MMA fighters in WWE

[vthokie8]

I am a huge MMA fan, and have been for many years now. A couple of months back, before he landed a pro boxing deal, Kimbo Slice had stated that he would consider entering the world of professional wrestling if the money was right, Roy Nelson also stated that he was considering WWE if his issued with the UFC hadn't cleared up.

I know there have been a few successful MMA guys cross over Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn achieved a certain amount of success in the 90s, but both had pro wrestling backgrounds before their MMA careers. Alberto Del Rio had a few Pride fights, but was a successful Luchador already when he had them. Then you had the guys like Daniel Puder and Sylvester Terkay who were complete bombs and Ron Waterman stayed in developmental for years and was never called up to the main roster. Even here recently Jeremiah Riggs tried to make the jump from the cage to the ring, being a cast member on Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter and having prelim fights with Strikeforce and Bellator.

If you look at it, a lot of the guys are already great promo guys. Tito Ortiz, Chael Sonnen, Josh Koscheck and Dan Hardy are all great heels who can sale the hell out of their fights, and guys like Kimbo, Roy Nelson, Forrest Griffin and Rampage Jackson have over the top wrestling like personalities as it is.

My questions are:

1) Do you think there are any MMA guys who could make a successful transition to wrestling, given they are trained and prepared beforehand?

2) Are there any MMA guys you would like to see in WWE?

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Yes, of course they could make the transition. They're already great athletes with personalities. They will have to get over themselves though. A lot of MMA guys seem to think they're so awesome and should never look bad.

Not really. I enjoy MMA but I don't think seeing them do something for entertainment that's a show of what they do for real is all that appealing. Although when they say "pro wrestling is harder on your body" like Shamrock and Lesnar did I love it because then all the douche MMA fans have to shut up. Well actually, they don't usually bring it up.

 

[MHardy_Fan]

I would love to see Dennis Hallman in the WWE but only if he wore his spedo trunks. Also, I would love to hear Chael run his mouth to the wwe crowd. Would especially be funny he was feuding with a brazilian guy.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

1) Do you think there are any MMA guys who could make a successful transition to wrestling, given they are trained and prepared beforehand?

Yea, they definitely could. In fact, I'd be curious as to how many MMA fighters would have gone to wrestling had MMA not taken off the way it had. I can see guys like Rampage possibly going into pro wrestling if it weren't for MMA. Now I can't say I blame those guys because despite MMA being real, I think you still have less of a toll on the body, especially since you are fighting much less, and not fighting while hurt, and the money is much better.

2) Are there any MMA guys you would like to see in WWE? Rampage would be one I could see entertaining on the mic and hopefully with proper training be a force. I wouldn't mind seeing Urijah Faber taking out rey mysterio at some point lol, any MMA star w/ personality I wouldn't mind seeing in the E since we know the athleticism is there and it's just a matter of whether they get proper training or not.

 

[jaceynightheat]

Yeah of course some MMA guys could make it in the WWE.

Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson, Kimbo Slice would all be amazing at it. I can really see Kimbo being a Mr. Hughes/Sid type character.

I thought more MMA guys would make the transition after their MMA days were up.

 

[vthokie8]

Yeah of course some MMA guys could make it in the WWE.

Tito Ortiz, Rampage Jackson, Kimbo Slice would all be amazing at it. I can really see Kimbo being a Mr. Hughes/Sid type character.

I thought more MMA guys would make the transition after their MMA days were up.

I was thinking the same thing about Kimbo when I was writing this post. I read the article he was thinking about doing wrestling around January of this past year, I think he would have been a perfect "bodyguard" for The Miz or Cole or even Del Rio if he hadn't got Brodus Clay around that particular time.

 

[PUNKforPresident]

I love this topic. From an all around stand point I believe Chael Sonnen would make the best professional wrestler. Obviously the grind of a training regimen would not be a problem so the ammount of time it would take to make the transition for someone like Chael would be rather quick. Also the fact that he has a strong background in amatuer wrestling helps solidify my opinion. Chael could have an ultra heel persona. He knows how to sell a fight for UFC. He says all the right things and gets people interested in his fights because of his mouth. He also can back it up as he is very talented.

From a drawing standpoint it'd be Kimbo Slice. Kimbo has always been a freak show. He is famous for brutally knocking guys out on Youtube. I could see him being a Brock Lesnar type but I'm not sure he'd be able to transition well w/ the wrestling moves and the timing. He seemed like a pretty calm dude when he was on the ultimate fighter. I'm not sure how he'd be on the mic. I believe w his name and his potential he could draw but too many un answered questions.

