10 Times Wrestlers Got Involved In Politics

7. Rhyno

If you were paying attention to WWE in 2016 you may have noticed Rhyno mid-political run. Rhyno has wrestled in multiple places over the years, with his first major exposure coming in ECW in the late 90s. Since then he has worked for WWE in multiple stints as well as TNA/Impact.

In 2016, Rhyno ran as a republican for the Michigan House of Representatives. During the same time, he was appearing on SmackDown as Heath Slater’s tag team partner. The pair won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at Backlash while Rhyno lost the election.

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6. Rick Steiner

From one tag team champion to another, Rick Steiner had a more successful political career. Best known as the brother of Scott Steiner as part of the Steiner Brothers tag team, Rick transitioned into politics following the end of his wrestling career.

First running for a seat on the Cherokee County School board in Georgia in 2006, Rick dropped out for failing to register using his real name. However, he ultimately went on to win the election as a write-in candidate.

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5. Antonio Inoki

One of the biggest names in Japanese wrestling history is Antonio Inoki. Inoki was a protege of the legendary Rikidozan, and the founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling. In addition to his historic wrestling career, Inoki also dabbled in politics.

He held a place in the Japanese House of Councilors between 1989 and 1995 and then again between 2013 and 2019. Inoki also managed to convince former Iraq President Saddam Hussein to free Japanese hostages prior to the Gulf War.

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4. Jerry Lawler

While a generation has grown up with Jerry Lawler being the goofy Raw commentator who really likes puppies, others know him as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. During his time in Memphis, Lawler was as big as Steve Austin, just on a smaller scale.

Lawler tried to take it a step further in Memphis on a pair of occasions, running for Mayor in 1999 and 2009. He was unsuccessful both times but finished in third in 1999.

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