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When you hear the words 'professional athlete', the image conjured to mind is often of an alpha male, non-intellectual, knuckle dragging man's man who only cares about beer, pizza, and impressing women.
What you don't think of is a glasses wearing, pocket protector wielding geek who can name all of the first appearances of every comic book character, or get over a million points on Galaga.
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And yet, some pro wrestlers actually adhere to the second model, and are secretly huge nerds who love Science Fiction, comic books, and video games.
Here are ten pro wrestlers who are secretly huge nerds!
#1 Erick Rowan
As one half of the Bludgeon Brothers, Erick Rowan certainly presents an intimidating presence.
However, his size is not the most impressive feature he possesses. Rowan has an IQ of over 140--the same range as Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
Rowan can solve puzzles with astonishing speed, and taught himself how to start and operate a vineyard! He enjoys intellectual pursuits as much as the physical, meaning he can fly his nerd flag high and proud.
#2 AJ Lee
This one is a bit of a cheat since AJ Lee being a nerd is not really a secret. When she first graduated from NXT--back when it was still a reality show and not the most fascinating brand in sports entertainment--the announcers were quick to point out that she was a comic book fan and self-professed geek.
While it's all true, it seems as if the WWE chose to emphasize her geekdom because they were afraid the fans wouldn't resonate with her because of her petite size. AJ Lee would go on to become one of the most successful women of all time, successfully bringing more athleticism and technical wrestling to the then-Divas division.
#3 Almighty Christopher Daniels
The hardest working man in sports entertainment isn't just a ring general and a highly decorated wrestling superstar. He's also one of the biggest comic book geeks on the planet!
In fact, the ROH original and current SCU leader even used his love of the genre to promote his match against Arrow star Stephen Amell. The sight of Daniels proudly displaying his Hawkeye action figures and comics--Hawkeye is Marvel's answer to DC's Arrow--was kayfabe at its absolute best. Just don't ask him to trade his New Mutants #87 for any reason, because he's NOT coming up off of it!
#4 Rey Misterio
Rey Misterio practically is a comic book character, with his mask, costume, and ability to leap with seemingly superhuman ability.
It should come as no surprise that he enjoys reading about them, as well. Rey is no Johnny come lately to geek culture; Way back in 1998 he was sporting comic book themed outfits to the ring. Daredevil, Captain America, and the Joker have all made appearances in Rey's wardrobe.
#5 Frankie Kazarian
Kazarian would be the first to admit he wasn't a huge fan of comic books or geek culture to start. His main dabbling in that arena came with an obsession with the Back to the Future films. He even named his finisher the Flux Capacitor in honour of the movies.
However, all that changed when he started hanging out with/tag teaming with Christopher Daniels. The two became close friends, and as often happens their interests rubbed off on each other. Now not only is Kazarian a fully fledged comic book geek, he even wants to write and draw comics with Christopher Daniels after they retire from the ring.
#6 Rob Van Dam
The Whole F'N Show is certainly no stranger to alternative cultures, as his ring persona and real life hijinks suggest.
However, he is also a big fan of geek culture, having an extensive comic collection and action figure memorabilia. In fact, he was such a fan he opened his own comic books store Five Star Comics. He also wrote and published his own comic book series.
#7 Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks is quite fond of Manga, the Japanese equivalent to comic books, and their spawn Anime.
Her favorite series should be obvious by the above photo; Sailor Moon! Sasha lets her old school geekdom flag fly with pride and panache.
#8 Raven
Sharp-eyed wrestling fans noticed over a decade ago that Raven often wore comic book characters on his shirt and even as part of his ring gear.
However, it wasn't until the 2000s when he truly let his geek flag fly. Raven wrote a critically acclaimed comic spotlighting Crusher Hogan, the wrestler Spider Man beats and humiliates during his origin story. When Hogan can't be taken seriously after his defeat by the scrawny Peter Parker, he revolutionizes pro wrestling by inventing trash talk and dramatic storyline angles. It's still a comic that he speaks of highly today.
#9 Xavier Woods
How high does Xavier Woods's geekdom go? We'd say OVER 9000!
From his anime-inspired ring gear to his podcasts, to his video game contest with Bullet Club, Xavier Woods is a geek through and through. And he's far from ashamed of it. In fact, he's quite proud to be a nerd.
10. Kenny Omega
Otaku is not a label that most people would self-apply. It means a person who is so into anime, comic books, and video games that it goes beyond an interest and becomes a way of life.
Yet, that is exactly what PWI's number one wrestler in the world calls himself. Kenny's constant homages to comics and anime are prevalent in his ring gear, entrances, and social media posts. He even calls his finisher the One Winged Angel, a direct reference to Final Fantasy VII. Is that nerdy enough for you?
There you have it; Ten wrestlers who are secretly huge nerds. Questions or comments? Please leave them below the article, and thanks for reading!