 

[wrestlingfan]

I happen to be an MMA fan myself but we've seen what Ken Shamrock did when he tried transitioning to MMA, It may not exactly work, Pro Wrestling is a whole different world then MMA.

 

[daddyJ_t]

ok first of all, i have to say that wwe dropped the ball with severn. that door couldve been blown wide open if shamrock and severn wouldve happened in the wwe but i heard it didnt happen because of bad blood between the 2 of them. i can see mma fighters going over really well in wrestling. puder sucked so we wont discuss him. but if the right fighter was booked right, the sky is the limit. hell look at lashley and even the undertaker has included mma moves. steve blackman was pretty damn close to being a mma fighter and look at the sucess he had. hell daniel bryan is similair to mma style with the grappling and submissions and he is having a great year so far. i could get into a mma type invasion

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

one thing I'm not sure is, if we'll ever really see it. Someone mentioned some MMA fighters doing it as their careers winded down, perhaps, but not in the WWE. The WWE schedule seems very tough and wrestling as many people have said is very rough on the body. Doesn't seem like something you do to wind down. At best we may see guys who can't cut it in MMA show up in the wrestling world, but I'm not sure how many of those guys we'd even want to see. would have been sick to see Rampage in the wwe or even an MMA invasion angle... would be sweeeeet

 

[TestSubjekt]

I agree. Sonnen would probably be the best in pro wrestling. He's got the promo ability down pat and he's a very good MMA fighter.

I think Shad Gaspard did an interview months and months ago and said WWE wanted to sign King Mo but he was talked out of it and decided to have an MMA career first.

 

[xtreykarsenx]

The correct answer is: "The American Gangster" Chael Sonnen.

or Carlos Sonnenando

or "Too Macho for Control standards" Chael Sonnen

or simply "The People's Champion"

The fact that Chael Sonnen went through the WCW Powerplant before his Senior year at Oregon and was offered a chance w/ WCW states that he has the athleticism needed to fit in the ring. Furthermore, he's probably the greatest pure trash-talker in sports today and that would likely translate to the best promo (aside from Punk) in the business.

At 217 lbs he would be considered "small" (despite the fact that he fights at 185) but the "pipe bombs" that would detonate in the forest would be legendary.

 

[vthokie8]

I happen to be an MMA fan myself but we've seen what Ken Shamrock did when he tried transitioning to MMA, It may not exactly work, Pro Wrestling is a whole different world then MMA.

A lot of people don't know it, but Shamrock was actually a pro wrestler who transitioned into MMA and went back to wrestling because of the payday WWE offered him. Shamrock actually worked the independents in the 80s and early 90s as Wayne Shamrock and "Mr. Wrestling" Vince Torelli before moving to Japan and working Pancrase, which was a hybrid of pro wrestling and MMA. Bas Rutten, Frank Shamrock, Nate Marquardt, Mark Kerr and Josh Barnett are some of the other noteable names who worked the organization. They used to also work a lot of All Japan cards as well. Severn was the same way he worked the NWA circuit for years before MMA, he even worked the old Smokey Mountain territory. The original UFC cards were looted with guys who failed to make it in the wrestling business, and made a name for themselves there. Oleg Taktarov, Kimo, Emmanuel Yarborough, Teila Tuli all worked the independents prior to UFC. Ludvig Borga was actually Randy Couture's first UFC fight believe it or not.

 

[TheCrusher]

Santino Marella might be the best overall former MMA (and judo) competitor now in the WWE. Obviously, he is a different type of performer than the others, but that is because he has so damned much comic talent and a huge slice of personality that it would be a waste to use him in another way.

 

[the_mollusk_]

Definitely MMA fighters could make their way to professional wrestling. No, I don't think they're trained to delive promos, but guys like Chael and Tito, wouldn't have to work hard to deliver. We already know they have pretty good work ethics. And as for seeing an MMA fighter in the squared circle? I think Jason "Mayhem" Miller could have a few good matches with Evan Bourne. Both are lightweight, and quick on their feet.

 

[GameOver]

During the past they did and were more or less successfull and it would be no different now. The two are similar in appeal and approach, only difference being MMA fighting is real Wrestling is scripted

Tank Adams (wcw), Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock. Butterbean too name a few and technically

Steve Blackman was MMA though he ever competed in the companies he certainly was a blackbelt in multiple styles and competed in professional tournaments.

and to a previous post Dan Severn and Ken Sharock did have a grudge match in WWF during the attitude era it was in a 6 sided ring like they have in UFC and was backstage. during that time they had alot of matches between various people in that environment but usually involving Dan Severn and or Ken Shamrock.

