perps working as a police officer.
The wrestler, born as Dalip Singh Rana, made his WWE debut in 2006 in an epic SmackDown and retired in 2014. Shockingly enough, before he fully retired, he left temporarily due to a head injury. He surprised everyone when he was back just days later to take on 3 other wrestlers in a tag team match. These days, he teaches future stars of the sport at Continental Wrestling Entertainment, the school that he established himself . He has also been dabbling in acting since 2005 and has had numerous cameos in film and TV.
Lex Luger Is Active Behind the Scenes
Lex Luger is widely regarded by many was one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. It probably has something to do with the fact that he’s a 5-time WCW US Heavyweight Champion, a 2-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and a WWA World Heavyweight Champion – among others. He never won one during his time in the WWF, but he still managed to accumulate a net worth of nearly $3 million.
Luger, who was born Lawrence Pfohl, is semi-retired and fought his final match in 2006. In 2007, the athlete was temporarily paralyzed after he suffered an injury to the neck. Today, he still works closely behind-the-scenes of WWE, in an effort to help prevent any young athletes from violating the wellness policy. Lex has been made into a playable character in several of the WWE’s video games, including 2K16, 17, 18, and 19.
Randy Orton Uses His Background for Acting
Unlike almost all of the other (former) pro wrestlers on this list, Randy Orton is still currently signed with the WWE and going strong in his career. Orton is a 13-time WWE World Champion and has headlined several pay-per-view events. In 2011, Orton suffered a neck injury, which went untreated for years and nearly ended his career. After finally treating it, he came back to the ring in early 2020.
Before Orton got into professional wrestling, he was fighting a different kind of opponent as a U.S Marine. Because of his credentials, he was initially cast to play the title role in The Marine 2, but his injuries caused him to be replaced before filming. He has appeared on screen a few times since, including in the WWE Studios own The Condemned 2. Orton is now married to his 2nd wife, with whom he had a daughter in 2016.
Gangrel Is Holding Onto His Fangs
David William Heath went by “Gangrel” in the ring, and was known for his rock-and-roll vampire style, with his signature fangs and long blonde hair. He made his WWE debut in the early ’90s, after being trained in Florida by Boris Malenko himself. On both his initial televised match in '94 and his last in '95, he was defeated by the 1-2-3 Kid (Syxx).
Heath returned to the WWE in ’98, during the height of the vampire craze in pop culture. Officials believed that his gimmick would sell more tickets and bring in more viewers. His entrance included drinking “blood” from a grail and spitting it into the air before jumping into the ring. These days, he’s still wrestling sporadically on the independent circuit. He’s also made a few appearances in film and on television, like his disturbing role as a prisoner in 'The Human Centipede 3'.