Perhaps not as huge as Hulk Hogan, but Dave Bautista has certainly made a name for himself in and out of the ring. During his training, Bautista was repeatedly told that he was never going to succeed. Looking at him now, it’s really baffling. In May 2002, the monster wrestler made his debut on the WWE SamackDown under the name Batista. He then changed it to the more fitting title, “The Animal.”
The wrestler went on to become a six-time World Heavyweight champion. Feeling he had done just about everything he could in wrestling, Dave left in 2010 and began starring in films such as The Wrong Side of Town, House of the Rising Sun, The Man with the Iron Fists , and Riddick. In 2014 he even landed a role in the blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy, playing Drax the Destroyer.
Tom Cruise
Before becoming Hollywood's go-to leading man, Tom Cruise was a fierce little soccer player back in the day. You can even catch glimpses of his skills while playing with Cameron Diaz on the set of Knight and Day. You might notice that Cameron Diaz is pretty good herself. Cruise also has quite the bromance with David Beckham.
In addition to his soccer playing, Cruise was also a wrestler but was sidelined due to an injury. Being out of the game, he turned his attention to acting and auditioned for his high school's production, Guys and Dolls .
Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds’ true love was football. (Sorry, ladies). He first fell in love with the sport in high school, where the hunk’s performance earned him a scholarship to Florida State. Unfortunately, a knee injury compounded by further injuries due to a car accident crushed his dreams. His heart, however, stayed with the Florida State Seminoles, where he continued to hang out on the sidelines and donate large sums of cash.
At one point, he bought the entire Seminoles team new, snazzier uniforms, which they gratefully donned. The program adored their star athlete. But we know him best from blockbusters like Smokey and the Bandit, The Longest Yard, and Deliverance. Reynolds passed last year at 82. RIP.
Steve Carell
According to an interview with ESPN, it sounds like Steve Carrell halted a potentially decent career in ice hockey. In high school, the Office star was faced with going to a Division I college hockey program and fight for his position of goalie. The thought of going all out was turned him off, and Steve decided to continue with Division III throughout his Denison University days.
He got his shot later in life when he played a killer game in the episode "Michael's Birthday" on The Office .
Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck would rather not be known as the sex symbol of a generation, yet the sex symbol appeared on the cover of Playgirl magazine four times. Driving a red-hot Italian sports car as a private detective on Magnum P.I. created this appeal, but not before he won a scholarship to USC to play basketball. There, the show biz bug bit hard, and Selleck quit the Trojans to study acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.
After some modeling, some small television parts, and a few commercials, he scored the lead role as Thomas Magnum. His film career surpassed his basketball career by a long shot, but he still loves athletics and is an imposing beach volleyball player. He’s also serious about ice hockey and baseball. At one point, he part-owned his favorite baseball team, the Detroit Tigers.