10 WWE Superstars Who Competed In MMA
UFC-styled fights and the simulated combat of professional wrestling are one in the same...
Feb 7, 2018
Professional wrestling and MMA are one in the same - Brock Lesnar told me so.
During a televised interview a few years ago, the current WWE Universal Champion claimed that what WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White are promoting is essentially the same thing. Don't think Brock's been working himself up into a shoot for the best part of the last 18 years inside the squared circle though, brother, because he does use the dreaded F-word while describing
the grappletons.
What Brock meant by this is that in his mind, Vinnie and Dana are both promoting fights and using the same business model while they do so. WWE presents their battles as though they are real, while those in the Octagon actually are - that's the only real difference.
Because of this, many wrestlers who've entertained us down the years have found themselves doing a spot of MMA on occasion with Lesnar himself the most famous example, conquering both worlds on the way to winning world titles galore.
I often think that professional wrestlers are wired differently to the majority of us. Being up close to a ring and seeing what these nutters put their bodies through in the name of entertainment boggles my mind. It should come as no surprise then that many decide to go one step further in the pain game and
'shoot' fight
for money - here are 10 that have done so.
(There's obviously hundreds more but these are the 10 I found the most interesting.)
10. Rezar
Yes, this is a real thing. Before Rezar became a lover of writing and pain in equal measure, he fought inside cages for a living.
Don't think the former NXT Tag Team Champion was any kind of joke and then fell back on a comfortable spot in the Performance Center when things went wrong - he went 6-2 in his pro and amateur career over a two-year spell. This run included an impressive 18-second submission win over UFC veteran Oli Thompson (above) and a fight in Bellator MMA where he lost to Daniel Gallemore in 2014.
There's no doubt upon realising his credentials that certain members of the NXT roster will be looking at Rezar in a completely different light.
9. Ludvig Borga
Forget everything that comes to mind when you see Ludvig Borga. This man is a hard bastard.
The Hellraiser from Helsinki was just that, garnering a reputation around his homeland for dominating many a man in amateur boxing bouts and barroom fights - a skill that was always going to be easily translatable to a nearby Octagon.
In Japan, Borga took on New Japan Pro Wrestling stars the calibre of Shinya Hashimoto in MMA fights, building a reputation that even WWE couldn't ignore in a time when cartoons were the flavour of the month. The company were so high on their fighting Finn that he was reportedly pencilled in for a WWE Championship reign before an ankle injury put paid to that.
Following the end of his professional wrestling career in 1997, Borga went back to the Octagon once more, losing comprehensively to Randy Couture by submission inside 56 seconds.
8. Sean O'Haire
Even though he had one of the more captivating gimmicks of the Ruthless Aggression era as a devil's advocate telling the masses to do the wrong things in life, Sean O'Haire never reached the levels his potential suggested he should.
A fantastic wrestler and truly innovative performer inside the ring, the Natural Born Thriller couldn't break free of the shackles brought on by the shortcomings of creative. Because of this, he left WWE in 2004.
After making sporadic appearances for NJPW and various Indy promotions, O'Haire decided to pursue a career in MMA and Kickboxing - a natural step for a man famed for winning many Toughman competitions prior to stepping inside the ring.
While his Kickboxing record is up for debate, Sean went 4-2 in MMA with his biggest bout coming against WrestleMania XV special guest Butterbean. The fight was stopped after 29 seconds of the first round with O'Haire taking five straight punches to the head.
7. 'Gentleman' Jack Gallagher
Jack Gallagher is a monster.
Even though he knew he had a potentially life-changing couple of weeks in the form of the Cruiserweight Classic on the horizon, he still decided that it would be a good idea to fight inside the Octagon. To me, this would seem like a massive gamble to take with such a pivotal event coming up. I'm not Jack though. Jack was confident. Jack won via submission in the first round. There are no issues here.
Jack Gallagher has a perfect 2-0 record in MMA with the other victory in that now infamous streak also coming in the first round of a fight and via submission. Consistency is key.
If you're ever fighting Jack Gallagher, 'watch out for the early submission attempt' would be my advice.
6. Alberto Del Rio
Alberto "Dos Caras" Rodriguez was a rarity in MMA circles back in the day as he used to grapple under a mask. This didn't stop him from being bloody good, mind you.
A mainstay in Pride and Deep - they're promotions, btw - Dos Caras went toe to toe against a whole host of names with a whole host of bad reputations. He won nine of 14 fights, with his most memorable victory coming against Kengo Watanabe after delivering a Belly to Belly Suplex that broke his adversary's arm.
As awesome as that sounds, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Del Rio's MMA career will be forever remembered for the head kicking defeat at the hands of Mirko Cro Cop at Pride Bushido 1 in 2003. It was brutal but must see.
5. Batista
Long before the birth of BOOtista or BLUEtista, former WWE Champion Dave Bautista embarked on a brief stint in MMA that lasted WAY shorter than I'm sure he intended it to.
