Severn and Shamrock vs Lesnar and Lashley

[IrishCanadian25]

It's been more than 12 years since the World Wrestling Federation was graced with the presence of Ken "The Worlds Most Dangerous Man" Shamrock, who debuted in the WWF as a referee between Steve Austin and Bret Hart in their famous Wrestlemania 13 submission match. Over the course of the next two years, Shamrock would dominate the mid-card, winning the Intercontinental Title, the Tag Team Titles, and the 1998 King of the Ring. He would also end up holding the NWA World Title with a short stint in TNA.

In similar fashion, MMA mainstay Dan "The Beast" Severn is a former multi-time NWA Champion, and did have a short stay in the WWF. He'd been wrestling on Smokey Mountain, New Japan Pro, and TNA on each end of his WWF stay, but people still remember him as an MMA competitior.

12 years, folks.

On the flip side, Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley have recently broken the "glass ceiling" of going from the entertainment-heavy pro wrestling industry into MMA. Lesnar is already Heavyweight Champ, and many consider Lashley to be a future contender despite his lack of MMA experience.

So I ask - who's done a better job transitioning into the other sport? The MMA guys going into pro wrestling, or the wrestlers into MMA?

 

[klunderbunker]

Easily the wrestlers into MMA. Yes, Severn and Shamrock won titles. Tell me, when did they do this, and don't look it up. Simple answer, hardly anyone knows because Severn's title run was this epic one that was when the NWA was at its lowest point. Shamrock was the first champion in TNA, but no one remembers that. He never won the world title in WWE and while he was a decent IC Champion, he was never a huge star. Lashley is already becoming a big deal and Lesnar is the undisputed biggest draw in the UFC. Severn and Lashley are the smaller stars of the pairs and Lashley has had more known success than Severn. Comparing the big names, we have Shamrock who lost his title matches vs. Lesnar who headlined a show that may have done 1.5 million buys. You do the math.

 

[jmt225]

Ken Shamrock was a great professional wrestler. Hell, most people don't know this, but he was a professional wrestler before he became a shoot fighter. So, when he joined the WWF in the late nineties, he knew what he was getting into. And he did a fantastic job.

Dan Severn, on the other hand, was shit in the pro wrestling business and didn't accomplish anything whatsoever, except bore us to death. None of his matches stand out, and he couldn't cut promos or come off intense like Shamrock could.

Tank Abbot was another one who made the transition from that era, and he was also shit. WCW made it worse, but the fact of the matter is... doesn't matter where he could have been in pro wrestling, he sucked at it.

In fact, I'd say the only fighter from that era who could've done as well as Ken Shamrock did in pro wrestling was Don Frye. He had the look, talking ability, and was definitely athletic enough to learn how to work (shit... he's had some pretty decent pro wrestling matches in Japan, quite honestly). I always hoped he would join WWE or TNA. He would be a fantastic addition to either company.

But yeah... Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley have definitely made the better transition, especially Brock. Ken Shamrock, as great as he was in the company, never won a World Title in WWE and he was never pushed as a top guy, whereas in just a couple of years time, Brock has accomplished all that in the UFC, a company where it's much harder to do so than in WWE. And Bobby Lashley, while I don't buy into the hype just yet, he has still done more in MMA than Dan Severn ever did in pro wrestling. It's really a simple choice when you think about it.