You’re Nuts: Which Buckeye would make the best professional wrestler?

On Sunday night, former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer made a cameo in the Stadium Stampede match at AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view. Wrestlers Chris Jericho and MJF charged into an office where Meyer and former Texas head coach Charlie Strong were working. Meyer aided Jericho by handing him a laptop, which he promptly smashed over MJF’s head.

This isn’t the first time that Meyer has made an appearance on an AEW broadcast. In early April, Meyer and Mike Tyson were seen chatting prior to Tyson’s appearance on AEW Dynamite. Expect to see more of Meyer on AEW programming, as the company is owned by the Khan family, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The usage of former Buckeyes in pro wrestling has happened a number of times of the years. Of course when you think of Ohio State and pro wrestling, the first thought is of James Laurinaitis, the son of Road Warrior Animal, who was a part of one of the best tag teams in wrestling history, the Legion of Doom.

A couple other Buckeye linebackers made appearances on WWE programming in the past. Chris Spielman was part of Lawrence Taylor’s entourage when Taylor took on Bam Bam Bigelow at WrestleMania XI in 1995. More recently, A.J. Hawk was past of former NFL punter Pat McAfee’s posse in the lead-up to McAfee’s match with Adam Cole at NXT Takeover XXX last August.

Today’s question: Which Ohio State Buckeye, past or present, would make the best professional wrestler?

There are so many great options out there, but to make it in the wrestling business you have to have the perfect blend of athleticism and personality.

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.

Brett’s pick: Bobby Carpenter

Can’t you just imagine Bobby Carpenter running across the Kroger parking lot to flatten some jabroni who didn’t return their shopping cart to the cart corral and hitting them with a Stone Cold Stunner? I certainly can. I’m sure Carpenter picked up some tricks of the wrestling trade from Road Warrior Animal and Lil’ Animal.

Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Basically if you could combine Carpenter’s look when he was at Ohio State, with the media skills he has now, he certainly would have what it takes to make a name for himself in the squared circle. Since he does seem really nice in his appearances on tv and radio, I could see Carpenter breaking into the wrestling business as a “face” (good guy). The question is, when and how would he make the turn to bad guy?

I feel it would’ve went in a way like Triple H’s wrestling trajectory would’ve been. Trips became a star as Shawn Michaels’ partner in crime when they formed DX. I could see Bobby being the long-haired jokester to start his career, but then align himself with a more “corporate” faction as time went on.

Now what would really be fun is to turn the Ohio State linebackers from the mid-aughts into The Four Horsemen. Hawk, Carpenter, Laurinaitis, and Anthony Schlegel. That’s quite a stable of linebackers right there. I can’t think of a group of linebackers who I would take over those four if you put them in any type of wrestling match.

There’s no doubt that Carpenter has charisma. If he wasn’t good on the mic he wouldn’t be on television and radio. Being captivating and able to grab the attention of the audience is half the battle. Some wrestlers have problems getting the athletic side to match. That wouldn’t be an issue for Bobby.

There’s plenty of other Ohio State athletes throughout the years who I could also seeing having success wrestling. Mark Titus, Aaron Craft, Cardale Jones, and Nick Swisher are just a few that come to mind. Nobody checks all the boxes like I think Carpenter would, though.

Meredith’s Pick: Joey Bosa

Alright so Brett — admittedly, I have little to no knowledge about professional wrestling. The extent of my experience with the pro wrestling circuit, in fact, begins and ends with Hulk Hogan. As a result, I feel like I’m somewhat limited in my ability to build a solid comparison when it comes to Ohio State football players.

However, I’ll draw back to what I do know. My husband is from Iowa, Ohio State won a wrestling national title in recent memory and I took unarmed combat classes in college. As a result, I at least have a passing knowledge of the college sport and what might make a good wrestler in terms of fundamentals (though, if I recall, there might be chairs involved in pro wrestling...and I don’t know how that fits in).

• Size is less relevant in this sport than others, given delineations along weight classes
• Point-to-point speed is also less relevant, because you’re really not moving over great distance
• Grit and scrappiness are super critical, because you have to be able to overcome a literal down position to win
• Strength, because you’re throwing people around right?
• Endurance, since wrestling wears you out quicker than you might expect
• Technique, like tackling ability...
• Attitude and a hint (or a lot) of sass...at least that’s what I remember from Hulk Hogan

With the emphasis on tackling ability, we could probably narrow things to the defensive side of the ball. Further, given the reduced relevance of speed, it feels like we could effectively eliminate most defensive backs from the running. On the short list of candidates, as a result, we have the defensive line and linebacking corps to draw from.

Which leaves us with...Joey Bosa.

Bosa has the grit and scrappiness needed to allow him to stay competitive in the ring round after round. He’s also been praised for his powerful hands that can knock enormous NFL offensive linemen out of position (or out of the way entirely), allowing Bosa to make a play.

None of that may be relevant, but it should be Bosa if for no other reason than his signature shrug would carry over seamlessly to the pro wrestling world.