The 43-year-old Animal had a one-fight. That fight was against experienced journeyman Vince Lucero in 2012. After a shaky start, Bautista won via TKO in a win that many claim he shouldn't be bragging about. But hey, a win's a win in my book. Dave has won 100% of all the MMA fights he's ever had - good for him.
Despite his obvious shortcomings, a fully fledged career in MMA looked like becoming a reality with Strikeforce almost
striking up
a deal to have the former Evolution member fight under their banner. UFC then bought the promotion, so the deal was called off and he was back in a WWE ring on the road to WrestleMania XXX not too long after. The circle of life...
4. Jushin Thunder Liger
He appeared at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn back in 2015 so this counts ALRIGHT?!
(I know this doesn't really count but it's Jushin Thunder Liger for crying out loud!)
You'll never guess who Liger's opponent was during his only MMA fight... it's none other than Mr SCARY MAN™ himself, IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Minoru Suzuki.
Liger stepped in as a last-minute stand-in when Suzuki's original opponent, Kensuke Sasaki, was forced to pull out due to injury. I reckon he wished he hadn't, you know, because he was absolutely demolished inside the first round. While the Shooting Star almost connected with a Rolling Koppu Kick,
that lonely warrior
quickly mounted, grounded, and pounded his opponent before finishing him off with a choke. Game over.
But hey - yes I know, I'm a guy whose glass is
always
half full - at least Liger stepped in the ring with a man like Suzuki, taking him on at his own game of Pancrase. That's a victory in of itself.
3. Bam Bam Bigelow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=9ovOibFqM6w
QUELLE SURPRISE!
I know, I wasn't aware of this either.
During the early stages of his ECW run, Bam Bam Bigelow turned out for U-Japan in an MMA bout against Kimo Leopoldo. The Beast From the East would interestingly claim that the fight was a work and that he was "the highest paid jobber" during a shoot interview years later - but it's not clear whether he was telling the truth or not.
Even though he's absolutely massive
and
scary, Bam Bam was dominated. Badly. He was mounted within 10 seconds of the first bell and would eventually lose via Rear Naked Choke in the first round.
But hey - here comes some more positivity - at least the former WCW Hardcore Champion pocketed something between $75,000-$100,000 for a couple of minutes work despite having no name value or prior experience in MMA. Good for him.
2. Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley is coming back to WWE soon, allegedly. YIPEEEE! There he is beating the holy hell out of a bag - bless him.
I've got to include the former ECW Champion in this list as he's one of the few crossovers to actually make a success of himself in the MMA game.
Some call Lashley 'Dominator', and he certainly lived up to that billing in his first five MMA contests, seeing off the likes of Bob Sapp and Wes Sims with aplomb. He was supposed to fight former WWF Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock at one stage, but that fight was changed at the last minute.
Today, Bobby's MMA record reads 17 fights, 15 wins and two losses. There are four knockouts in there as well. Good on you, Bob, you BASTHUD!
1. Shinsuke Nakamura
Did you know that Shinsuke Nakamura turned down UFC once upon a time? No? Well, now you do.
UFC wanted to sign the 2018 Royal Rumble winner back in 2005 but the King of Strong Style decided to stay loyal to professional wrestling - a decision that has turned out pretty well for Nakamura in all corners of the globe.
After debuting in the squared circle in 2002, Nakamura only took a year-and-a-half to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. During these early stages of his career, he was also fighting in MMA contests - ending up 3-1 from five fights.
Appearing on one of Antonio Inoki’s annual Bom-Ba-Ye PPVs, Nakamura actually lost his first fight to Daniel Gracie before he bounced back to defeat Jan Nortje and Shane Eitner. He then went through a no contest against a much larger opponent named Alexey Ignashov, before defeating him in the rematch in his last MMA contest in May 2004.
Professional wrestling and MMA are one in the same - Brock Lesnar told me so.
During a televised interview a few years ago, the current WWE Universal Champion claimed that what WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White are promoting is essentially the same thing. Don't think Brock's been working himself up into a shoot for the best part of the last 18 years inside the squared circle though, brother, because he does use the dreaded F-word while describing
the grappletons.
What Brock meant by this is that in his mind, Vinnie and Dana are both promoting fights and using the same business model while they do so. WWE presents their battles as though they are real, while those in the Octagon actually are - that's the only real difference.
Because of this, many wrestlers who've entertained us down the years have found themselves doing a spot of MMA on occasion with Lesnar himself the most famous example, conquering both worlds on the way to winning world titles galore.
I often think that professional wrestlers are wired differently to the majority of us. Being up close to a ring and seeing what these nutters put their bodies through in the name of entertainment boggles my mind. It should come as no surprise then that many decide to go one step further in the pain game and
'shoot' fight
for money - here are 10 that have done so.
(There's obviously hundreds more but these are the 10 I found the most interesting.)
