Ex-NFL Player Shawne Merriman Explains Why Long-Term Deal With WWE Never Happened

Former NFL star Shawne Merriman played for the Los Angeles Chargers from 2005 and 2010, but near the end of his career on the field, the linebacker made several appearances on WWE television between 2008 and 2014, most notably when he hosted WrestleMania 30. 

Merriman also considered the possibility of stepping inside the ropes after his football career came to a close as he told The Undertaker on the "Six Feet Under" podcast that he wanted to focus on broadcasting while also training to become a wrestler. 

"So we always had it planned that I was going to at some point in time transition into the business. It was more like, 'Okay, when are you ready to retire?' So the whole goal was to be halfway with NFL Network in LA, shooting that and then going down to the Performance Center, so splitting time," said the former NFL star. 

Despite having a schedule organized to manage his next two career paths, Merriman explained that he was unable to sign an in-ring contract with WWE due to the company wanting to purchase the right to his "Lights Out" trademark.

"Everything got down to the point where it was like, 'Okay, what about this whole Lights Out thing?' It was that and then too the WWE Network didn't do so well when it first launched, it got ... it took a while before it got off, they ended up letting go like 9 or 10 percent of staff and it was just a mess. So we never picked up," recalled Merriman.

Although Merriman didn't get the opportunity to become a WWE star, he still expressed having a good relationship with the company, especially with WWE CCO Triple H. 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Six Feet Under" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.