With MMA’s rise in popularity these last few years, there have been plenty of people all over the world who have taken a keen interest in the events that unfold in the Octagon. MMA fighters are experiencing popularity like never before and fighters such as Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey have become household names.
This new level of mainstream popularity also brings with it the inevitable comparison to professional wrestling – the so-called fake cousin – to mixed martial arts. WWE Superstars and UFC fighters constantly trade barbs and generally try to one-up each other as the war between fake and real wages on.
But, standing apart from the grumbling herd, there are people from both sides who have tremendous mutual respect for each other and the hard work that goes into becoming successful in both MMA and professional wrestling.
With that in mind, here are five MMA stars who are huge wrestling marks:
#5 Roy Nelson
Roy Nelson is a well-known veteran of the MMA world and has a respectable record of 22-13. What might not be as well-known, though, is that he is also a pretty big fan of pro wrestling. Prior to UFC 200, he stated that he would like to face WWE and MMA goliath, Brock Lesnar, in the Beast Incarnate’s next fight after Mark Hunt.
While that in itself isn’t very surprising – a lot of fighters want a piece of Lesnar – he also went on to reveal that there is mutual interest between both him and the WWE to work out a deal to bring him to the squared circle.
“Big Country” in the WWE would certainly be a sight to see, but it is doubtful that the UFC will allow anyone other than the likes of Conor McGregor to make an appearance in Vince’s house.
#4 Frank Shamrock
From somebody who wants to be in the WWE to someone who has kind of already been there: Frank Shamrock, brother of WWE wrestler and UFC fighter, Ken Shamrock.
“The Legend” is one of the most accomplished MMA fighters in history as a UFC Middleweight (now Light-Heavyweight) Champion, who was the pound-for-pound No. 1 during his run with the UFC. He was also very good friends with one Mr Mickey Rourke.
Following Rourke’s immense success with the movie “The Wrestler”, he was to meet with the WWE about a possible appearance – which finally happened in his feud with Chris Jericho – and he brought along Shamrock to have his back. Jericho revealed in his autobiography that Vince McMahon even joked that he could take on Shamrock.
#3 Tom Lawlor
Tom Lawlor is your run-of-the-mill UFC Light Heavyweight with a professional record of 10-6-1. An average performer inside the Octagon, though he may be, “Filthy” has an interest in wrestling that is most definitely above average.
Lawlor worked as a professional wrestler on the indy scene in Florida and even had a professional tryout with the WWE way back before his MMA debut. While things didn’t work out back then, it was in 2014 that he was given a crack with a high-profile promotion – Ring of Honor.
ROH made Lawlor the manager of reDRagon and he made his debut in the same role against one of the hottest tag teams in the world today – The Young Bucks. While there were talks of a permanent deal with ROH, it never materialised and Lawlor returned to MMA.
#2 Daniel Cormier
If Tom Lawlor is your archetypal average MMA fighter, then Daniel Cormier is your archetypal MMA Superstar. DC is one of the biggest names in the UFC today with an incredible record of 18-1. The one loss? To the legendary Jon Jones. He is the current Light Heavyweight Champion as well as #3 on the Pound-for-Pound rankings. He is the man.
DC is also a hardcore fan of professional wrestling. With a vested interest in the product from a young age, Cormier religiously follows the WWE and everything to do with the product. He regularly takes to Twitter to let the world know what his thoughts on the current state of professional wrestling are.
Perhaps the thing that really set Cormier apart from the rest is his willingness to defend professional wrestling to the MMA community. He is always quick to point out that difficulties that wrestlers face and the skill it takes to become a top wrestler in a company like the WWE.
For lack of a better term, Daniel Cormier is a wrestling mark. Seriously, just look at this video:
#1 Brock Lesnar
Come on, you knew it was gonna be him. There is no bigger name to cross between the WWE and the UFC than Brock Lesnar. While his UFC record isn’t the most impressive thing in the world, and his recent victory over Mark Hunt was overturned to a No-Contest for a doping violation, one cannot ignore the fact that Lesnar is a former UFC Heavyweight champion.
He is also, of course, one of the biggest names in the world of professional wrestling. The man who broke the streak. The one guy who just couldn’t be stopped. Well, till one Mr Bill Goldberg came along at least. But, we’ll leave that for another day.
For now, let me just reiterate – There is no bigger name to cross between the WWE and the UFC than Brock Lesnar.
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One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