10. Rezar
Yes, this is a real thing. Before Rezar became a lover of writing and pain in equal measure, he fought inside cages for a living.
Don't think the former NXT Tag Team Champion was any kind of joke and then fell back on a comfortable spot in the Performance Center when things went wrong - he went 6-2 in his pro and amateur career over a two-year spell. This run included an impressive 18-second submission win over UFC veteran Oli Thompson (above) and a fight in Bellator MMA where he lost to Daniel Gallemore in 2014.
There's no doubt upon realising his credentials that certain members of the NXT roster will be looking at Rezar in a completely different light.
9. Ludvig Borga
Forget everything that comes to mind when you see Ludvig Borga. This man is a hard bastard.
The Hellraiser from Helsinki was just that, garnering a reputation around his homeland for dominating many a man in amateur boxing bouts and barroom fights - a skill that was always going to be easily translatable to a nearby Octagon.
In Japan, Borga took on New Japan Pro Wrestling stars the calibre of Shinya Hashimoto in MMA fights, building a reputation that even WWE couldn't ignore in a time when cartoons were the flavour of the month. The company were so high on their fighting Finn that he was reportedly pencilled in for a WWE Championship reign before an ankle injury put paid to that.
Following the end of his professional wrestling career in 1997, Borga went back to the Octagon once more, losing comprehensively to Randy Couture by submission inside 56 seconds.
8. Sean O'Haire
Even though he had one of the more captivating gimmicks of the Ruthless Aggression era as a devil's advocate telling the masses to do the wrong things in life, Sean O'Haire never reached the levels his potential suggested he should.
A fantastic wrestler and truly innovative performer inside the ring, the Natural Born Thriller couldn't break free of the shackles brought on by the shortcomings of creative. Because of this, he left WWE in 2004.
After making sporadic appearances for NJPW and various Indy promotions, O'Haire decided to pursue a career in MMA and Kickboxing - a natural step for a man famed for winning many Toughman competitions prior to stepping inside the ring.
While his Kickboxing record is up for debate, Sean went 4-2 in MMA with his biggest bout coming against WrestleMania XV special guest Butterbean. The fight was stopped after 29 seconds of the first round with O'Haire taking five straight punches to the head.
7. 'Gentleman' Jack Gallagher
Jack Gallagher is a monster.
Even though he knew he had a potentially life-changing couple of weeks in the form of the Cruiserweight Classic on the horizon, he still decided that it would be a good idea to fight inside the Octagon. To me, this would seem like a massive gamble to take with such a pivotal event coming up. I'm not Jack though. Jack was confident. Jack won via submission in the first round. There are no issues here.
Jack Gallagher has a perfect 2-0 record in MMA with the other victory in that now infamous streak also coming in the first round of a fight and via submission. Consistency is key.
If you're ever fighting Jack Gallagher, 'watch out for the early submission attempt' would be my advice.
6. Alberto Del Rio
Alberto "Dos Caras" Rodriguez was a rarity in MMA circles back in the day as he used to grapple under a mask. This didn't stop him from being bloody good, mind you.
A mainstay in Pride and Deep - they're promotions, btw - Dos Caras went toe to toe against a whole host of names with a whole host of bad reputations. He won nine of 14 fights, with his most memorable victory coming against Kengo Watanabe after delivering a Belly to Belly Suplex that broke his adversary's arm.
As awesome as that sounds, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Del Rio's MMA career will be forever remembered for the head kicking defeat at the hands of Mirko Cro Cop at Pride Bushido 1 in 2003. It was brutal but must see.
5. Batista
Long before the birth of BOOtista or BLUEtista, former WWE Champion Dave Bautista embarked on a brief stint in MMA that lasted WAY shorter than I'm sure he intended it to.
The 43-year-old Animal had a one-fight. That fight was against experienced journeyman Vince Lucero in 2012. After a shaky start, Bautista won via TKO in a win that many claim he shouldn't be bragging about. But hey, a win's a win in my book. Dave has won 100% of all the MMA fights he's ever had - good for him.
Despite his obvious shortcomings, a fully fledged career in MMA looked like becoming a reality with Strikeforce almost
striking up
a deal to have the former Evolution member fight under their banner. UFC then bought the promotion, so the deal was called off and he was back in a WWE ring on the road to WrestleMania XXX not too long after. The circle of life...
4. Jushin Thunder Liger
He appeared at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn back in 2015 so this counts ALRIGHT?!
(I know this doesn't really count but it's Jushin Thunder Liger for crying out loud!)
You'll never guess who Liger's opponent was during his only MMA fight... it's none other than Mr SCARY MAN™ himself, IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Minoru Suzuki.
Liger stepped in as a last-minute stand-in when Suzuki's original opponent, Kensuke Sasaki, was forced to pull out due to injury. I reckon he wished he hadn't, you know, because he was absolutely demolished inside the first round. While the Shooting Star almost connected with a Rolling Koppu Kick,
that lonely warrior
quickly mounted, grounded, and pounded his opponent before finishing him off with a choke. Game over.
