clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Samoa Joe, Enzo Amore using Conor McGregor & Holly Holm's losses to work their gimmicks

By Sean Rueter
Samoa Joe on Twitter

The whole combat sports world is talking about the mixed martial arts game getting shook up at UFC 196. That includes, of course, some pro wrestlers, many of whom are fans themselves.

MMA fighters and wrestlers take ideas and inspiration from one another all the time. Pro graps has incorporated a lot of jiu-jitsu, UFC has their guys and gals cut post-match promos, and on-and-on, back-and-forth.

Following the electric finish to last night's pay-per-view (PPV), a couple of guys from NXT hopped on social media and got in the conversation about Miesha Tate submitting Holly Holm for the bantamweight belt and Nate Diaz choking out Conor McGregor.

And they did it in ways that furthered their own characters.

First up, Enzo Amore - the self-proclaimed Smacktalker Skywalker - took McGregor to task. Zo criticized the Notorious One for giving up after all of his trash talk, and pointed to a famous WrestleMania match for guidance:

And when fans reminded him, Amore pointed to the match right before Conor's, where Holm passed out in Tate's rear naked choke:

Though he hasn't worn championship gold on NXT yet, the Certified G says he'd follow Stone Cold and Holly's lead:

But as a guy who missed a lot of time with a broken leg, he admitted his approach only goes for non-limb breaking holds

So don't hold your breath for Zo vs. Pentagon, Jr. in Global Cruiserweight Series...

Meanwhile, when he and Corey Graves were done celebrating their boy Nate's defeat of McGregor, Samoa Joe pointed out that he's pretty good at the move that ended both of 196's main events:

They don't call him the Samoan Submission Machine for nothing, ladies and gents.

More From Cageside Seats

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Cageside Seats Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your pro wrestling news from Cageside Seats