This story is part of Sports Illustrated’s exploration of the ways sports and finance intertwine—from the NIL revolution to online betting, business-minded athletes and more. For more on sports and money, see SI’s October 2023 Money Issue.
As a Northwestern defensive lineman from 2017 to ’21, Joe Spivak always dreamed of making it to the pros one day. But he also envisioned another postcollege path, one that combined the chaos, violence and competition of the gridiron with his “love of being in front of people.”
“WWE was not only in the back of my mind, but definitely in the front of my mind, too, even while still chasing that NFL dream,” Spivak says. “Especially after being in the NIL program.”