But hey - yes I know, I'm a guy whose glass is
always
half full - at least Liger stepped in the ring with a man like Suzuki, taking him on at his own game of Pancrase. That's a victory in of itself.
3. Bam Bam Bigelow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=9ovOibFqM6w
QUELLE SURPRISE!
I know, I wasn't aware of this either.
During the early stages of his ECW run, Bam Bam Bigelow turned out for U-Japan in an MMA bout against Kimo Leopoldo. The Beast From the East would interestingly claim that the fight was a work and that he was "the highest paid jobber" during a shoot interview years later - but it's not clear whether he was telling the truth or not.
Even though he's absolutely massive
and
scary, Bam Bam was dominated. Badly. He was mounted within 10 seconds of the first bell and would eventually lose via Rear Naked Choke in the first round.
But hey - here comes some more positivity - at least the former WCW Hardcore Champion pocketed something between $75,000-$100,000 for a couple of minutes work despite having no name value or prior experience in MMA. Good for him.
2. Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley is coming back to WWE soon, allegedly. YIPEEEE! There he is beating the holy hell out of a bag - bless him.
I've got to include the former ECW Champion in this list as he's one of the few crossovers to actually make a success of himself in the MMA game.
Some call Lashley 'Dominator', and he certainly lived up to that billing in his first five MMA contests, seeing off the likes of Bob Sapp and Wes Sims with aplomb. He was supposed to fight former WWF Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock at one stage, but that fight was changed at the last minute.
Today, Bobby's MMA record reads 17 fights, 15 wins and two losses. There are four knockouts in there as well. Good on you, Bob, you BASTHUD!
1. Shinsuke Nakamura
Did you know that Shinsuke Nakamura turned down UFC once upon a time? No? Well, now you do.
UFC wanted to sign the 2018 Royal Rumble winner back in 2005 but the King of Strong Style decided to stay loyal to professional wrestling - a decision that has turned out pretty well for Nakamura in all corners of the globe.
After debuting in the squared circle in 2002, Nakamura only took a year-and-a-half to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. During these early stages of his career, he was also fighting in MMA contests - ending up 3-1 from five fights.
Appearing on one of Antonio Inoki’s annual Bom-Ba-Ye PPVs, Nakamura actually lost his first fight to Daniel Gracie before he bounced back to defeat Jan Nortje and Shane Eitner. He then went through a no contest against a much larger opponent named Alexey Ignashov, before defeating him in the rematch in his last MMA contest in May 2004.
Professional wrestling and MMA are one in the same - Brock Lesnar told me so.
During a televised interview a few years ago, the current WWE Universal Champion claimed that what WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White are promoting is essentially the same thing. Don't think Brock's been working himself up into a shoot for the best part of the last 18 years inside the squared circle though, brother, because he does use the dreaded F-word while describing
the grappletons.
What Brock meant by this is that in his mind, Vinnie and Dana are both promoting fights and using the same business model while they do so. WWE presents their battles as though they are real, while those in the Octagon actually are - that's the only real difference.
Because of this, many wrestlers who've entertained us down the years have found themselves doing a spot of MMA on occasion with Lesnar himself the most famous example, conquering both worlds on the way to winning world titles galore.
I often think that professional wrestlers are wired differently to the majority of us. Being up close to a ring and seeing what these nutters put their bodies through in the name of entertainment boggles my mind. It should come as no surprise then that many decide to go one step further in the pain game and
'shoot' fight
for money - here are 10 that have done so.
(There's obviously hundreds more but these are the 10 I found the most interesting.)
10. Rezar
Yes, this is a real thing. Before Rezar became a lover of writing and pain in equal measure, he fought inside cages for a living.
Don't think the former NXT Tag Team Champion was any kind of joke and then fell back on a comfortable spot in the Performance Center when things went wrong - he went 6-2 in his pro and amateur career over a two-year spell. This run included an impressive 18-second submission win over UFC veteran Oli Thompson (above) and a fight in Bellator MMA where he lost to Daniel Gallemore in 2014.
There's no doubt upon realising his credentials that certain members of the NXT roster will be looking at Rezar in a completely different light.
9. Ludvig Borga
Forget everything that comes to mind when you see Ludvig Borga. This man is a hard bastard.
The Hellraiser from Helsinki was just that, garnering a reputation around his homeland for dominating many a man in amateur boxing bouts and barroom fights - a skill that was always going to be easily translatable to a nearby Octagon.
In Japan, Borga took on New Japan Pro Wrestling stars the calibre of Shinya Hashimoto in MMA fights, building a reputation that even WWE couldn't ignore in a time when cartoons were the flavour of the month. The company were so high on their fighting Finn that he was reportedly pencilled in for a WWE Championship reign before an ankle injury put paid to that.
