The XFL is back!
While Vince McMahon announced during his press conference this week that there won’t be any crossover between his rebooted football league and the WWE, he’ll still be running both companies full-time. And since a good crop of his current WWE talent were former football players, at least at the collegiate level, he might just be crazy enough to break his own rule and let a few of his wrestlers put the pads and helmet back on and step out onto the gridiron.
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So let’s count down the best current WWE Superstars who could also be stars if they made the jump to the XFL.
Braun Strowman
Billed at 6-foot-8 and 385 pounds, Strowman is one of the most physically imposing men in the current world of wrestling. And the same would be true if “The Monster Among Men” stepped back out onto the football field.
Given his experience playing semi-professional football, his competitive strongman career and his impsoing physical strength, Strowman could fit right in on either side of the line if he went back to football.
Best Position: Defensive Line
Roman Reigns
Before he was known as “The Big Dog,” Roman Reigns played defensive tackle for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and was a three-year starter.
After going undrafted in 2007, he had brief stints with both the Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars, but never made it to an NFL regular season game and spent the following year in the Canadian Football league with the Edmonton Eskimos.
Reigns has slimmed down from his days on the defensive line. But given his physicality and speed, the former WWE Champion could still find some success hitting quarterbacks with a spear.
Best Position: Linebacker
John Cena
John Cena has found success in bodybuilding, wrestling and Hollywood, so it only makes sense that if he tried out football he’d be good at that two.
Given the size of his arms and his tendency to be a locker room leader, it would only make sense for Cena to be the face of whichever team he was on as its quarterback.
Best Position: Quarterback
Sheamus
Sheamus played both Gaelic football and rugby prior to his WWE days, so he’s no stranger to playing contact sports.
But with his current neck injuries, the Irishman’s days of playing every down could be short lived. However, every team needs a kicker. And with his powerful Brough Kick, he could be the perfect fit to send the ball through the uprights.
Best Position: Kicker
Brock Lesnar
As his manager Paul Heyman says, Brock Lesnar is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete. Standing at 6-foot-3, 286 pounds with a list of accomplishments including NCAA Wrestling National Champion and UFC Heavyweight Champion, Lesnar is one of the most physically aggressive athletes to ever step into the ring.
His attempt to make it in the NFL was short-lived thanks to a groin injury and his battle with diverticulitis, but neither of those issues would be a problem if he tried to play again.
Best Position: Linebacker
Samoa Joe
Every team needs a few big guys to protect their quarterbacks. WWE has plenty of big guys to pick from, but few fit the bill for an offensive linemen better than Samoa Joe.
Plenty of Samoans have found success in the NFL, so Joe could carry on that tradition. That is, as long as he stays healthy.
Best Position: Offensive Lineman
Titus O’Neil
Titus O’Neil has one of the best football pedigrees on the current roster, playing for the University of Florida team on scholarship from 1997-2000.
WWE bills him at 6-6, 270 pounds, and the leader of the Titus Brand would feel right at home at his old position on the defensive line.
Best Position: Defensive End
Big E
Big E, real name Ettore Ewen, played one full season for the University of Iowa as a defensive lineman back in 2006.
Since he’s bulked up considerably, partially thanks to his career as a power lifter. If he came back to football, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make him a Mike Tolbert-esque running back: short, big and nearly impossible to tackle once he gets a running start.
Best Position: Running Back
Shelton Benjamin
“The Gold Standard” Shelton Benjamin was known as one of the best pure athletes during his initial WWE run. He was one of the few guys that could jump from the floor of the ring to the top rope with breaking his stride, and that kind of vertical prowess would be great for jumping up to catch a pass.
Best Position: Wide Receiver
Randy Orton
Given that his father and grandfather were both professional wrestlers, the idea of playing professional football probably never crossed Randy Orton’s mind. But given his size — 6-foot-5, 250 pounds — and his innate quickness, Orton be a great fit opposite Benjamin as a team’s other wide receiver.
And if any corner backs try to get the jump on them, they might just find themselves on the receiving end of a surprise RKO.
Best Position: Wide Receiver
