MMA Is Stealing Talent From Pro Wrestling
by Matthew DiRienzo on Jul 21, 2010 12:22 PM EDT
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With so great contributions as a result of our call for writers, this is the first of many Fanposts to make the front page.
Like most men (and ladies), I was a huge pro-wrestling fan in as a kid and in high-school. I feel fortunate enough to have witness the tail end of Hulk Hogan’s glory days, the WWE vs. WCW Monday night wars and the rise of Stone Cold and the Rock. Probably like most people, I started to lose interest in pro-wrestling around the time I went to college. Since then, I have occasionally watched Raw, Smackdown and now TNA. I’ve also kept track of some of the main storylines in the WWE on their website by reading episode and PPV re-caps.
Lately, I have caught myself watching Raw, Smackdown and TNA more than usual and something recently jumped out at me. The overall talent level in pro-wrestling just isn’t the same as when I was younger. There are very few pro wrestlers nowadays that are both as good cutting a promo as they are in the ring or vice-versa. A lot of the time, this new generation of pro-wrestlers aren’t good at either.
For a while, I couldn’t figure out why. Then it dawned on me. The rise of the UFC/MMA is taking away from the talent in pro-wrestling. Mainly, the talent the WWE and other pro-wrestling promotions use to get from amateur wrestling.
Unlike most sports, star amateur wrestlers used to have very few options after they graduated from college. Whereas, college basketball players, for example, have the option of playing pro here or abroad, up until recently, collegiate wrestler’s only real option was either trying to make the Olympic team or making the transition to pro-wrestling. Most picked pro-wrestling because the money was better. Much better.
Looking back over the history of pro-wrestling, some of the greatest superstars got their start in amateur wrestling. The whole Hart Family got their wrestling education by learning "catch-wrestling" from their legendary father Stu. I think we all know that Kurt Angle is an Olympic Gold Medalist in wrestling. Current WWE superstar Jack Swagger was an All-American at Oklahoma. And do I even need to mention Brock Lesnar? Having an amateur wrestling background made it easier for these superstars to make the transition to pro-wrestling because they were already familiar with the grappling aspect of it. A lot of these type of superstars eventually became technically superior to pro-wrestlers that were in the business longer than them because of their amateur wrestling background.
Now, it’s a different story. Star collegiate wrestlers still have the option of trying to make the Olympic team or becoming a pro-wrestler, but they also have the option of going pro in a sport closely relate to theirs: mixed martial arts. While the money might not yet be as good as becoming a pro wrestler, the other perks are much, much better. Unlike pro-wrestlers, MMA fighters only have to "perform" 3 to 4 times a year which means they get to spend the rest of their time at home with their family and friends even during training camps. Being a professional fighter does not have the same stigma as being a professional wrestler and you can also achieve the same level of fame or maybe even surpass that of their pro-wrestling counterparts. Also, since pro fighters are not on the road almost 365 days a year and don’t have to take bumps night after night, their bodies are probably going to hold up better in the long run (but probably not much). At the end of the day, being a pro-fighter is much more appealing.
This is why great collegiate wrestlers like Ben Askren and Phil Davis aren’t jumping ship to the WWE after college. Instead they are taking their talents to the UFC and other MMA promotions like Bellator and Strikeforce. This might not be the main reason for the diluted talent in the WWE and TNA today, but it is a big reason. Pro-wrestling has had a history of having great athletes that became great superstars, but now those great athletes are becoming great MMA champions and it is affecting pro wrestling. But not in a good way.
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I disagree with the premise of the article
This is the premise of your article:
There are very few pro wrestlers nowadays that are both as good cutting a promo as they are in the ring or vice-versa. A lot of the time, this new generation of pro-wrestlers aren’t good at either.
For a while, I couldn’t figure out why. Then it dawned on me. The rise of the UFC/MMA is taking away from the talent in pro-wrestling. Mainly, the talent the WWE and other pro-wrestling promotions use to get from amateur wrestling.
Being an amateur wrestler not only doesn’t guarantee you (or eve give you a better shot at) being good at mic skills, but it also doesn’t guarantee you will be “good” in the ring. For every Kurt Angle on the mic, there are 10 Dan Severns. For every Brock Lesnar in the ring, there are 10 Shelton Benjamins. The connection between amateur wrestling and being a competent pro wrestler isn’t strong at all.
MMA being bigger is a small factor in the reason why amateurs are choosing MMA rather than WWE, but the biggest factor is wrestling isn’t as hot as it was back then. And there’s not as much money in it To say MMA is stealing talent from WWE assumes a lot of frankly, incorrect, things. I doubt someone like Ben Askren would be successful in pro wrestling based purely on his size. Phil Davis doesn’t have the charisma or mic skills to make the money.
Back during the days of the Briscoes or, more recently, the Steiners, you had the territories and these young wrestlers (amateur or not) could go around and learn the craft. THAT is why wrestling sucks. It’s over-scripted garbage and no one knows the “craft” of pro wrestling.
In addition, JR blogged recently about going to the NCAAs in Omaha this past year with Gerald Brisco and they were apprached by several names at the tournament about going “pro”.
Lesnar and Angle are the exceptions that prove the rule. If you look at the major stars of the past 30 years, their proximity to amateur wrestling is negligible at best.
Cause there's only one, and that's me
You understand? for all that fighting, you understand
That sucka think he good, that sucka think he can whoop me
And i know he can't whoop me, Ay boy, the n**** whole style is chump
by S.C. Michaelson on Jul 21, 2010 12:41 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
But rec'd as the more wrestling articles the better.
Cause there's only one, and that's me
You understand? for all that fighting, you understand
That sucka think he good, that sucka think he can whoop me
And i know he can't whoop me, Ay boy, the n**** whole style is chump
by S.C. Michaelson on Jul 21, 2010 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
To be fair, most of the big stars of the past 30 years had some legitimate athletic background. That, or they were bodybuilders. And many of those big stars have admitted that if MMA was around when they were younger, then they’d have tried their hand at it. So it is a problem.
by Keith Harris on Jul 21, 2010 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Lesnar and Angle are the only two "stars" that come to mind, oh yeah Goldberg, but he was no amateur wrestler
The Rock – family, football
Austin – football
Foley – fan who became wrestler
HHH – not wrestling
Taker – basketball
HBK – dunno, not amateur
Bret Hart – had legit graps, still would’ve been a pro wrestler, family
Cause there's only one, and that's me
You understand? for all that fighting, you understand
That sucka think he good, that sucka think he can whoop me
And i know he can't whoop me, Ay boy, the n**** whole style is chump
by S.C. Michaelson on Jul 21, 2010 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
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