Opinion

Top 5: Wrestlers That Played Basketball

Published

7 years ago

March 16, 2018

I know that most folks aren’t fully dedicated to pro wrestling this week. Or their jobs, or anything else. It’s March Madness, baby! The Thursday & Friday of this week are always completely useless for getting anything done, as everybody runs to the sports bars to watch the games & keep up with their brackets. People that have never heard of Loyola-Chicago become their biggest fans because they picked them over Miami as an upset pick.

It’s an amazing time of year if you have any interest at all in college basketball. I used to, back when the University of Louisville had a men’s basketball program.

Pro wrestling and basketball have a fair amount of crossover. Dennis Rodman & Karl Malone main evented a WCW PPV event shortly after their teams played against each other in the NBA Finals. I’m still amazed WCW managed to pull that off. It wouldn’t happen today, as WWE has found out in their attempts to book players. They can get LeBron James & Shaquille O’Neal to be guest hosts. LaVar Ball can appear on Miz TV. The only thing they can’t do is wrestle.

Generally speaking, if you want to excel in basketball or wrestling, you have to pick one. This week we take a look at the top five wrestlers that also had game.

5. Mark “Basket Case” Jindrak

The man currently known as Marco Corleone in CMLL is incredibly agile for his size. It’s no surprise that he was a basketball player in his youth, playing for Keuka College in NCAA Division III. What may come as a surprise is the fact that his first gimmick on WCW television involved his basketball past. I’d thought I’d imagined it, but I actually did find some evidence on YouTube.

You really don’t see basketballs bouncing off people’s heads enough these days.

4. Paul “Big Show” Wight

Long before Wichita State was an annual staple of the Big Dance, a young fella by the name of Paul Wight made his way there to play basketball. He only spent one season in Wichita & averaged 2 points & 2.1 rebounds in 21 games. He left after one season due to his father & grandfather passing away leading to a need to be closer to home.

While Big Show didn’t have an illustrious college basketball career, he credits the lessons learned during a tough year in Wichita for the success he would find in wrestling after getting over himself.

3. Mark “The Undertaker” Calaway

Undertaker’s basketball career never really came up during his WWE tenure. We heard everything else about his strange childhood. Sometime after burning down his family’s funeral home, Undertaker went to Angelina College. He played basketball there, and was good enough to get a scholarship at Texas Wesleyan University.

At the same time his basketball career was developing, he gained an interest in pro wrestling. He became friendly with some local wrestlers, and came to the decision that it was a career that would work for him. Calaway had to make a choice between that & a possible basketball career in Europe, and he went with wrestling.

It worked out for him.

2. Jorge “Giant” Gonzalez

I suppose it’s not surprising that a man that stood 7’7″ had a background in basketball. Gonzalez played for the Argentine national team & was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1988 NBA Draft. At the time, the Hawks were owned by Ted Turner, who also owned World Championship Wrestling among countless other things. When Gonzalez’s basketball career went south due to a knee injury, Turner offered him a job as a wrestler with WCW.

I love this story. Mostly because there’s no chance of it happening today. Turner was one of a select few that could even think of such an idea, & probably the only person that would actually execute it. Most sports owners just boot their athletes out the door when they can’t compete anymore. Turner was willing to find other things for his players to do with their lives. What a man.

Unfortunately, Gonzalez didn’t exactly take to wrestling naturally. He was out of WCW by 1992, but Vince McMahon saw potential in the idea of having such a massive individual feud with the Undertaker. It wasn’t exactly a success, & Giant Gonzalez was gone by the time 1993 ended. I’m not sure Gonzalez would have ever been a big star in the WWF, but he would have had a better chance if he didn’t have the most ridiculous attire in wrestling history.

Gonzalez didn’t exactly blaze a trail for basketball players getting into pro wrestling, but he’s still remembered as one of the tallest individuals to do either.

Honorable Mention: Slam Dunk

There haven’t been very many basketball gimmicks in wrestling. You could always count on David McLane to come up with gimmicks, and it only made sense for Women of Wrestling to have a basketball player that was allegedly kicked out of the WNBA for being too rough.

Though she was a heel, Slam Dunk was very popular with WOW fans. Fans always like to root for a winner, & she was dominant for most of her career. She also wore Laker colors, which considering WOW taped their shows in Los Angeles was bound to get a positive reaction. I’m not sure if she actually played basketball or not, but she did a great job of acting like a stereotypical basketball player of that era.

1. Kevin Nash

Long before Big Sexy thought about getting into wrestling, he was the starting center for the Tennessee Volunteers. He played three seasons in Knoxville before his activities off the court got him booted off the team. He averaged 5.1 points & 4.2 rebounds per game, which don’t exactly leap off the page, but apparently he was a top-notch defender.

After getting kicked off the Volunteers, Nash opted to play professionally in Germany. An ACL tear meant the end of his basketball career since it was 1981. After bouncing from the military police to the assembly line to a role managing a strip club, Nash gave pro wrestling a try.

Nash is probably the second most famous Tennessee Volunteer in pro wrestling, behind the late Doug Furnas. Well, Furnas is more famous in Knoxville, anyway.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

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Classic POD is WAR

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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1