Cup of coffee in the big time: When wrestling angles happen in the real world, it gets ugly

We love to point out when the real world looks a little like the world we immerse ourselves in in our wrestling bubble.

While Super Show-Down featured the usual WWE action, drama and nonsense, it was the other show on Saturday that featured the most over-the-top drama in combat sports.

Conor McGregor’s mostly one-sided loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov had the usual McGregor build-up — something already often compared to the world of pro wrestling, but with a bit more willingness to engage in stoking religious, racial or ethnic flames. After the dramatic walk-outs we saw a fight featuring a lot of in-cage trash-talk, but after the fight, things went to that next level.

When the run-ins (or in the case of Khabib attacking Dillon Danis, a run-out) began, we even saw some pro wrestling style inept security:

Of course, calling this a wrestling angle or a work to sell the rematch or anything of that sort is ridiculous. Those who have suggested it over the past few days are forgetting little things like regulating bodies, visas, licenses and everything else that rests outside the control of those involved.

The real issue is just how ugly something that looks like an “angle” in our world is in execution in the real world.

Blindsiding someone with a chair during a wresting run-in is hardly enough to make us sit up and take notice. But seeing McGregor bare-knuckle sucker-punched can turn your stomach — even if you’ve spent a lot of time wishing it would happen.

I’ve covered MMA in some capacity for something like 13 years, for almost a decade it was what I would have considered my full-time job. These things do happen sometimes in MMA. And they’re always ugly, uncomfortable moments, even while being undeniably exciting.

The fun in wrestling is the knowing we can step out of our decision to suspend our disbelief and recognize it for the work it is.

With something like we saw Saturday night, it’s just a pile of jackasses acting out for an organization that treated Conor McGregor’s bus attack as promotion and apparently employed the kind of security you’d ever expect to see on Monday Night Raw.

• If you need to get caught up on Super Show-Down from this weekend, here’s some highlights from the event.
• Steve Austin and The Rock both think Rock never oversold the stunner during their legendary time in WWE.
• Daniel Bryan and The Miz aren’t done feuding yet, you can count on that.
• Check out this great fanpost on UWF, something more fans need to make themselves familiar with.
• Geno is wishing for this Elias story about Vince McMahon to be true.
• Rey Mysterio’s return is now official, even if it’s been known for quite some time.
• Chris Jericho showed up to give EVIL a beating.

Another week. Let’s go.