When it comes to professional wrestling, not everyone is going to gravitate to it with ease. Some superstars take years to finally hit their peak in the business while for others, it could come as naturally as picking up a glass of water.
It's perceived as being easy by some but the educated folk among us will know that that isn’t the case, however, there are a few athletes out there that should consider making the transition over to the squared circle.
One of those athletes is Stefan Struve. The UFC heavyweight fighter has been with the company for over eight years now, and during that time, he's certainly had some headline moments along with times that ended with him staring up at the lights. Regardless of that, though, nobody can deny that he’s been a hot commodity for the MMA promotion.
While professional wrestling isn’t exactly something that would have been on his mind from his youth, it’s something he should seriously consider over the next few years as a substitute for his mixed martial arts career.
It’s out there, it's different and some may even say it’s crazy – but before you slam it as a ridiculous idea we should be looking at the positives.
So with that in mind, let's take a look at five reasons Stefan Struve should try out professional wrestling.
#1 Market
If there is a market anywhere in the world for tall guys, then it's the WWE and/or professional wrestling in general. For years, the company has built up larger than life superstars and Struve fits the bill perfectly. With the company focusing more on the smaller guys in the last few years, Struve could provide a refreshing change.
There are certainly still plenty of superstars that fit into Struve’s category like Big Cass and Braun Strowman, but Struve is unique in his own right. His seven-foot frame combined with his lanky nature make him different, and in sports entertainment, that’s always a good thing.
Just think about how the guy could thrive on SmackDown Live.
We'll move on to a topic that could be quite vital.
#2 Age
At the age of just 28, Stefan Struve still has a long career ahead of him in whichever sport he desires. Whether it is the MMA, wrestling or even basketball, Struve is in his prime and has time to decide what he wants to do.
If he heads into professional wrestling, he has the potential to maintain a career that may last as many as 15 years which is something you can't say for the MMA.
On the other hand, if he wanted to try out wrestling for a few years, he could always return to the UFC before it’s too late. If you need any proof of this working out in the past, just look at Brock Lesnar who has gone back and forth between the WWE and the UFC several times over the course of his career.
Onto what may be considered a delicate topic for Skyscraper.
#3 UFC career
Struve has had some pretty impressive victories throughout his time in the UFC, with one of the biggest being his TKO triumph over the now-Heavyweight champion of the world Stipe Miocic. However, it should be noted that any time he gets his hopes up, things come crashing back down to reality, with a loss that derails any hope of an extended winning streak.
Examples of this can be found in his losses to the likes of Travis Browne, Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem and Jared Rosholt. It raises questions about whether or not he is capable of playing with the big boys, so to speak, and with two back-to-back wins in his last two fights, it may be smarter for Struve to walk away knowing that he was atleast able to go out on a strong note.
We move onto a slightly more personal matter.
#4 Feuds
If Struve were to insert himself into the picture in the WWE, there would be a multitude of feuds on offer for him. You could have him go up against Big Cass, Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Kane and even Big Show when it comes to big guy rivalries.
Obviously, he could expand into facing other members of the roster, but in a general sense, those are the real money making matches that WWE would prefer to promote.
It may seem a bit freak show-ish to assume that's all the company would be interested in, but you only have to look at Vince McMahon's track record of putting Big Show in celebrity bouts against the likes of Akebono, Floyd Mayweather and Shaq, to know that it’s all been about size.
For Struve, however, he could simply use it as a stepping stone to go onto bigger and better things.
To conclude, we look at one of the most important points of all.
#5 Mainstream star power
People like Big Show and Andre The Giant have received a great deal of mainstream exposure over the years and there's good reason for that - they're both extremely talented superstars. However, their size did play a big factor and with Struve, you could market him in the same way.
The guy has some un-tapped potential when it comes to charisma and he knows how to work a crowd.
In the UFC he's never really going to experience that kind of range in the media and whilst some people may not see that as being very important, it can help someone's career reach that next level when it comes to success.
If Struve doesn't want people to focus on the fact that his nickname is the Skyscraper too much, then the solution is to help him branch out.
