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Dan Severn recently opened up about some of the challenges in transitioning from MMA to pro wrestling and vice-versa and detailed the toll that each respective industry took on him.
The UFC Hall of Famer was one of the first champions to transition from MMA to pro wrestling and achieve success as he joined WWE during the height of their popularity in the 1990s. During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA's Ujwal Jain, 'The Beast' detailed some of the challenges in making the transition, especially for current stars looking to do so. He said:
"There are time when you are going to get hit for real. Whether that was by mistake or someone gets angry in a match for real or what they call giving a receipt...Also people's egos will get in the way there as well, 'Oh, so you're supposed to win this match? Well, you're gonna win but you're going to pay a price from now until another ten minutes from now when you're supposed to be going over'." [6:48 - 7:21]
Severn continued by mentioning that he got banged up more in pro wrestling than MMA, which is surprising for many because one is predetermined entertainment, while the other is an actual fight. He added:
"I always tell people I've been hurt far worse in my professional wrestling career than I have been in all of my cage fights combined and when you think about that, that's wrong. It shouldn't be that way." [7:24 - 7:34]
Severn continued to compete in MMA during his WWE tenure and remained successful, which is impressive considering the grueling schedule of being a pro wrestler.
Check out the full interview below:
What was Dan Severn's MMA record?
Dan Severn was one of the most successful MMA fighters in history, which was remarkable as he was 36 years old when he made his debut at UFC 4.
'The Beast' competed in a staggering 127 bouts throughout his legendary career and retired with a 101-19-7 MMA record. He entered the sport after being a decorated amateur wrestler who won a number of national championships, the 1985 Canada Cup, and served as a team alternate at three consecutive Summer Olympics.
Severn used his wrestling to his advantage in MMA as he won two UFC tournaments as well as the UFC Superfight championship.
Check out Dan Severn's UFC 5 tournament win over Dave Beneteau below:
