Tom Cruise considered pursuing a career in what sport before being injured?

Tom Cruise considered pursuing a career in professional wrestling before a knee injury changed his plans.

Before becoming a film star, Cruise wrestled while attending Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey. He reportedly enjoyed the sport and considered continuing toward a professional wrestling career. A knee injury before the 1980 wrestling postseason ended his competitive season and helped redirect his attention toward acting. While recovering, he became involved in his school's drama program.

Cruise did not become a professional wrestler, and the distinction between amateur and professional wrestling matters here. His high-school experience was amateur wrestling, a competitive sport governed by takedowns, pins, and points. Professional wrestling, by contrast, is scripted entertainment built around athletic performance, characters, and storylines. The quiz answer refers to the career path he considered, not the exact form of wrestling he practiced in school.

His acting career began soon afterward. He appeared in the 1981 film Endless Love, followed by roles in Taps and The Outsiders before Risky Business made him a major star in 1983. His wrestling background later fit neatly with the physical action image associated with many of his films.