5 Martial Artists who Would Have Been Great in WWE -- and 5 that were

When Vince McMahon took over the WWE, he consolidated various provinces and wrestling setups across the country and also expanded the tentacles of the WWE across industries that ranged from the NFL, Hollywood and other combat sports.

Since Pro Wrestling is an entertainment form which evolved from a combat sport, it should be no surprise that there are many parallels between the world of martial arts and sports entertainment.

It takes years of study and practice to master martial arts. The same could easily be said about Pro Wrestling. Then there's the fact that in martial arts coordinating your movements with another person is essential to put on the best shows, movies, and demonstrations.

That also sounds like pro wrestling. Finally, many of the most famous martial artists in the world were possessed of a great deal of charisma.

Here are five great martial artists who would have been great in the WWE, and five martial artists who were (or are) great in WWE.

#1 Would have been Great: Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean Claude Van Damme on the set of the Street Fighter film.

Jean Claude Van Damme has been called the Muscles from Brussels, and with good reason. During his prime in the late 1980s/early 1990s, Van Damme's physique was the envy of many.

Trained in both Ballet and Karate from an early age, Van Damme used his natural athleticism to combine the two talents into a cohesive whole. When he was first attempting to promote his first film, 1988's Bloodsport, Jean Claude Van Damme actually walked the blacktop and handed out flyers since the studio wasn't spending much on the advertisement.

Bloodsport was critically panned and didn't set the box office on fire, but received a second life as a cult classic among martial arts enthusiasts on VHS and home movie channels like HBO.

Van Damme went on to star in dozens of films, many of them financial success stories. Given his superstar presence, good looks, chiseled physique, and athleticism, Van Damme would have been a fantastic WWE superstar who may even have reached the world title picture.

Van Damme is of no relation to Rob Van Dam, although the latter was inspired by Jean Claude's success. It is also a matter of pure coincidence that they resemble each other from certain angles.

#1 Was great: Steve Blackman

Steve Blackman was a competitive bodybuilder and weight lifter who received his first try out with the WWE in 1988. Though Blackman was not a martial artist yet, his athleticism and build impressed WWE and they offered him a contract.

However, fate intervened, and Blackman would contract malaria in South Africa. Blackman nearly died and took two years to recover from the virus.

After his recovery, Blackman studied Tae Kwan Do and the art of Escrima. He did this to make up for the fact that he could no longer put on the kind of mass he once had before contracting malaria.

Blackman would be a mid-card mainstay of WWE's Attitude Era. His commitment to fitness and training gave him arguably the best body in WWE during this time as well. Blackman is mainly famous for his Hardcore Title reign but spent some time in the tag team division as well with partner Al Snow.

He is one of WWE's toughest superstars who currently plies his trade as a bail bondsman.

#2 Would have been great: Chuck Norris

Chuck Norris started his martial arts journey while serving with the US Air force. Once out of the service, he began to compete in martial arts tournaments around the world.

Norris lost most of his early tournaments, but then he wound up holding the world middleweight karate championship for six years, during which time he was undefeated.

Norris would strike up a friendship with fellow martial artist Bruce Lee. Bruce Lee even gave Chuck Norris his first shot at stardom when he cast the American as the villain in the film Return of the Dragon.

From there, Norris became a movie star in his own right, making dozens of films and ruling the box office for most of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

We believe that Norris' superstar charisma would have made him a good WWE superstar, even if his physique isn't as chiselled as some of his fellow film martial arts stars. Norris is most known today for his presence in hundreds of internet memes, most of them centered around how ludicrously tough he is.

Norris was a special enforcer in the casket match between The Undertaker and Yokozuna back in the day.

#2 Was Great: Bad News Brown

With his streetwise mentality, loud-mouthed boisterous attitude, and propensity for calling his Enziguri finisher the "Ghetto Blaster," you might think Bad News Brown was the furthest thing from a martial artist you could find.

But on that point, you would be wrong. Unlike Steve Blackman, Bad News Brown didn't use his martial arts background as part of his gimmick.

But Allen Coage, the man behind the gimmick, studied Judo intensively from an early age. In fact, he is a former Olympic bronze medalist in the sport.

Bad News Brown was a mid-card heel during WWE's Classic Era. His gift of gab enabled him to work a program with none other than Hulk Hogan, whom he faced on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event.

Bad News Brown is an example of a martial artist whose charisma superseded his status as a combat sports enthusiast. WWE didn't play up his Judo background because they didn't need to.

Despite having a good skillset, Brown did not win a single title with the WWE.

#3 Would have been great: Tito Ortiz

When the Ultimate Fighting Championship transitioned from having no rounds, no rules, and no weight classes to a more 'legitimate' combat sport, they lost many of their top stars. Men like Royce Gracie didn't want to compete if he was going to be limited by the new rules.

Fortunately for UFC, they managed to find and create new stars, like Randy Couture, Chuck Lidell, and the subject of our slide, Tito Ortiz.