Following the end of his professional wrestling career in 1997, Borga went back to the Octagon once more, losing comprehensively to Randy Couture by submission inside 56 seconds.
8. Sean O'Haire
Even though he had one of the more captivating gimmicks of the Ruthless Aggression era as a devil's advocate telling the masses to do the wrong things in life, Sean O'Haire never reached the levels his potential suggested he should.
A fantastic wrestler and truly innovative performer inside the ring, the Natural Born Thriller couldn't break free of the shackles brought on by the shortcomings of creative. Because of this, he left WWE in 2004.
After making sporadic appearances for NJPW and various Indy promotions, O'Haire decided to pursue a career in MMA and Kickboxing - a natural step for a man famed for winning many Toughman competitions prior to stepping inside the ring.
While his Kickboxing record is up for debate, Sean went 4-2 in MMA with his biggest bout coming against WrestleMania XV special guest Butterbean. The fight was stopped after 29 seconds of the first round with O'Haire taking five straight punches to the head.
7. 'Gentleman' Jack Gallagher
Jack Gallagher is a monster.
Even though he knew he had a potentially life-changing couple of weeks in the form of the Cruiserweight Classic on the horizon, he still decided that it would be a good idea to fight inside the Octagon. To me, this would seem like a massive gamble to take with such a pivotal event coming up. I'm not Jack though. Jack was confident. Jack won via submission in the first round. There are no issues here.
Jack Gallagher has a perfect 2-0 record in MMA with the other victory in that now infamous streak also coming in the first round of a fight and via submission. Consistency is key.
If you're ever fighting Jack Gallagher, 'watch out for the early submission attempt' would be my advice.
6. Alberto Del Rio
Alberto "Dos Caras" Rodriguez was a rarity in MMA circles back in the day as he used to grapple under a mask. This didn't stop him from being bloody good, mind you.
A mainstay in Pride and Deep - they're promotions, btw - Dos Caras went toe to toe against a whole host of names with a whole host of bad reputations. He won nine of 14 fights, with his most memorable victory coming against Kengo Watanabe after delivering a Belly to Belly Suplex that broke his adversary's arm.
As awesome as that sounds, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Del Rio's MMA career will be forever remembered for the head kicking defeat at the hands of Mirko Cro Cop at Pride Bushido 1 in 2003. It was brutal but must see.
5. Batista
Long before the birth of BOOtista or BLUEtista, former WWE Champion Dave Bautista embarked on a brief stint in MMA that lasted WAY shorter than I'm sure he intended it to.
The 43-year-old Animal had a one-fight. That fight was against experienced journeyman Vince Lucero in 2012. After a shaky start, Bautista won via TKO in a win that many claim he shouldn't be bragging about. But hey, a win's a win in my book. Dave has won 100% of all the MMA fights he's ever had - good for him.
Despite his obvious shortcomings, a fully fledged career in MMA looked like becoming a reality with Strikeforce almost
striking up
a deal to have the former Evolution member fight under their banner. UFC then bought the promotion, so the deal was called off and he was back in a WWE ring on the road to WrestleMania XXX not too long after. The circle of life...
4. Jushin Thunder Liger
He appeared at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn back in 2015 so this counts ALRIGHT?!
(I know this doesn't really count but it's Jushin Thunder Liger for crying out loud!)
You'll never guess who Liger's opponent was during his only MMA fight... it's none other than Mr SCARY MAN™ himself, IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Minoru Suzuki.
Liger stepped in as a last-minute stand-in when Suzuki's original opponent, Kensuke Sasaki, was forced to pull out due to injury. I reckon he wished he hadn't, you know, because he was absolutely demolished inside the first round. While the Shooting Star almost connected with a Rolling Koppu Kick,
that lonely warrior
quickly mounted, grounded, and pounded his opponent before finishing him off with a choke. Game over.
But hey - yes I know, I'm a guy whose glass is
always
half full - at least Liger stepped in the ring with a man like Suzuki, taking him on at his own game of Pancrase. That's a victory in of itself.
3. Bam Bam Bigelow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=9ovOibFqM6w
QUELLE SURPRISE!
I know, I wasn't aware of this either.
During the early stages of his ECW run, Bam Bam Bigelow turned out for U-Japan in an MMA bout against Kimo Leopoldo. The Beast From the East would interestingly claim that the fight was a work and that he was "the highest paid jobber" during a shoot interview years later - but it's not clear whether he was telling the truth or not.
Even though he's absolutely massive
and
scary, Bam Bam was dominated. Badly. He was mounted within 10 seconds of the first bell and would eventually lose via Rear Naked Choke in the first round.
But hey - here comes some more positivity - at least the former WCW Hardcore Champion pocketed something between $75,000-$100,000 for a couple of minutes work despite having no name value or prior experience in MMA. Good for him.
2. Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley is coming back to WWE soon, allegedly. YIPEEEE! There he is beating the holy hell out of a bag - bless him.
