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The announcement that WWE and the UFC were to merge under the same company – TKO Holdings – was one of the most stunning pieces of news in 2023.
Last week saw UFC star Michael Chandler appear on WWE programming in what could be the first of many crossover moments. However, there have already been a number of such examples in the years prior to 2023’s merger.
Over the years, WWE has borrowed from the UFC on numerous occasions, often to great – and subtle – effect.
With that in mind, here are five examples of WWE borrowing directly from the UFC.
#5. Daniel Bryan borrows from UFC star Diego Sanchez and goes to Wrestlemania (2014)
Former WWE champion Daniel Bryan always had somewhat of an MMA-based character, with his ringwork based primarily around strikes and submission holds.
In 2012, he even borrowed the finish from the infamous second bout between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen during a match with future UFC fighter CM Punk, re-enacting it literally weeks after the fight had taken place.
Nobody could’ve expected quite what would happen when he borrowed from former lightweight title challenger Diego Sanchez, though.
‘The Nightmare’ had become renowned for his wild chants of “YES!” during his ringwalks, and Bryan was evidently taken in by it too.
He began to shout “YES!” in the same fashion as Sanchez following a victory on WWE television in late 2011, and it didn’t take long before the chants caught on with the fans.
By mid-2013, Bryan had become WWE’s most popular star, with the “YES!” chants filling arenas across the world.
His popularity even meant that in early 2014, WWE changed their plans for Wrestlemania 30, which ended with Bryan winning the undisputed title – something that, unfortunately, Sanchez was never able to achieve in the octagon.
#4. Becky Lynch borrows from Conor McGregor (2021)
Conor McGregor is the biggest star in UFC history as well as the promotion’s highest-drawing fighter, and so it was hardly surprising when a WWE superstar finally decided to borrow from his act.
However, what did come as a slight surprise was that it was one of WWE’s female stars, Becky Lynch, who attempted to ape ‘The Notorious’ by transforming herself into ‘Big Time Becks’.
Lynch, who, like McGregor, hails from Ireland, had been on an extended leave of absence from WWE rings following her pregnancy in 2020.
When she returned in the summer of 2021, she did so with a new attitude and nickname. Now sporting outlandish outfits that regularly included fur coats and huge shades, just like McGregor, Lynch became a villainous, braggadocios figure.
At points, she even borrowed directly from ‘The Notorious’, recreating one of his most famous moments on the microphone when she declared she’d like to “say sorry....for absolutely nothing”.
While the new character didn’t always go down well with everyone, it was definitely a fascinating reinvention for the Irish star, and only ended when she suffered an injury in the summer of 2022.
Where Lynch could’ve gone with the character remains a question mark, but it definitely showed that McGregor’s style could work as well in pro-wrestling as it did in MMA.
#3. Vladimir Kozlov becomes WWE’s answer to Fedor Emelianenko (2008)
The greatest fighter to never set foot in the UFC’s octagon is definitely Fedor Emelianenko. The former PRIDE heavyweight champion was widely recognized as the best fighter on the planet in his heyday, and it was a constant source of frustration to fans that Dana White and company could never cut a deal to bring him in.
2008 was arguably the peak of ‘The Last Emperor’, as he surged to fame in the US thanks to a pair of headline bouts for the upstart Affliction promotion.
While the promotion didn’t really take off how some would’ve hoped, it did turn Fedor into a mainstream star. Therefore, it was no surprise when WWE suddenly introduced their own version of the Russian in the form of Vladimir Kozlov.
Like Fedor, Kozlov was presented as a stoic character that came from a sambo and martial arts background, and like the former PRIDE champ, he was booked to dominate his foes inside the ring.
Unfortunately, that was where the comparisons ended. Where Fedor became popular with the fans thanks to his dominance and stoicism, the Kozlov character lacked the aura of ‘The Last Emperor’.
Even big wins over stars like The Undertaker couldn’t really cement him as a drawing card, and by 2010, the Ukrainian had been relegated into a comedic duo with Santino Marella – coincidentally, at around the same time that Fedor began to slip from his peak, too.
#2. The Undertaker and Kurt Angle borrow the finish of a UFC title bout (2002)
Just over two decades ago, the UFC was not the mainstream juggernaut it is today, and MMA as a sport, in general, was about as niche as it could get.
Evidently, though, at least a handful of people inside WWE at the time were big UFC fans, and so when a 2002 bout between The Undertaker and Kurt Angle ended in controversy, viewers of the octagon instantly recognized the finish.
A year prior, the welterweight title fight between champ Carlos Newton and challenger Matt Hughes had ended in wild fashion when Newton sunk in a deep triangle choke.
Rather than wriggle his way free, Hughes lifted Newton into the air, and when the blood was cut off to his brain, he fell crashing to the ground, dropping his opponent onto his head in the process.
Both men were left unconscious for a split-second, but Hughes came around first – and was promptly declared the new champion.
It was probably the craziest finish in octagon history to that point, and so when Angle went toe-to-toe with ‘The Dead Man’, they decided to borrow it.
When the Undertaker lifted Angle into the air for his trademark powerbomb finish, the 1996 Olympic gold medallist countered with a triangle choke. Seconds later, the Undertaker dropped him to the ground and apparently pinned him – while tapping out at the same time.
Just as in the Newton vs. Hughes fight, chaos then ensued before the Undertaker was declared the winner on a technicality – and just like in the UFC, a rematch was booked shortly afterwards.
The finish remains fondly remembered by WWE fans to this day, even if many of them probably have no idea where the concept was borrowed from.
#1. Ken Shamrock introduces the concept of ‘tapping out’ to WWE (1997)
Probably the most important thing that WWE has borrowed from the UFC over the years is the concept of “tapping out” to a submission hold, signaling the end of a bout.
Of course, WWE and pro-wrestling as a whole has always used submission moves, with the stars of the 1980s and 1990s utilizing famous ones like the sleeper hold and the sharpshooter in legendary fashion.
However, back then, a match in the squared circle could end via submission only if one of the competitors verbally quit.
In fact, it was actually common for a wrestler to tap the mat not to signal that they were giving up, but to build them instead some adrenaline to fight out of the hold.
That changed when WWE signed UFC star Ken Shamrock to a contract in early 1997. ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ had shot to fame in the octagon, and when he arrived in WWE, he promised to make his foes “tap out” to his dreaded ankle lock submission hold.
The concept of tapping out caught on rapidly, and as time went on, the majority of top WWE stars began to use various submission holds of their own, some – like the Undertaker’s version of a gogoplata – taken straight from the octagon.
Were it not for the rise of the UFC and MMA, the idea of tapping out in the wrestling ring may never have become commonplace, making it by far the most important thing borrowed by WWE over the years.
