The use of celebrities and athletes in professional wrestling has long been an integral part of the business in an effort to attract new eyeballs to the product. It goes back to WrestleMania 1, where Vince McMahon utilized Muhammad Ali, Billy Martin, Cyndi Lauper, and Liberace in various roles on the show, and even had Mr. T team with Hulk Hogan in the main event. That show obviously changed the course of the wrestling business, and a large reason was due to the cross-over appeal created from having high-profile celebrities as part of the show.

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During the Monday Night Wars, WCW brought in the likes of Dennis Rodman, Karl Malone, and Jay Leno for matches, in addition to making David Arquette their World Champion for some reason. And long before that, who could forget when WCW themed an entire show to promote the movie RoboCop 2, and laughably had RoboCop himself save Sting from an attack by the Four Horsemen. But in early 1996, WCW brought in an athlete that proved to be one of their more successful celebrities, and on multiple occasions. That was none other than future NFL Hall-of-Famer, and one of the best defensive players in the history of football, Kevin Greene.

Kevin Greene Joined WCW During His Prolific NFL Career

Kevin Greene had a laundry list of accolades throughout his 15-year NFL Career (1985-1999). Greene had 160 sacks (third all-time), was a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and was voted to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He was even named NFL Defensive Player of the Year by one outlet in 1996 -- the season after he debuted in WCW. But in the midst of all of this, Greene -- who was a huge fan of the wrestling business -- decided to lace up a pair of wrestling boots for WCW when the NFL schedule allowed. He spent extensive time training in the WCW Power Plant because he wanted to look like he belonged.

Greene made his first appearance in WCW at the Clash of the Champions XXXII in January 1996, where he merely accompanied Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage to the ring for their main event match against Ric Flair and the Giant. Hogan and Savage lost, although Greene made his presence known, helping Hogan fend off an attack from Brian Pillman and The Zodiac. He would have his first match five months later at the Great American Bash, teaming with former NFL player Steve McMichael against the Four Horsemen's Flair and Arn Anderson.

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For two guys having their first match, Greene and McMichael definitely looked pretty solid -- and the match was over 20 minutes. It certainly helped having two veterans like Flair and Arn to guide them through the match, but Greene certainly looked a little more natural than McMichael, showing a lot of fire and hitting some high-impact offense. Unfortunately for Greene, McMichael turned on him by hitting him with a briefcase full of money and a Horsemen t-shirt, thus costing Greene the match and joining the Four Horsemen. Greene would be back for his revenge one year later.

Kevin Greene Main Evented A PPV In His Second Match

Greene returned to WCW in May 1997, after leading the Carolina Panthers to the NFC Championship game. Before he would get his revenge on McMichael, Greene would team with Flair and Roddy Piper to face the NWO team of Kevn Nash, Scott Hall and Syxx in the main event of Slamboree in Charlotte, NC -- home of the Panthers. Naturally, the crowd was piping hot for Greene, and he was once again impressive, picking up the pinfall victory after a powerslam on Syxx.

One month later at the Great American Bash, Greene got his revenge over McMichael after Jeff Jarrett inadvertently cracked McMichael with a briefcase -- bringing it all full circle from the year prior. Greene would return to WCW for the final time in June 1998. He was attacked by The Giant during an interview on Nitro, leading to a main event match between the two. Greene would win via DQ, as Curt Hennig and Rick Rude attacked him, but he was saved by former Los Angeles Rams teammate, Goldberg. The altercation would lead to a match with The Giant at Bash at the Beach, which Giant would win after a Chokeslam.

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NFL Teams Started Putting A "No Wrestling" Clause In Kevin Greene's Contract

Greene had five matches between 1996-1998 -- including four on PPV -- and he got to share the ring with some of the biggest names in wrestling history. He was just different from other celebrities in wrestling. He had the look, natural charisma, and most importantly, he truly cared. Unfortunately, his short career came to an end as NFL teams began putting a "No Wrestling" clause in his contract, and he ultimately chose football. Greene would only play in the NFL two more years, but he never stepped in a wrestling ring again. He will go down as one of the bigger "what ifs?" in wrestling history if he was able to be unshackled and give wrestling a true go, like fellow former linebackers Goldberg and The Rock. But what we got was certainly better than nothing, and Kevin Greene's place in history will always be remembered. Rest in peace to the legend.