Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Former UFC star Chael Sonnen was a very recent guest in Chris Jericho's podcast "Talk is Jericho" and relayed some interesting information pertaining to WWE's interest in signing him.
Sonnen relayed a conversation he claims to have had with a "WWE executive" in regards to signing with the company.
"A WWE exec calls me up, and he said, We read what you're going through, we're not interested.' So, I'm thinking, Why did you call me'? He said, If you were 24-years-old, you'd be making a whole jackpot full of money, but we think TNA is going to be calling you and if they do, we want back in the game.' So I was like, 'Okay, now at least I get we're you're coming from.'"
So, according to Sonnen, an executive from WWE, who's identity he doesn't reveal during the interview, contacted him and let him know that the company isn't really interested in signing with him unless there's some interest coming at him from TNA. Whether or not it's legit is anybody's guess.
Sonnen's a great talker, he's always struck me as a much stronger talker than fighter, and I've often wondered why he didn't try getting into professional wrestling instead. At this point, I don't know that Sonnen would be a good fit for WWE or that whatever potential positives he might bring isn't outweighed by the negatives against him.
Sonnen signing with WWE or TNA would generate a healthy amount of mainstream media coverage and publicity. There's also a strong possibility of jacked up viewership, at least for the short term, from people who're curious to see what'll be done with him. He said that the WWE executive brought up his age and it'd be a genuine factor in WWE signing him whether this conversation is legit or not. Sonnen's a 37 year old past his prime MMA fighter that's never worked for a professional wrestling organization in any way, shape or form.
There's also the fact that Sonnen has failed 3 drug tests as an MMA fighter within the past 4 years. Well, I suppose it'd be 2 drug tests technically. Back in 2010, he had a fight with Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight Championship that he lost via submission. It was later revealed that Sonnen had elevated testosterone levels, indicating the usage of performance enhancing drugs. Had he won the fight, the decision would have been reversed, or at the very least declared a no contest, and the title would have reverted back to Silva or been vacated. As a result, Sonnen's history of using performance enhancing drugs might be a headache WWE doesn't need, which could drag up all talk of the company's past shady dealings when it comes to steroids.
Another thing you'd hear a great deal about from the IWC would be pissing & moaning about how much attention & focus Sonnen will be getting, how he doesn't give a shit about the business, how he's just there for a big paycheck, how he's not worth a big paycheck, he's an over the hill fighter who thinks he can make some big & easy money, etc. You know, a lot of the usual rants we read about when it comes to "part timers", but it'll be jacked up because there's so much ammo to use in blasting Sonnen and some of it can't be disputed.
I wouldn't be surprised to hear about TNA contacting him at some point, if they haven't already. TNA's used a lot of MMA fighters in various ways who've had no experience as pro wrestlers, partially as a means of generating media attention and partially as a means of accommodating Spike TV.
Sonnen relayed a conversation he claims to have had with a "WWE executive" in regards to signing with the company.
"A WWE exec calls me up, and he said, We read what you're going through, we're not interested.' So, I'm thinking, Why did you call me'? He said, If you were 24-years-old, you'd be making a whole jackpot full of money, but we think TNA is going to be calling you and if they do, we want back in the game.' So I was like, 'Okay, now at least I get we're you're coming from.'"
So, according to Sonnen, an executive from WWE, who's identity he doesn't reveal during the interview, contacted him and let him know that the company isn't really interested in signing with him unless there's some interest coming at him from TNA. Whether or not it's legit is anybody's guess.
Sonnen's a great talker, he's always struck me as a much stronger talker than fighter, and I've often wondered why he didn't try getting into professional wrestling instead. At this point, I don't know that Sonnen would be a good fit for WWE or that whatever potential positives he might bring isn't outweighed by the negatives against him.
Sonnen signing with WWE or TNA would generate a healthy amount of mainstream media coverage and publicity. There's also a strong possibility of jacked up viewership, at least for the short term, from people who're curious to see what'll be done with him. He said that the WWE executive brought up his age and it'd be a genuine factor in WWE signing him whether this conversation is legit or not. Sonnen's a 37 year old past his prime MMA fighter that's never worked for a professional wrestling organization in any way, shape or form.
There's also the fact that Sonnen has failed 3 drug tests as an MMA fighter within the past 4 years. Well, I suppose it'd be 2 drug tests technically. Back in 2010, he had a fight with Anderson Silva for the UFC Middleweight Championship that he lost via submission. It was later revealed that Sonnen had elevated testosterone levels, indicating the usage of performance enhancing drugs. Had he won the fight, the decision would have been reversed, or at the very least declared a no contest, and the title would have reverted back to Silva or been vacated. As a result, Sonnen's history of using performance enhancing drugs might be a headache WWE doesn't need, which could drag up all talk of the company's past shady dealings when it comes to steroids.
Another thing you'd hear a great deal about from the IWC would be pissing & moaning about how much attention & focus Sonnen will be getting, how he doesn't give a shit about the business, how he's just there for a big paycheck, how he's not worth a big paycheck, he's an over the hill fighter who thinks he can make some big & easy money, etc. You know, a lot of the usual rants we read about when it comes to "part timers", but it'll be jacked up because there's so much ammo to use in blasting Sonnen and some of it can't be disputed.
I wouldn't be surprised to hear about TNA contacting him at some point, if they haven't already. TNA's used a lot of MMA fighters in various ways who've had no experience as pro wrestlers, partially as a means of generating media attention and partially as a means of accommodating Spike TV.