Former Chargers and Bills LB Shawne Merriman has been busy since retiring earlier this year. Last month he showed up at WWE's Performance Center in Orlando, which serves as both a wrestling school and training facility. Though Merriman showed off his bruises from getting in the ring, everyone downplayed the idea that it was a tryout. But it was totally a tryout.
This week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter has an update on Merriman, but it's subscription-only, so here's the summary from Scott Keith's Blog of Doom:
Merriman, the former NFL Star who was training at the Performance Center last month, did not impress WWE officials, who were openly critical of his performance, including the fact that he got tired really fast.
Wrestling's tough, and requires a very different skillset than football. For every Ernie Ladd or Wahoo McDaniel who can make the transition, there are 10 who can't. (And one "Mongo" McMichael who does, but is terrible.)
Update: WWE reached out with a few notes. They say Merriman's appearance at the Performance Center wasn't a formal tryout, that he was invited by Triple H and actually performed well in the ring. WWE also adds Merriman won't be offered a contract because of his current duties with the NFL Network.