Did You Know Tom Cruise Used to Wrestle When He Was in High School

It is quite fascinating to see how life trains people for what they are going to become, through things that often appear unrelated. Getting into Hollywood was not a dream for many celebrities who are big stars now, as they had completely different aspirations before. Such seemingly unrelated first steps set them up for success in ways they couldn’t have imagined, and Tom Cruise is a really good example of this.

Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible- Ghost Protocol | Credit: Paramount Pictures

Cruise, known for performing his own death-defying stunts in blockbuster franchises like Mission: Impossible and Top Gun, had a different kind of physical challenge in mind during his high school days. Before he became one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors, he was trying all sorts of career choices, and one of them happened to be grappling on wrestling mats.

Tom Cruise’s wrestling journey in high school

Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July | Credit: Universal Pictures

Tom Cruise attended Glen Ridge High School in New Jersey, and during his teenage years, he decided to work seriously on his inclination toward wrestling. At 17, competing as Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, he showed himself to be something of a wrestling prodigy, consistently winning wrestling competitions in the 122 lbs.

Cruise was the kind of person searching for purpose in life at that point in his life. “I wanted to focus and do something with my energy and creativity,” he recalled as mentioned in Tom Cruise: Anatomy of an Actor (via RogerEbert.com). Wrestling did just that for young Cruise, who had transferred in and out of 15 different schools within only 14 years of schooling. 

The future action star wanted to go to college on a wrestling athletic scholarship and pursue his dream to turn into wrestling professionally. However, things turned out quite differently. As his graduation was just months away, Cruise pulled a tendon in his knee, and he was benched for the rest of the season.

Angelo Corbo, his wrestling coach at the time, particularly praised Cruise’s dedication to wrestling. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association stated (via National Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum on X),

(Wrestling) helped him fit in after moving to the town from Kentucky. When an injury cut short his senior season, he tried out for the school musical. You know the rest..

It was during this time that Cruise decided to explore his other interests, and slowly he developed a passion for performing arts. He started auditioning for school musicals and got the lead role of Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls. This humble beginning was enough to turn his life around, and the actor left his graduation to pursue his newfound passion, and the rest is history.

Tom Cruise’s former wrestling captain’s insights on his attitude

Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible- Fallout | Credit: Paramount Pictures

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Tom Jarrett, also known as TJ, who had been the former wrestling captain at Glen Ridge High School, shared some information about Cruise’s wrestling days. Jarrett called Cruise, who was trying to find his place in a new environment, a “real go-getter,” whose aggression was channeled through wrestling. Jarrett revealed,

He saw Kentucky as his home, not New Jersey and this was his coming of age. He never felt part of the community… With wrestling, you made your own mark at school, he certainly felt like that. It wasn’t a popularity contest, but we both were looking to make our own mark.

Wrestling demanded a lot from its students, and the mentality of Cruise was way up for it. Jarrett also mentioned that although Cruise was rather a small man at 5’ 5”, 130 pounds, his dedication didn’t let that affect him in any way. 

He didn’t start until later than all the other wrestlers. He’s not a big guy, he was about 5ft 5in and 130 lbs. To be a wrestler you had to be in great shape and physically strong. We would tone down our food intake. Most people stopped eating for a couple of days to achieve drastic weight loss. It was a perfect fit for him – wrestling helped to control your body and mind.

Jarrett also talked about how Cruise’s “disabilities like dyslexia held him back” in studies, which can be related to why he was more interested in wrestling and acting. Moreover, he also revealed how his father used to say, “Stop hanging out with that guy (Cruise). He’s not doing anything with his life,” which seems quite ironic now.

Wrestling’s influence on Tom Cruise’s Hollywood career

Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | Credit: Paramount Pictures

Wrestling gave Cruise discipline and physical strength, which served as strong supporting tools in his career. His background in the sport helped him master the demanding physical aspects of action roles, particularly seen in the Mission: Impossible franchise, where he does all his own stunts.

The physical and mental strength that wrestling demanded was a perfect match for what Cruise’s roles needed. The same attitude that once pushed him to maintain his physique and work for fights is now directed toward mastering challenging physical movements and action sequences.

Wrestling requires a lot of core strength, and Cruise has shown that in many movies. Be it hanging outside Burj Khalifa, climbing up a pole while being handcuffed in Rogue Nation, or portraying his skills directly in Born on the Fourth of July, wrestling has played a significant role in his career. 

It is not a secret that the perseverance that he adopted can come in handy when it comes to adversities in Hollywood. Just like how he had to adapt after the injury, Cruise showed his versatility in moving from one type of role to another, from action-packed films to intense drama, while dealing with all sorts of successes and failures that come along with that.