I've got to include the former ECW Champion in this list as he's one of the few crossovers to actually make a success of himself in the MMA game.
Some call Lashley 'Dominator', and he certainly lived up to that billing in his first five MMA contests, seeing off the likes of Bob Sapp and Wes Sims with aplomb. He was supposed to fight former WWF Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock at one stage, but that fight was changed at the last minute.
Today, Bobby's MMA record reads 17 fights, 15 wins and two losses. There are four knockouts in there as well. Good on you, Bob, you BASTHUD!
1. Shinsuke Nakamura
Did you know that Shinsuke Nakamura turned down UFC once upon a time? No? Well, now you do.
UFC wanted to sign the 2018 Royal Rumble winner back in 2005 but the King of Strong Style decided to stay loyal to professional wrestling - a decision that has turned out pretty well for Nakamura in all corners of the globe.
After debuting in the squared circle in 2002, Nakamura only took a year-and-a-half to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. During these early stages of his career, he was also fighting in MMA contests - ending up 3-1 from five fights.
Appearing on one of Antonio Inoki’s annual Bom-Ba-Ye PPVs, Nakamura actually lost his first fight to Daniel Gracie before he bounced back to defeat Jan Nortje and Shane Eitner. He then went through a no contest against a much larger opponent named Alexey Ignashov, before defeating him in the rematch in his last MMA contest in May 2004.
10. The Kia Riding Economy Flying Son Of A Gun
WWE.com
This week, Cristian Ronaldo wiped a few billion off the value of Coca-Cola when he removed bottles of the soft drink from the podium at his press conference ahead of the Portugal captain's match at Euro 2021, telling those in the room - and many more watching around the world - to 'drink water' instead.
Well, former 16-time World Champion Ric Flair may similarly hurt the share price of Kia motors after a story surfaced this week that concerned the Nature Boy refusing to ride in one of their cars.
Podcast host (and Flair's son-in-law) Conrad Thompson relayed the story to Tony Schiavone on a recent edition of the What Happened When podcast.
"So we’re waiting, this car pulls up, window rolls down, says, 'Get in'. Ric starts laughing, 'Yeah. Get the f*ck outta here'.
And so the guy's like, 'No, seriously, I'm your ride'. He's like, 'I got a car coming buddy, thank you though, appreciate you watching'. And he's like, 'No, no. "So-and-so" [whoever the promoter was] sent me'.
And Ric's like, 'What?’. And the guy says, 'Yeah, yeah. I'm supposed to pick you up'. He says, 'The World Champion doesn't ride in KIAs so get a f*ckin' town car, get a Cadillac and come back'.
He's like, 'No, I'm not a car service, this is an Uber'. He's like, 'I don’t care what your name is, get out of here!'. So I was like, 'No, Ric, this is our car'. He's like, 'Conrad, I'm not getting in a f*ckin' Uber. I'm not doing it'".
I hope they acquiesced to his demand. You do not want to upset Flair on the road.
9. JBL Respects The Sign
WWE.com
A lot was made some months back about WWE's new edict to not slap the lag when throwing kicks or other strikes, complete with sign instructing as much stuck in the Gorilla position.
Anyone who has watched ten minutes of WWE television (particularly NXT) will be able to tell that not everyone is currently adhering to the new request.
JBL showed the current crop how it was done this week, posting a picture of him trying his hardest to remove Billy Gunn's teeth during one of the many Attitude Era battles between the Acolytes and New Age Outlaws.
The notoriously, erm, snug Layfield captioned his masterpiece 'Rats, I forgot to slap my thigh', while fellow hard nosed grappled Finlay asked people to take a closer look, sharing a cropped version of the picture that showed Bradshaw's boot had Gunn's nose bent like Gonzo from the Muppets.
D-Von Dudley was on hand to confirm that Bradshaw's kicks both hurt and made a sound.
8. Beautiful Was Almost Bald
TNA/Impact Wrestling
Angelina Love was a guest on the Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast recently, discussing her stint in WWE developmental, current run in Ring of Honor and, naturally, her time as a member TNA/Impact's the Beautiful People.
While Love was initially happy in the company and received a sizeable push, she ended up leaving first because of visa issues and then creative differences.
Angelina spoke about how she was at first happy with TNA President Dixie Carter and writer Vince Russo, but didn't like things as much when new creative people were brought in, mentioning how Dixie had an out-of-the-blue request for her.
"If you weren't ex-WWE, or if they didn't come up with a storyline for you, you were not used. I was paid per appearance. After that, Dixie told me that she wanted me to shave my head and do a completely different character. I was like, 'What part did you say?', and she just couldn't get out of the conversation fast enough.
Nobody seemed to care at that time. Bruce Prichard was there. Eric Bischoff was there. I was not a fan of theirs so I decided it was time for me to go. After five years of me and Velvet killing it, if they couldn't see my worth at that point, I didn’t need to stay there".
