In most cases when a player retires from the NFL, the last thing he wants to do is immediately get into another contact sport where he uses his body as a battering ram. Yet that’s exactly what former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee decided to do after hanging up his cleats. 

With a longtime passion for professional wrestling, the young and vibrant McAfee is once again willing to put his body in harm’s way in an effort to make a name for himself in the sport. To begin the process, the former NFL pro has called upon highly regarded wrestling coach Rip Rogers to show him the ropes. McAfee has also begun work on restoring his wrestling ring so he could put it to good use. 

View this post on Instagram

Well God damn.. let's do this

A post shared by patmcafeeshow (@patmcafeeshow) on

In an IndyStar article published earlier this year, McAfee opened up about his love for the sport and dream of becoming a professional wrestler. 

“I used to sit in my room—I grew up in a very blue-collar family, and every Monday night was my escape,” he said. “I’d watch (WCW’s Monday Night) Nitro and (WWE’s Monday Night) Raw, and I would see the Nature Boy (Ric Flair) talking about limousine-ridin’, jet-flyin’, all that stuff. And you’d hear “The Rock” and his persona and his image, and Triple-H, Stone Cold…those are the guys I wanted to be. My dream was always to become a professional wrestler. I kicked a football one day and found out it would go real far, and a business decision kind of took me that way. But wrestling is still on my mind.”

So has the Colts punter ever actually squared off against an opponent for an official wrestling match? Yes, indeed. Back in 2009 McAfee laced ’em up for a bout with a guy who went by the name “Warpig.” It may not have been the most riveting of fights, but it’s proof that McAfee’s got a taste for the competition and is willing to compete against whomever he’s thrown in the ring with. 

Check out the video and see if you think this baller has a future as a grappler.