Prior to professional wrestling, Heidenreich played American football and was invited to training camp prior to the 1992 season by the defending Super Bowl XXVI Champion Washington Redskins (Washington Commanders) as an undrafted rookie offensive tackle out of Northeast Louisiana University, which later became University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1999.

[9] One week before training camp began in July 1993, Heidenreich signed with the New Orleans Saints and outspoken head coach Jim E. Mora.

On the first day of camp, Heidenreich (wearing jersey #65) was involved in a fight with teammate and Saints defensive lineman Rick Dolly in the morning session.

This time Heidenreich wore jersey #74 and was often tasked with blocking fellow WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg, who played defensive tackle for the Falcons from 1992 to 1994.

[11] Heidenreich made his return to the now-renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on the September 29, 2003, episode of Raw, making his formal debut with a gimmick being "controlled" by an entity known as "Little Johnny".

[12] After weeks of trying to secure a tryout match, he was finally granted one on the October 27 episode of Raw, teaming with The Hurricane to defeat La Resistance.

[14] Over the next month, Heidenreich remained undefeated, before his streak was snapped by Rico on the December 14 edition of Sunday Night Heat before Armageddon.

In an interview with ThePainClinic.net in 2007, Heidenreich revealed that "Little Johnny" was actually meant to be a small doll that represented his inner child who was still angry at being born in a charity hospital.

[17] In 2008, former WWE writer Dan Madigan revealed that in 2004 he had pitched directly to Vince McMahon an idea to have Heidenreich return as a Nazi stormtrooper named Baron Von Bava, who had been cryogenically frozen before being revived by Paul Heyman (a Jewish son of a Holocaust survivor), complete with Heidenreich wearing the red armband with the swastika and even goose-stepping to the ring.

While WWE would eventually have Heyman manage Heidenreich, the pitch was considered so shocking that McMahon left the board room speechless and did not return for the rest of the day.

[27] This started a chain reaction of feuds, originally planned to lead to a match at WrestleMania 21 in which The Undertaker would partner with Kane to take on Snitsky and Heidenreich.

[34] Heidenreich participated in a 30-man battle royal at WrestleMania 21, which was won by Booker T.[29] His "disasterpieces" became more light-hearted and began receiving cheers from the crowd.

[35][36] Heidenreich went on to feud with MNM (Melina, Johnny Nitro, and Joey Mercury) after they attacked him while he was eating chocolate with divas on the June 16 episode of SmackDown!.

[38][39] Animal and Heidenreich then challenged MNM to a match at the Great American Bash, where they defeated them to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

[42] On the October 28 episode of SmackDown!, the Road Warriors lost the WWE Tag Team Championship back to MNM in a match also involving The Mexicools and William Regal and Paul Burchill.

[11][45] After his run in the WWE, Heidenreich moved on to World Wrestling Council, where he defeated Abbad on October 28, 2006, to win the WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship, the top title in the Puerto Rico based promotion.

[48] He faced off against a Doink the Clown impersonator at an event in a Golden Corral parking lot in May 2016, with the bizarre encounter gaining the attention of WrestleCrap.