Add another to the pro-Russo column, folks. That's now fifteen wrestling personalities that like him, to five hundred who don't.
7. Horowitz Brings The Heat
WWE.com
Barry Horowitz. There's a name you don't hear much these days.
The veteran journeyman caused a stir this week when he spoke with the Wrestling Inc. Daily, bringing up how, at this stage in his life and career, he wants to pass on his knowledge as a trainer and teach others what the Malenkos taught him.
Going on a bit of a tear, one of WWE's most loveable losers specifically called out Head NXT Coach Matt Bloom for what Horowitz perceived as disrespect.
"I live an hour from the Performance Center. Is my word getting through? I don't know because think about it, you got a stew, I just want to make it more flavorful. I don't want to take nobody's spot. I don't want to take Shawn's [Michaels] spot, Norman Smiley, Matt Bloom, the head trainer.
What do I know about Matt Bloom? Nothing. He was Tensai and Prince Albert, two gimmicks that failed in a year and he disrespected me over the phone completely. I mean, how dare you? I’m not comparing myself to these gentlemen, but Ricky Steamboat, [Ric] Flair, [Hulk] Hogan. The list goes on, Jimmy Valiant, Rufus R. Jones, Johnny Weaver, [Roddy] Piper".
How dare you say, 'Barry, you've been out of wrestling for a while' like I'm just getting off the couch and I need a job. I've surrounded myself by this, and he says, 'Do you know who our CEO is and world champion?'.
First of all, I don't care. Second of all, if that's my only flaw, when I get to the building, take me in a room for 10 minutes and you could smarten me up and I'm up to speed. What you need to worry about, does Barry look the part? Is Barry in shape? Does he look good to our students? Does he talk good to our students? Does he bully our students? Does he show up on time? Does he have a drug problems?.
"No. What? Are you afraid of me? You should be because I will take your f*cking spot in one minute! Not trying, knowing, there's a difference. Trying to take the spot or knowing, and I know. I'm not perfect, but I'm a lot better now than these other clowns.
So I find it highly disrespectful, especially All Elite Wrestling. It's right up my alley all the wrestling they do there. I know some of the guys that are behind the scenes. I have no idea, and if I have some kind of 'hidden heat' or something, I'd rather somebody call me up and say, 'We just don't like you', or 'you got heat', but I'm seeing guys getting taken that have had fights on airplanes, that have never worked for Vince [McMahon] or caused problems.
What? Is that what I need to do? I'll pass. I'm legit. I'm real. I don't play that sh*t".
Well, if they didn't hire him before I'm sure they will after that.
6. The Origin Of The Titty Master
WWE.com
Congratulations to Jon Moxley and Renee Paquette, who welcomed their newborn baby girl into the world this week!
As Renee was, you know, giving birth and stuff, Moxley filled in as a guest host on her Oral Sessions podcast, with listeners able to submit questions for the former AEW Champion.
One of the questions concerned Mox's nickname/reputation as the 'titty master', with the man once known as Dean Ambrose taking the opportunity to, once and for all, reveal the true origins of the character.
It's quite the tale.
"Here's the thing you have to understand. One does not simply wake up in the morning and put on the Titty Master. One does not come home at night and take it off. This is a life you live when you are bequeathed with the energy of the Titty Master, I mean it all started, I wake up in a cold sweat, cold sweat at a nightmare.
I was given a message. Now through the ether, I knew where I needed to go. Somehow I knew, the universe put me on this path and I said on a journey to mount Titicaca and then climb to the top of this mountain, lightning crashing wind, dust in my face, hot ash flying.
I see the titty elders at the top of the mountain standing around a tree and they all raise their hands in the air and then lightning strikes and it hits this big oak tree. Think it was an oak may have been a Ficus but not like one of the little Ficus trees that are in offices. It is like one of the super Ficus. Whatever kind of tree it was as a matter.
Then out of this, this lightning strike. I see red glowing, two pieces of wood. I'm called to them. I feel a pull on the elders look at me and I look at them and I'd look at the wood and I see it come into view and see and it's just a pair of nun-chucks inscribed into the wood with the lightning, a 'T' and inscribed wood burning fire and lightning an 'M' and the elders they put their heads up and they walk away and they leave me alone on top of the mountain with these.
I realised at that moment that I am the 'Titty Master".
WWE creative wish they could come up with a tale half as compelling as that.
5. Kurt Angle Likes To Suck
WWE Network
The Kurt Angle Show podcast continues to be a great listen, as the Olympic hero has tremendous recall and will often drop interesting backstage info into his stories and anecdotes.
While discussing ECW One Night Stand 2006 during a recent episode, Angle revealed that it was Vince McMahon's decision to edit his iconic entrance music in order to dissuade fans from chanting 'You Suck' at the beginning, something they had been doing since Edge encouraged it as part of their 2002 feud.
Though it was done in order to help Kurt, he wasn't a fan of the remixed theme, saying:
"I actually never wanted WWE to take the 'You suck' chants out of my 'You Suck' song.
