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MMA and Pro-wrestling fans are always at loggerheads. MMA fanatics never miss the opportunity to bash the apparent ‘fakeness’ of the glitzy world of pro wrestling.
However, fans who follow both the brutal sport and the avenue of sports entertainment would agree that either of them follows the same fundamental principle and that is to sell fights.
The UFC and WWE – the top dogs in their respective promotional spheres –primarily follow a similar business model. Building up and marketing fights in order to lure the consumer into buying PPVs – it’s pretty much the same.
Remember Chael Sonnen’s pro wrestling styled promos? We all are familiar with Conor McGregor’s impudent style of advertising his fights, right?
UFC has always taken a page out of the WWE’s handbook when it came to merchandising their product and many a time, UFC fighters crossed over to the other side to give pro wrestling a shot.
While some tasted success and heightened mainstream fame, others just dabbled around in the indie circuit and gave up on the orchestrated form of grappling for good.
Note: For this list, the top 5 includes only those names that went from UFC to the WWE and not any other wrestling promotion. Before we move on with the list though, for your reference, here’s a list of all UFC fighters who wrestled for smaller promotions during their career:
Kevin Randleman
Stephan Bonnar
Mark Coleman
Tom Lawlor
Phil Baroni
Don Frye
Bas Rutten
Tito Ortiz
Josh Barnett
Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson
Tank Abbott
Mirko Crop Cop
Frank Trigg
#5 Dan Severn
Known as the first man to compete for both UFC and WWE, Dan 'The Beast' Severn was a one-of-a-kind athlete during his heyday.
Even though Severn’s pro wrestling career began before his excursion in MMA in 1992, he gained recognition for being a part of the initial UFC Tournaments.
The former UFC Superfight Champion won the UFC 5 Tournament and subsequently the Superfight title from Ken Shamrock at UFC 6.
Severn created history in 1995 when he won the UFC title as well as the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) World Heavyweight Championship, becoming the first and only man to win both MMA and pro wrestling titles at the same time.
While an appearance for WWE in 1997 served as the groundwork for his inevitable debut in 1998, Severn continued to focus on his MMA career before giving WWE a fair shot.
Flanked by the loudmouthed Jim Cornette and all of his titles, The Beast was booked as a heel and had notable feuds against Ken Shamrock, Owen Hart, Steve Blackman and D’Lo Brown.
Creative differences led to his exit from WWE in 1999 after he was asked to tattoo ‘666’ on his forehead. Severn was pitched the idea of joining Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness stable along with the devil's number on his head, however, he shot down the idea and left the promotion.
He resumed his MMA career and as of this writing is a ‘semi-retired’ at the age of 64 with an overall MMA record of 101-19-1. We told you, one-of-a-kind!
He may not have been as big as originally intended in the WWE, but the UFC Hall of Famer was unlike any other athlete in his prime.
Moving on, the next man on this list was one of his biggest rivals in the UFC as well as WWE…
#4 Ken Shamrock
Formerly ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’, Shamrock is a UFC original and a pioneer who paved the way for the MMA’s hulking rise in the United States.
The UFC Hall of Famer was the go-to guy during the early years of the promotion. His battles against Royce Gracie, Dan Severn, and Oleg Taktarov cemented his name as one of the most influential names in UFC history and it wasn’t a surprise that Vince McMahon and co. came knocking as Shamrock’s kept growing.
He had already tried out pro wrestling before he began practicing MMA but took to pro wrestling seriously after he attained success in MMA.
Shamrock debuted for WWE in 1997 and stayed with the company until the latter half of 1999, winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship and World Tag Team Championship once, and the 1998 King of the Ring Tournament.
Before Kurt Ankle made the Ankle Lock iconic, Shamrock popularized it in a wrestling ring and during his stay in the WWE, was mostly featured as a solid upper mid-card star. He has a win over The Rock, for god’s sake!
Shamrock’s career though hasn’t aged well as his attempts at returning to UFC and WWE have both ended in highly publicised failures.
The WWE doesn't want him back while Dana White would rather pay him to not compete inside the Octagon and there is a good reason behind the same. He has lost nine of his eleven MMA fights since 2005 and is certainly miles away from being a ‘dangerous man’ he was once billed to be.
#3 Matt Riddle
The latest MMA fighter to have jumped ships to the WWE is one heck of an athlete. Winner of the Middleweight division in Ultimate Fighter 7, Riddle’s UFC career got off to a smooth start as he notched up four wins in five fights. He first tested positive for marijuana after his win against Chris Clements at UFC 149.
A second strike for marijuana marked the end of his UFC career and Riddle retired from MMA altogether after fighting once more.
He made his pro wrestling debut in 2015 and rose to become one of the most sought-after names on the independent circuit, having won more than eight titles in different promotions.
He was voted the Most Improved Wrestler of 2016 by the Wrestling Observer and his head-turning exploits naturally kickstarted rumors of an impending move to WWE.
However, the tag of being a ‘pothead’ hindered the signing from happening until he made his first WWE appearance in August 2018 at Takeover: Brooklyn IV. Riddle is currently building up his resume down at NXT and has a promising future ahead of him.
His tenacity and highly rugged in-ring style have made him a fan favorite and it would be interesting to see whether his success in the lower leagues translates to a memorable main roster run in the near future.
#2 Shayna Baszler
One of the four Horsewomen of MMA, Shayna Baszler is the only woman in WWE history to win the NXT Women’s title twice. That itself says a lot about how the WWE management views the former UFC star in the larger scheme of things.
Despite having two fights in the UFC which both ended in losses against Beth Correia and Amanda Nunes respectively, Baszler had a respectable MMA stint as she came to be known as a submission specialist with an overall record of 15 wins and 11 defeats. She lost four of her last five MMA fights before beginning training to become a pro wrestler.
She honed her craft in the indie scene, working for promotions such as World Wonder Ring Stardom, DDT Pro Wrestling, and Absolute Intense Wrestling; before reaching the finals of the first-ever Mae Young Classic Tournament.
The Queen of Spades lost to Kari Sane in the finals but was signed up to a developmental contract and has since been the anchor of the NXT Women’s Division.
Expect Baszler to join Ronda Rousey on the main roster soon enough for the rumored WWE Horsewomen vs. MMA Horsewomen feud. Talking about her good friend…
#1 Ronda Rousey
Does she even need an introduction? For all the skepticism that surrounded Rousey’s pro wrestling debut, the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion is doing just fine in the equally grueling world of pro wrestling.
The most dominant female champion in UFC history lost a large chunk of her MMA fans due to her final two losses and the ensuing move to WWE, which was perceived of being a cowardly act.
However, it’s inarguable to consider Rousey’s contributions as one of the reasons why women are given an equal playing field in the UFC.
Her mainstream appeal is second to none and the former Raw Women’s Champion has only helped increase the business of the WWE.
To make things better, she looks like a better pro wrestler than a mixed martial artist. Rousey may never return to the Octagon the way things are going and we’re sure the MMA and WWE faithful would have no problem with that.
Have we missed out on any names? Feel free to mention them in the comments section below...
