Should the WWE focus more on signing MMA stars or Amateur wrestlers?

[CM Steel]

Over the past decade an a half in the WWE the company started bringing athletes from outside the wrestling world. Like stars from the MMA world such as Ken Shamrock, Dan "the Beast" Sevren, and Daniel Puder. And now with Brock Lesnar returning to the world of pro wrestling once again coming off making MMA history in the UFC. Who is there left for the E to sign?

Brock Lesnar also started getting into wrestling as an Amateur wrestler like former WWE superstar Kurt Angle. Who set the bar for other Amateur wrestling stars to shine in the WWE like Shelton Benjamin, Charlie Haas, and Jack Swagger. MMA & Amateur wrestling are two worlds apart from one another as they are from pro wrestling. We've seen good things come from out of this and we've seen some bad things come from out this.

People like Santino Marella are currently in the WWE with a background in MMA. And Bobby Lashley has stated in interviews that he's open for a pro wrestling return to the WWE as well as Ken Shamrock. As for the Amateur wrestling side recently inducted WWE hall of famer Bob Backland put over a young Amateur wrestler at this years WWE hall of fame. So could we see a Bob Backland 2.0 in the future?

But all in all. Should the WWE focus more on signing MMA stars or Amateur wrestlers?

 

[TempestH]

No, WWE should not focus on any one particular type of guy. They should sign people who want to be professional wrestlers regardless of their backgrounds. Also I think they need to slow down on the signings and try working with the wrestlers they have before they try to sign any more guys.

If they're lucky enough to find a pro wrestler with an amateur wrestling or MMA background, more power to them. But they should not try to seek out amateur wrestlers and MMA fighters, as those guys probably don't have an interest in pro wrestling. Otherwise, they would've already been training for pro wrestling.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

WWE shouldn't focus on signing MMA guys or even amateur wrestlers persay. What they need to find is people with both the physical ability to get in the ring and wrestle and the people with the natural ability to cut a promo.

Chael Sonnen is like the first person I can think of that should be in WWE.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Triple H seems to have a good handle on ultimately what he wants for WWE in the future. He's already brought in some of the top indy talent out there to NXT and he's no doubt on the lookout for more.

I don't think Triple H is ultimately limiting himself to just one or two specifics when it comes to signing talent. There has to be a drive and a real desire to be there. Triple H is far too much of an old school guy to just go more by looks than anything else, as Big Johnny was said to do. Otherwise, guys like Ohno & Ambrose probably wouldn't have made it through the door. If you don't love it and truly want to do it, then it doesn't matter really how great you look or how athletic you are. Brock Lesnar had it all back in 2002 but we all know what happened there.

Generally speaking, I can't say I'm hugely impressed with MMA fighters who have made the transition to pro wrestler. Dan Severn was beyond dull and Shamrock is vastly overrated as both an MMA fighter and pro wrestler. Severn is someone who would have been a major player back in the 50s and 60s but, let's face it, the man had zero personality or charisma. To be a successful MMA fighter, you don't need charisma or personality. You just need to be able to kick ass. Shamrock was someone that was simply a bit player during the Attitude Era for the most part and, again, just never truly clicked in a major way.

If Triple H is ultimately looking at certain specifics and/or group of guys more than the other, it's probably on bringing in top talent from the independent scene. A few years back, I remember reading an interview in with Triple H said how, at the time, there was a big lack in stars on the roster who were both young, yet had paid their dues by getting a lot of experience in the business. Guys in WWE or currently in NXT like Punk, Bryan, Rollins, Ambrose, Cesaro, Ohno, Neville, Graves, etc. are all guys who've made their mark in wrestling outside of WWE. Ideally, I think that sort of experience coupled with ability is what Triple H is looking for.

 

[ThePrawnCurry]

I think amateur wrestlers have a better fit in the WWE than those coming in from MMA

the workrate and the less stiff style of the amateurs make for easier transition to TV

and is more appealing to audiences.

 

[tom9422]

Wrestling is a large part of MMA so the question is a bit moot. They should look from a variety of places though, those 2 included.

I don't think they should look as often as they do at football players and bodybuilders. They generally have athleticism but not skills that transfer so easily to pro-wrestling and as such, they frequently seem green, or behind compared to their contemporaries. There are exceptions, but when you look at the best pro-wrestlers of all time, they don't usually come from those fields.

 

[Pedigree1]

I hardly ever disagree with JH on a point he made but i have to disagree with him here. Yes while its true you need to kick ass in MMA having a personality whether good or bad puts asses in seats! Look at GSP,Anderson,Nick n Nate Diaz etc. List can go on and on. As far as WWE focusing solely on Indy or MMA stars Triple H is running the show now and the company is in great hands.