I loved them, as a babyface and as a heel. It was Vince McMahon that didn't like it. He didn't want fans chanting 'You suck' when I was a babyface, when I was the wrestling machine.
Vince wanted to deter them from doing it, so he decided to take the 'You suck' chants out of my song. I loved them. I always liked it. I never had a problem with it, whether I was a heel or a baby. I knew when I was a heel, it was disrespectful, and as a baby, it was out of respect. It was something that the fans related to me, and it stuck for the rest of my career".
Only in wrestling could thousands of people chanting 'You Suck' at you be considered a sign of respect.
4. The End Of Marty's Party?
WWE.com
It wasn't too terribly long ago that Marty Jannetty was claiming to have made an apparent sexual predator 'disappear' some decades ago.
He then came out and said that the statement was, in fact, part of some sort of bizarre build to a match he had planned, but really it was par the course for the unpredictable Rocker.
The notorious partier took to his Facebook page to provide an update on his life and career, revealing that he has finally had his knackered ankle fixed and is looking to turn over a new leaf.
"I would like to thank the people at WWE for the positives on me lately. It will certainly help me clean up the mess I've made for the past 15 years trying to self medicate for pain and at times deep dark depression that I didn't tell even my brother about..but ankles are fixed..and the old MJ no longer exists..now older, much wiser and more determined than ever, you may not believe this NEW MJ is the same person as the last one.
Definitely miss being in the ring (and when the new ankles heal, who knows), but teaching and training the new kids is just as good to me…as is getting paid just to talk lately, (since the Shawn Michaels Biography) lol..keep the podcast offers coming, I enjoy doing them".
3. My Father The Booker
WWE.com
One of the strongly rumoured matches for this years SummerSlam would see Roman Reigns face (and presumably defend the Universal Title) against a returning John Cena.
The Face That Runs (or at least ran) the Place versus the Big Dog is a fitting headliner for the Biggest Party of the Summer, with many speculating that such a contest would be a true 'torch passing' moment in WWE history.
John Cena's father, John Cena Sr, is not among those holding that sentiment.
Speaking with Boston Wrestling MWF's Dan Mirade, Big Dad John had the following to say about the mooted match:
"I just don't think that's gonna happen.
What good is putting Cena up against Reigns? First of all, you gotta hear me out: there is no passing of the torch. That's a lot of bullsh*t. I'm sorry to say it is. It used to be a passing of the torch. Now it's a lot of bullsh*t.
My whole thing is, if you put Cena with Reigns, let's say Cena does the job, and justly so… Reigns, is it gonna make him any better or any worse? No, because there's gonna be boo and boo. Who do you really want to win?
I would rather see Reigns face somebody else and bring Cena back, and bring Cena back as a heel".
I mean, when even your own old man is saying it's time to turn heel....
2. The Case For Cesaro
WWE.com
Mick Foley will be the guest on the Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions on the WWE Network this Sunday.
As a means of promoting it, WWE posted a clip to their social media channels of the Texas Rattlesnake and Hardcore Legend playing a game of word association with the names of current WWE stars like Bray Wyatt, Sami Zayn and Rhea Ripley.
At the end of the segment, the WWE Hall of Famer was for this thoughts on Cesaro and took the opportunity to look directly to camera and plead with Vince McMahon, saying:
"Vince, please. PLEASE. You [Austin] started in '88? '89? Sixty years of experience, we know a little something. We both proved Vince wrong, right? He had us at this level, and I'd say we exceeded that level. Trust us and give him the chance. Let him prove - I'll get down on my knees and beg - Vince, please. All we are saying is give Cesaro a chance. I just believe in that guy wholeheartedly. Give him a chance".
Maybe WWE and Vince should listen to Foley. He has long been something of an advocate for talent that didn't fit the 'WWE mould' but would go on to become big stars, famously pitching both CM Punk and Samoa Joe to the company way back in 2004.
1. Silencing The Hitman
WWE.com
Bret Hart's Confessions of a Hitman web series was a treat, as it gave the Excellence of Execution free reign to talk about his career over the course of 35 different episodes.
Unfiltered Bret is a great thing, because he is typically very honest and usually unafraid to speak his mind, even when it comes to controversial topics.
Unfortunately, it looks like Confessions is on the back burner for now, specifically because of Bret's knack for saying whatever he likes.
Last week, Dave Meltzer (who has recently spoken with Hart) said on Wrestling Observer Radio that he is stopping the series and reducing the number of interviews and podcast appearances he does so as to not upset WWE brass.
According to Meltzer, the Hitman doesn't want to rock the boat and have Natalya take the heat for it, especially as she is currently doing very well as one half of the Women's Tag Team Champions.
Of course, Bret frequently changes his mind on matters such as this, so there's every chance that he challenges Vince McMahon to a bare knuckle brawl by this time next week.
