Eddie “The Beast” Hall has revealed he came close to swapping the strongman stage for the squared circle — but ultimately turned down the opportunity to join WWE.
The 2017 World’s Strongest Man winner, now 37, confirmed that talks with WWE took place after his career-defining victory and subsequent exit from the strongman world, and while he admitted wrestling had always been a childhood dream, he explained exactly why it wasn’t meant to be.
“There was a bit of interest in WWE,” Hall told Metro. “I’ve got friends that are in the WWE and I’ve got friends that have been in the WWE. As a kid, there was no better dream than being a wrestler. You want to be on that screen, you want to be doing suplexes and whatever else, and going up against The Big Show. That was a lifelong dream of mine!”
But when fantasy met reality, The Beast realised what it would actually cost him — both physically and personally.
“I think growing up and getting into the sport I am, I’ve made a lot of friends with wrestlers and you realise what a brutal sport it is,” he continued.
Hall was quick to explain that the real deal-breaker came down to WWE’s relentless travel schedule and the toll it would take on his family.
“Those guys are on the road 48 weeks of the year doing three or four shows a week, and the money – unless you’re a top tier wrestler, the money isn’t that great if I’m being honest,” he said. “It’s something I looked into. It’s something I thought to myself, ‘You know what? I’ve spent all my time going into strongman, I’ve done all that sacrifice,’ and I couldn’t put my family through that.
“You know, 48 weeks on the road, that’s hell on earth as a father and husband. You’re putting your family at risk, in my opinion. So that’s why I never pursued it, really.”
Hall’s comments shed light on how his post-strongman career has been shaped as much by family priorities as by physical ambition. After his World’s Strongest Man victory, he spent 90 straight days away from home fulfilling TV and appearance commitments, followed by another 90-day stint in the U.S.
“I didn’t have a single day off for 90 days,” he recalled. “I came home for one day, and because I was injured I had to go and see a specialist. I spent an hour with the wife, and then had to fly back out to America for another 90-day stint of work without a single f***ing day off.
“I remember getting on that plane to go back to America and just as it was taking off, I put my head in my hands and was like, ‘What the f**k am I doing with myself?’ It was one of the toughest times of my life.”
Although Hall ultimately walked away from WWE talks, he didn’t close the door on wrestling entirely. Years later, he quietly made his in-ring debut — not under the bright lights of WrestleMania, but in front of a hometown crowd in Stoke-on-Trent at Megaslam Wrestling.
It was an unannounced, one-night-only appearance at King’s Hall, and even his family didn’t know.
“My son’s in the crowd, he has no clue whatsoever,” Hall said before the surprise. “I’m going to jump into this wrestling show, throw some moves, and try and win this [Megaslam] Rumble. This is going to be a genuine, genuine, really nice surprise for my son.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
When Hall’s music hit, fans erupted as the World’s Strongest Man walked to the ring in full wrestling gear. His son Max was seated ringside, completely unaware of what was about to happen. The look on his face as his dad climbed into the ring said it all.
Playing the crowd like a natural showman, Hall threw himself into the action, staying in character throughout.
And although Hall isn’t planning on stepping into a wrestling ring anytime soon – he’s not finished with combat sports.
Recently, he’s called out both Jake Paul for a boxing match and Dillon Danis for an MMA bout – proving that there really isn’t anything that The Beast is afraid to take on.
Featured image credit: Instagram/EddieHallWSM/WWE
