10 Jobs You Didn't Know These Current AEW Wrestlers Had

The All Elite Wrestling locker room is filled with talented wrestlers from all over the world and has a healthy mix of fresh faces and legends. Each performer might come from different background, but their passion for professional wrestling united them under one roof where they perform at an elite level every week.

Like every wrestler in the business, the AEW stars have also worked their way up the mountain before reaching the position they're in today. Many of them used to work regular jobs to support themselves during their early days until they got their big break in AEW.

With that said, let's take a look at ten jobs these current AEW wrestlers used to do before they were famous.

10 Stu Grayson - Owned A Flooring Company

Stu Grayson, who is known for being a part of the Dark Order faction in AEW, used to be a business owner before he made it big in pro wrestling. He started his wrestling career alongside his long-time friend Evil Uno, and they used to compete only on a part-time basis while continuing to work other jobs as they didn't believe they would make a living out of wrestling.

Grayson owned a flooring company while competing part-time in the indies before he and Evil Uno made their AEW debuts at the Double or Nothing PPV in 2019.

9 Big Bill - Ticket Brokerage

Formerly known as Big Cass and W. Morrissey, Big Bill made his All Elite Wrestling debut in May 2022 but didn't sign an exclusive contract with the company until August and became a part of The Firm stable.

He is known for his prior stints in WWE and Impact Wrestling and has been in the pro wrestling industry since 2009. Before he became a full-time performer, Big Bill used to run a ticket brokerage, which he started after graduating from New York University and specialized in events held at Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium.

8 Saraya - Bouncer & Bartender

Saraya is a second-generation wrestler coming from a family that is filled with pro wrestlers. While her father is retired, her mother and two older brothers are active in-ring performers, and her family runs two wrestling promotions in Norwich.

Saraya is well-known for her time in WWE as Paige, where she is a former multiple-time women's champion. It was during her time in WWE that she announced her first retirement before returning to in-ring competition after nearly five years for AEW.

Before making it to the big leagues, Saraya competed in her family's promotion and also used to work in her parents' pub as a bouncer and bartender.

7 Paul Wight - Bail Bondsman

Former WWE Champion, The Big Show, signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2021 and debuted under his real name Paul Wight as a commentator and occasional competitor.

The World's Largest Athlete started his pro wrestling career in 1995 after Hulk Hogan introduced him to Eric Bischoff. Before he made it to WCW, Wight used to work as a bouncer, bounty hunter, and, most notably, as a bail bondsman.

Wight credited his big size as the reason for getting hired as a bail bondsman. He stated that he used to wait outside of bars or sometimes the person's homes to take them back to jail if they broke their bail.

6 Sting - Bodybuilder

Pictures of Sting as a bodybuilder and in AEW

Many established professional wrestlers come from a bodybuilding background, and current AEW star, WCW legend, and WWE Hall of Famer Sting is one of them.

He embarked on a bodybuilding career after graduating from high school and used to co-own a Gold's Gym health club. Pro Wrestling was never a career choice for Sting at first, but he became fascinated with the business after attending a WWE event, where he saw Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, The Iron Sheik, and many others perform. It led to him starting his career in 1985, and the rest is history.

5 Samoa Joe - Mortgage Broker

The current ROH World Television Champion, Samoa Joe, signed with AEW in 2022 after getting released from his WWE contract earlier the same year. He is competing in both AEW and its sister promotion Ring of Honor and is also a former 2-time AEW TNT Champion.

Samoa Joe is a veteran of the pro wrestling business with over two decades of experience. The Samoan Submission Machine has a unique background, as he used to be part of his family's Polynesian dance troupe and also has an athletic background in football and Judo.

Before he became a pro wrestler, Samoa Joe used to work as a Mortgage Broker, but that wasn't where he was meant to be as Joe made his in-ring debut in December 1999 and made his way up to the big leagues.

4 Kenny Omega - Worked At Costco

Wrestling fans hail Kenny Omega as one of the best wrestlers of all time, as the former AEW World Champion has competed at an elite level throughout his decorated career and has put on numerous 5-star matches against equally talented performers.

Omega started his in-ring career when he was only around seventeen, and he went on to have one of the most decorated careers of all time. Before he laced up his wrestling boots, Kenny Omega used to play Ice Hockey as a goalie and also worked regular jobs in branches of retailers like IGA and Costco.

3 Hangman Page - High School Teacher

Former AEW World Champion Hangman Page might be one of the best wrestlers in the world right now, but he had humble beginnings as he used to work as a high school teacher during his early days.

Page graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor's degree in Communications and then started working as a full-time high school teacher. He taught journalism and graphic design for five years to support himself financially while he continued to wrestle part-time.

He became a full-time wrestler in 2016 and worked his way up the mountain to become part of All Elite Wrestling in 2019.

2 Jon Moxley - Multiple Minimum-Wage Jobs

Growing up in Cincinnati's East End, former WWE and AEW World Champion Jon Moxley had a rough upbringing. However, his passion for pro wrestling helped him focus on his goal, and made his in-ring debut in 2004.

However, he had to work various minimum-wage jobs in factories, restaurants, and warehouses during that phase to support himself financially, and he used to get fired from most of those jobs as he would skip work unannounced to compete in independent shows.

From that position, Moxley worked his way up to WWE and then to All Elite Wrestling and is continuing to perform at an elite level.

1 Bryan Danielson - Cashier At McDonald's

bryan danielson with his arms in the air

Bryan Danielson is a veteran of the pro wrestling industry with over two decades of in-ring experience. He has competed across the globe and has developed a decorated career with multiple world championships in his collection.

He left WWE in 2021 to sign with All Elite Wrestling, where he is now part of the Blackpool Combat Club faction alongside Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta.

Prior to his in-ring debut in 1999, Danielson and his sister used to deliver newspapers to support their mother after the latter split with Danielson's father. He also used to work as a cashier at McDonald's as a teenager.