The Huntington Beach Bad Boy infuriated fans and other fighters alike with his cocky attitude, but he had more than enough skill to back up his boastful words, just like Ken Shamrock, who has lost to Tito Ortiz on multiple occasions.

Ortiz was a great MMA fighter, but given his ability to work a crowd, he also could have been a great WWE Superstar. Ortiz could have been a hated heel, and his legit martial arts background would have lent him an aura of credibility.

Ortiz is a 2012 UFC Hall of Famer in his own right.

#3 Was Great: Rowdy Roddy Piper

Roderick George Toombs, better known as Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Rowdy Roddy Piper had a tough upbringing in his native Canada. Of Scottish descent, he learned to play the bagpipes, which would eventually help him greatly in his wrestling career.

In his youth, he trained in amateur wrestling and boxing. He also joined the Canadian military. Piper would win the coveted Golden Gloves designation. He was trained in the art of Kodokan Judo by the legendary "Judo" Gene LeBell.

Once out of the army, he began training for the wrestling ring. Piper was initially a babyface, but once promoters found out about his Scottish heritage and ability to play the bagpipes, he became a hated foreign heel.

Piper nearly caused a riot when wrestling in Mexico City. He told fans he would play the Mexican national anthem on his bagpipes but played La Cucaracha instead.

Piper was a fixture of the Rock n' Wrestling connection, main evented the first WrestleMania, and held numerous titles during his wrestling career. He also starred in over thirty films, including the cult classic They Live.

Piper rarely used his Judo training during his wrestling career, but often did so for his movie roles, where he performed many of his own stunts.

#4 Would have been great: Jackie Chan

Everyone knows how tough Bruce Lee was, but not many realize that, while the Dragon did many of his own stunts, there were some things that were just too risky for him to perform.

Cue Jackie Chan, who began his career as Bruce Lee's stunt double. After Lee's death, Jackie Chan became a star in his own right. Instead of trying to be a tough guy like Lee, Chan relied on his naturally sunny disposition and sense of humor to create sympathetic characters the audience loved to cheer on.

Jackie Chan was famous during most of his career for performing all of his own stunts, including dangerous ones that landed him in the hospital. The star used to joke that no insurance company in the world would touch him.

Chan's agility, martial arts prowess, and speed would have made him a great WWE Superstar by themselves. But add in his magnetic personality and ability to play slapstick, and he could have been one of the most entertaining forces in 'sports entertainment' history.

#4 Was Great: Ken Shamrock

Ken Shamrock was one of the UFC's earliest stars. The mixed martial arts legend had a memorable rivalry with Dan Severn that actually transcended the UFC.

In 1996, Shamrock struggled to make ends meet as the UFC was not the financial titan it is today. He signed with WWE primarily for the money, but after spending time being trained by Bret Hart in the infamous dungeon wound up being one of the best in-ring performers of the Attitude Era.

Shamrock didn't limit himself to a traditional martial arts offense. He was perfectly willing to snap off a Hurricanrana cradle or victory roll, which he did with explosive speed. While Shamrock would never be World Champion, he left an indelible mark on WWE history and fans often think he was underutilized during the Attitude Era. After his pro wrestling career ended, Shamrock returned to the world of MMA.

He was a large part of WWE's Attitude Era setup but his skills were underutilized as he mostly feuded with midcarders like Val Venis and Goldust amongst others.

#5 Would have been great: Bruce Lee

Lee Jun-fan, known by his stage name Bruce Lee, was perhaps single-handedly responsible for making martial arts culture popular in the west.

Lee pitched and auditioned for a television series featuring a Shaolin Monk wandering the Old West, but racism in Hollywood led to a white man, David Carradine, getting the lead role. Undaunted, Bruce Lee made films in his native Hong Kong until he gained international stardom with 'Enter The Dragon'. Sadly, Lee would pass on before he saw himself rise to the status of a true icon.

Bruce Lee obviously had the chiseled physique and athletic ability to be a WWE Superstar. However, he also had charisma and the ability to speak articulate, if accented, English. His intensity and personality would have made him a top tier performer in WWE had he decided to go in that direction with his career.

He could have also had special match stipulations and match setups that would help showcase the martial arts world to the WWE.

#5 Was Great: Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey was always a sports enthusiast from an early age. She began training Judo and excelled at the sport, eventually landing a place on the US Olympic team.

Ronda Rousey wound up winning the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She used her Olympics fame as a springboard to enter the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Rousey was one of the first female fighters to be signed and promoted by the UFC, the world's largest MMA organization.

Rousey wound up reigning as the Champion, but she had always been a life-long wrestling fan. She transitioned from Mixed Martial Arts to Pro Wrestling, making her debut match at Wrestlemania 34, defeating Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

Rousey reigned for a long time as the Raw women's champion and was part of the first-ever all-women main event for Wrestlemania 35.

Rousey leaned heavily on her martial arts background during her WWE career, proving that she had the charisma and panache as well to back up her athletics.

There you have it: Five martial artists who would have been great in WWE, and five martial artists who were/are great superstars. Questions or comments? Please leave them after the article and as always thanks for reading!

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Edited by Anirban