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" I am tired of all these MMA losers coming into this business".

I stumbled on that quote while surfing Youtube and watching a promo of AEW TBS women's champion, Jade Cargill talking about her opponent Marina Shafir. It was an excellent promo and the crowd reaction to that statement certainly felt like she had struck a nerve or two and hit the hammer right on the head.

I looked it up and there has indeed been a recent influx of MMA fighters into entertainment wrestling. The most popular so far (by a lot) would be Rhonda Rousey who unsurprisingly has also found the most success, winning the women's championship and headlining the WWE's biggest event, WrestleMania in 2019. The success of Rousey perhaps inspired many other MMA stars to try their hands on this 'make believe' fighting.

But Why?

The truth is that MMA is a brutal sport that requires a lot of training and subjects the body to high physical damage. Even then, finding success in the business is not easy, as it is very difficult to keep climbing in the sport. As someone put it, Nobody stays undefeated in MMA, unlike some other sports like Boxing.

Furthermore, the rewards that an MMA fighter receives when compared to some other combat sports is significantly less. Therefore entertainment wrestling provides an option for less stress while potentially making significantly more.

There is also the question of legitimacy. We know that wrestling is choreographed, but having MMA stars who are known as legit fighters and badasses may add a bit more legitimacy in the performances. It certainly worked in the case of Rousey, and we'll see overall what these fighters bring to the table.

From MMA to Entertainment Wrestling

Interestingly, being an MMA fighter does not automatically translate into being a good wrestler. If we were to highlight the performances of some of those who have made the move, we can see failures like Cain Velasquez or individuals whose lack of refinement has led to the injury of other wrestlers like Shayna Basler. It isn't easy making the jump in a few years compared to others who have been training their entire lives, and it shows for the most part.

From WWE to MMA

The relationship isn't entirely one sided though, and we have seen some professional wrestlers make the move to MMA with varying degrees of success. The most successsful by a landslide is of cause Brock Lesnar who went on to become UFC Heavyweight champion and one of the most popular MMA wrestlers during his time. Others like Bobby Lashley managed to compile a decent record during his stint. It seems wrestlers recognize the teasing from fans about their sport being 'fake' and some set out on personal missions to prove themselves.

Mutually Beneficial?

It isn't unusual for entertainment wrestlers to cite the MMA during their promos and there seems to be an increasing acknowledgement of the MMA universe inside Wrestling's fictional universe. This promotion strategy isn't a bad one as the likelihood of a WWE fan also being a fan of a combat sport like MMA is quite high.

Future?

Who knows what sort of collaborations we could see in the future. We are already seeing MMA fighters making their way to wrestling and boxing rings. Who knows, maybe we'll someday see active professional wrestlers fight inside the Octagon. It would be interesting to see something like a UFC-WWE champion.