Triple H is an old-school type of guy a no-nonsense approach. Looks just dont matter anymore you gotta have the heart and soul to make it in the E! Thank god for the Intangibles part of it. It was sorely missing for a bit. Im in the minority here,Shamrock was okay not bad he had a personality (That of a psycho but a personality none the less)

Severn would have been fine in the 50's or 60's era he was as dull as dull can be. Triple H should and wont just broden his horizons on Indy or MMA level he is always on the lookout for future stars no matter where they come from

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I don't buy that Trips is "handpicking" the kind of guys JackHammer is mentioning for the reasons he does... it's more base, there are so few guys who can go out there and make a mark these days outside of WWE that Trips basically HAS to have them. If he misses one who pops elsewhere and creates competition, he "blew it", if he hires them and they "don't make the grade" then he has the out that he "tried" and they couldn't cut it in sports entertainment, take his first 2 - Alberto and Sin Cara... perfect examples of both types...

The MMA style guys in the 90's were not there for Sports Entertainment, there were there cos they lent legitimacy to the product that was going more into the realms of SE. Vince or more likely JR knew that old school or wrestling fans would get into having Steve Williams, Blackman, Severn and Shamrock or even Mero and his "Golden Gloves" on the roster and them being there would keep said fans happy. Brawl For All was no doubt an attempt to offer 2 products and to keep all happy.

What WWE needs to do before deciding what type of worker it wants to hire is decide what they want them to do. Are they staying pure SE or going back towards "rasslin'", if it's the former then look, charisma and ability to learn is crucial. Everything Trips has done says the opposite, he has gone for athletes and wrestlers first, with either serious experience elsewhere or who have learned to wrestle outside the US (most signings seem to be coming from the UK and Ireland right now, we still have wrestling here...) who can learn SE skills and adapt.

WWE will always need a mix of styles, shapes, sizes, looks and personalities but the template of what it needs will always be the same, men or women who have physical strength and stamina, athletic agility and charisma. College educated/sports team where possible as they inherently have discipline. If they have those then they can almost mould them, you want a "shooter" get Bret or Regal in to work with them... you need someone to train a "monster" ask Show or Kane/Taker to get involved.

Most interesting thing so far is the new facility... I can seriously see them letting teachers hire it out and have an entrepreneurial model for new talent... Booker has a school, base it there if he or Regal or Storm's guys get signed they get a cut and the chance at more talent. Tough Enough for real isn't that far out an idea...

 

[IT Factor]

I'm not a big fan of mixing genres. Generally speaking, it usually does not work out for any wrestling company bringing in MMA guys or amateur wrestlers. There are obviously talented exceptions like Ken Shamrock, Brock Lesnar, or Kurt Angle. Those guys are few and very far between. For every one guy that made it, there were others who failed miserably. Did you ever ask yourself why that was? In my view, I think it is because you have to LOVE your own given profession. You cannot be half in MMA and in pro wrestling or committed to amateur wrestling and pro wrestling at the same time. It just does not work out.

WWE should be more concerned with booking new top stars and making them priority and not bringing in outside talents unless they have something serious to offer pro wrestling. Just look at how many former NFL, MLB, or NBA guys have been on pro wrestling television before. And they all sucked. Enough said.....

 

[the_mighty_biggs]

No 99% of MMA guys are boring.

I would like to see a Vince vs Dana White match at mania with some UFC crossovers for a few weeks leading up but thats as far as I want MMA in the WWE.

shamrock,severign and puder were all nothing special and Brock was Brock before MMA.

 

[EastCoastFan]

Back in the day, it was not uncommon to have wrestlers who came from the amateur ranks, like Steve Williams or Jack & Jerry Brisco. Believe it or not, Hacksaw Jim Duggan was a state champion amateur wrestler in high school.

When Jim Ross was head of Talent Relations, he looked for people with legit athletic backgrounds who could be taught how to work in the ring. He was the one who signed Brock Lesnar, Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas, among others.

His successor, John Laurinaitis, tried hiring bodybuilders and guys who had the look Vince likes, thinking they could just be trained to wrestle. Off the top of my head, the only person I can think of who he signed and went on to become a major star was Kelly Kelly, and many people think there were other reasons for her success in WWE.

Triple H seems to have a similar mindset to JR. A lot of his hirings have come from the indies, but it would not surprise me if he signed some MMA fighters and amateur wrestlers.