10 Pro Wrestlers Who Later Became Politicians

Mic skills, crazy promos, feuds, stables, and stage-managed realities, where scripted stories take on a life of their own; pro-wrestling is simply politics without the ballot box. No wonder pro wrestlers make it big in politics when exposed to publicity stunts similar to the tirade on a mat.

Politicians, like President Donald Trump, Senator John McCain, President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, all embrace their brands and sometimes embrace the WWE. The sitting President, a 2013 Hall of Famer, appeared on Monday Night Raw several times, including being the storyline owner of the red brand for a week before selling it back to McMahon for a profit. Trump was also Bobby Lashley's manager in one of the top matches at Wrestlemania 23. WWE features prominent politicians. Outstanding pro wrestlers also succeed in politics, including "The Big Red Machine" Kane and Jesse "The Body" Ventura.

Wrestling is an "exaggerated morality play," more so than politics. These pro-wrestlers, who later became politicians, may have found their political experience in the ring before rocking the vote.

10 Kane

Kane is a three-time world champion and was one of WWE's biggest stars. He announced his intention to run for mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, in March 2017.

The Republican, real name Glenn Jacobs, successfully defeated his opponent, Linda Haney, by a fair margin in August 2018. He polled 66.5% of the total vote after a campaign which promised to bring more jobs and businesses to the area.

9 Jesse "The Body" Ventura

Ventura's political career began in the early '90s. He first ran for mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, but would later pull off one of the most talked-about upsets in recent political history.

Not much different from winning the AWA Tag Team Titles with the East-West Connection, Ventura emerged from a three-way race to become Governor of Minnesota in 1998, when fielded by a third party. Following his political career, Ventura landed a role as a TV personality.

8 Jerry "The King" Lawler

Lawler, a very famous personality in his hometown, Memphis, Tennessee, ran for mayor in 1999. Barnstorming on a principle of "common sense," he unsuccessfully finished third out of 15 candidates. He gave it another shot in 2009 and didn't make it.

Lawler wrestled in various territories and had a series of matches with the legendary Bret "Hitman" Hart. The 70-year-old is featured in many video games as both a commentator and a wrestler.

7 Antonio Inoki

WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki is arguably the most successful Japanese wrestler of all-time. His match with Ric Flair in North Korea back in 1995 drew a crowd of 190,000 fans, more than any event in pro wrestling history.

He gained the attention of the mainstream media after his wrestler-vs-boxer match with Muhammed Ali in '76. His first stint in the Japanese House of Councilors was between '89 and '95. His second stint was between 2013 and 2019. Inoki is fondly remembered for convincing former Iraq President Saddam Hussein to free Japanese hostages before the Gulf War.

6 Brian Blair

Former WWE tag team wrestler, Brian Blair, unsuccessfully ran for Hillsborough County Commissioner in the state of Florida in 2002. His successive campaign in 2004 clicked with Hillsborough voters, whom he served up until 2008.

Blair was a WWE wrestler between 1986 and 1988. He paired with Jim Brunzell to form the tag team, "Killer Bees." This legend contained to wrestle on the independent scene up until his retirement in 2019.

5 Nikolai Volkoff

WWE Hall of Famer Nikolai Volkoff passed away just two years ago. He was one of the “evil Russian” (well, Lithuanian, if we were to consider post-Cold War Soviet dissolution) gimmicks that graced wrestling in the 70s and 80s.

Born in Croatia, Volkoff moved to Canada, where the legendary Stu Hart inspired and trained him. His career spanned all over North America, highlighted by his tag team triumph (alongside Iron Shiek) at the inaugural WWF WrestleMania. He was a registered Republican, whose allegiance stemmed from the right-wing position in the liberation of his former homeland. He entered the Republican primary for State Delegate in Maryland in 2006 but lost out.

4 Rick Steiner

Ric Steiner was a part of the iconic duo known as The Steiner Brothers. The real estate broker, alongside his brother Scott Steiner, formed one of the most successful tag teams of his generation.

Steiner, real name Robert Rechsteiner, ran for a seat on the Cherokee County School Board in the state of Georgia 14 years ago. Initially dropping out of the primaries for failing to register with his real last name, he went on to win the general election as a write-in candidate who ran unopposed.

3 Ludvig Borga

Borga was a former pro-wrestler from Helsinki, Finland, who had a brief stint with WWE between '93 and '94. He also competed in the UFC against former champion Randy Couture.

He entered the Finnish Parliament, representing Helsinki, in 2003, following his retirement from combat sports. The former WWE star passed on in January 2010, at the age of 47. Plenty of old school wrestling fans will remember him for playing a high profile storyline with Lex Luger.

2 Bob Backlund

Bob's presidential bid in '95 was simply a WWE storyline. He, moreover, did run for office during the United States during the 2000 election, vying to represent the State of Connecticut as a congressman. He lost woefully, polling just 30% of the votes in a 2-man race.

1 Rhyno

Detroit, Michigan's Rhyno made a name for himself back in the late '90s, as a member of the original ECW.

The former ECW Champion had several stints with WWE and held numerous titles in both companies. Rhyno ran as a republican for the Michigan House of Representatives in 2016 but lost the election. Democrat Abdullah Hammoud won the contest with 21,739 out of 13,452 votes.

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