 

[rge2010]

I believe Brock Lesnar could hold his own in a WWE ring and make the transition with ease.

Tito Ortiz and Rampage Jackson would be the other two off the top of my head. Both ooze charisma and have alot of wrestling moves in their MMA arsenal. I believe Rampage has already said he would love to wrestle for WWE when the time is right.

 

[drk_knight]

Yes there are a few MMA guys that can make th move, but it will be the ones that are not very successfull in the world of mma.

I would love to see Lesnar come back for one more match but that wont happen.

I think Cm Punk has one of the most realistic movesets in wrestling history. His knees, kicks, grappling, punches, submissions and other strikes would f*ck anybody up. People may tell him to hit the gym, do some weights ect. But his body is made for fighting, hes big, but no over the top like other wrestlers. He would kicked those bulked up gym junkies asses, including that tall sh*t Kevin Nash.

 

[jaceynightheat]

I think Cm Punk has one of the most realistic movesets in wrestling history. His knees, kicks, grappling, punches, submissions and other strikes would f*ck anybody up. People may tell him to hit the gym, do some weights ect. But his body is made for fighting, hes big, but no over the top like other wrestlers. He would kicked those bulked up gym junkies asses, including that tall sh*t Kevin Nash.

Honestly I don't think WWE should focus on making the wrestling realistic. It'd clash too much with some characters & a lot of the moves. How am I suppose to take a crazy flip off the rope as a real move? Pretending wrestling is MMA only hurts it imho.

Especially if they bring in top of the line MMA guys. If it's made to look like a real fight, am I suppose to believe CM Punk or anyone else could legit take down someone like Rampage?

When people say Punk or Joe or anyone else should hit the gym, it may not be out of disliking him. It could just be friendly advice from other people. I know it's IWC tradition to hate Kevin Nash but he actually understands the business. Bigger guys usually do better over all. Sure there are exceptions but majority of the big names are big.

Also I can't believe I forgot to mention Bas Rutten & Gina Carano.

 

[AnthonyM4]

For both questions I would answer Chael Sonnen. Being that he has a background in amateur wrestling(like a lot of pros do) he could be a good worker if trained properly. Of course there is his charisma and personality. I can imagine how amazing his promos would be. If given a chance he could be the best heel in any fed he was in. I wonder if his recent rants on people he doesn't like(Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida) are pro wrestling influenced? Is he even a fan of wrestling? If not maybe he wouldn't want to go that route. It would be cool if he did though.

 

[gamma2008]

Kimbo Slice is a joke of an MMA fighter, to start. Beyond that? I think that the two require very different skillsets. I don't know if many from either MMA or pro wrestling could successfully cross over to the other. Brock Lesnar wasn't that great on the mic but the dude was a beast who also happened to have a grecoroman wrestling background to succeed in the UFC. Thing is, a lot of wrestlers start as bodybuilders because the look is so much more important. I guess its possible, but I don't think being good at one means you have a better shot at the other than somebody who didn't have that previous experience.

 

[lee9715]

If it can make wrestling relevant and believable to a bigger and more mainstream audience or bring old fans back, sure, bring on the MMA talent.

 

[4LC]

theres many who could make the transition, i personally am an MMA fan aswell, but you gotta think of the consequences, if wwe starts bringing in former ufc fighters and they arent getting over it could leave some black eyes to pro wrestling. some examples you will get the typical reaction of ignorant fans saying "wow this is so fake in real life theres no way john cena could ever beat tito ortiz" you could get angry fighters giving shoots on pro wrestlers, i personally didnt like daniel puder in his I hurt kurt interview saying like "ya ill step in the octagon with any wwe superstar ill fight anyone ill fight the game, triple h, haha that guys a goof" just sayin...

 

[Bernkastel]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Josh Barnett. He was a successful UFC fighter back in the early 2000's and even won the UFC title. After he was beaten, he spent some time honing his skills in pro wrestling while working with New Japan.

He made his pro wrestling debut in 2003 and has wrestled dozen's of matches. He can work the strong style well enough, even though most of his matches were probably just worked shoots.

He carried Tim Sylvia in the formers wrestling debut, and Barnett has even said that he's generally the one responsible for breaking MMA fighters into pro wrestling.

Now WWE's matches require much more control and finesse than puro matches, but I'm sure Barnett could be trained well enough. Ken Shamrock managed to make the transition, and he was a fair enough worker to boot.