I figured I'd post this in the General Wrestling forum since I can't think of another place to put it. Just mainly putting it here to get feedback and what not. If you wanna catch the column on the main website...do it here
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Here's another edition of Rob's Ramble Realm. Rather than doing an iMPACT review, I figured I'd do a little something and broaden your horizons. Yeah, I have that type of effect on people. Anyway, I figured I'd talk a little about MMA since I'm a big fan of this growing sport. And the more I talk to MMA enthusiasts, the more I realize that a lot of them use to be or still are wrestling fans...
So, you’re a wrestling fan, right? You love the theatrics, the entrances, the showmanship, the personalities, the in-ring performances, the backstage stuff…you just love the whole fantasy world of professional wrestling, right? …Well, sorta. Of course, as the IWC we’re an opinionated group of individuals that have our likes and dislikes. You got TNA VS. WWE, the ROH cult-like following, wrestling purism vs. entertainment, and everything else in between. But what it comes down are two basic components about wresting that draws us in: drama and guys beating each other up.
Now I ask any wrestling fan…why not give MMA a shot? It’s got those two basic components and it’s not like you’re turning your back on wrestling. Just like tuning into TNA isn’t really turning your back on WWE. For those of you who don’t know or have been living under a rock…MMA stands for mixed martial arts. In short, it’s a combat sport that’s exactly what it sounds like: mixing different elements of martial arts in a setting to find out which form is the best. Well, that’s at least how it started. The sport of MMA has evolved where fighters are becoming well-rounded in all areas like striking, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu.
Just like pro wrestling has different styles that wrestlers employ, mixed martial arts are specialists in their own right. For example, Rey Mysterio is famous for his luchador, high-flying style. The UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva is known for his brutal muay thai clinch and striking. In wrestling you got your high-flyers (Jeff Hardy), technical wrestlers (Kurt Angle), brawlers (John Cena), powerhouses (Umaga), and much more. MMA has its guys with their specific bread and butter like wrestlers (Randy Couture), submission specialists (BJ Penn), strikers (Chuck Liddell), Judo practitioners (Karo Parisyian).
The beauty of all my MMA examples is that they’re all in different divisions. That’s another wonderful aspect of MMA making it so intriguing. I remember when TNA was first getting started and the X-Division was one of the hottest, if not THE hottest thing in the wrestling industry. It was praised for being innovative and it broke the classic professional wrestling mold of focus on heavyweights. In MMA, there isn’t really a focus on heavyweights. Each weight division has it stars and has the potential of putting on an exciting fight.
But before I continue…let me break down the divisions using the UFC’s model as an example. The divisions are broken down as such: Lightweight (155 lbs & Under), Welterweight (156-170 lbs), Middleweight (171-185 lbs), Light Heavyweight (186-205 lbs), and Heavyweight (206-265 lbs). You have a champion for each division just like in the old WWF days you had a World Champion, Intercontinental Champion, European Champion, and Light Heavyweight Champion. The difference with MMA though, the prestige of each belt is determined by the caliber of fighters rather than a heavyweight fighters getting the main focus.
For a long time the Light Heavyweight and Welterweight divisions have actually been the sources of a lot of attention in MMA. What adds to the mystique of the divisions is that a fighter can move up or down and weight and it adds to the drama of fights. For example, Randy Couture is arguably the greatest legendary fighter still fighting at a high level of competition. In my eyes, he is to MMA what Ric Flair is to professional wrestling. Anyway, Randy primarily found his greatest success in the light heavyweight division and fought sparingly in the heavyweight division without much success although he did win championships there. After losing twice in a row to then UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell, “The Natural” decided to hang up the gloves and retire. After a year of sitting in the sidelines Randy saw a continual decline of a lackluster Heavyweight division.
So, “Captain America” called up UFC President Dana White and told him he wanted to come out of retirement to fight then UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia. Dana, seeing the potential of MMA’s modern day hero returning to action, immediately jumped all over it and booked Randy Couture VS. Tim Sylvia for the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship. Randy came back and in impressive fashion defied the odds. At 6’2’ and roughly 225 lbs at an age of 44 years young he not only defeated, but dominated the 6’8” roughly 250 pound Tim Sylvia to capture the UFC Heavyweight Champion. Perhaps, one of the most memorable moments in mixed martial arts history. Something like that is comparable to Ric Flair making a rise to face Randy Orton for the WWE Championship…and succeeding!
Of course, one major difference separates wrestling from mixed martial arts. MMA is real…it’s legitimate! Its two guys going out there to fight and prove who really is the better man. And don’t think you’ll be spared the theatrics in MMA, because you’ll get it there too. What’s great about professional wrestling is that in many ways it really does mirror real life. MMA is a true testament to that when you see that the UFC has heel and face personas. I can probably even characterize certain fighters with a matching professional wrestler. Former UFC Welterweight Champion and bona-fide future Hall of Famer, Matt Hughes is the Triple H of MMA. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you know he’s damn good. In his fights, Matt Hughes often times plays the bad guy, but he can be a good guy too. He gets down to what needs to be done and he’s respected. As I said Randy Couture is your Ric Flair. Chuck Liddell as a Stone Cold, Rampage Jackson is MMA’s version of The Rock, you got The Big Show with Tim Sylvia, and there are so many more after that.
The UFC markets their fighters just like the WWE markets their wrestlers and that’s what makes it easy for wrestling fans to check out and truly enjoy MMA. The larger than life personalities are there, the drama is there, the violence and competitive spirit are there as well. There’s a story to every fight and the drama comes with the fact that all these fights are real. These men train for months on end, devote their lives to their job, all for the sake of 15 or 25 minutes of true glory in a cage or a ring. It’s not human cockfighting like people want to brand it. And even if it is, wrestling fans are accustomed to extreme forms of violence because pro wrestling has pushed that envelope plenty of times before. For a wrestling fan to say MMA is too violent would be one of the most hypocritical statements ever said.
So, for any wrestling fan who’s iffy or isn’t sure about MMA or the UFC, I say…give it a shot! You might be surprised…I certainly was. I was always a wrestling fan before I became a mixed martial arts fan, but MMA provides a great alternative that’s easy to keep up with. The main organization in the world being the UFC only puts out a pay-per-view out once a month without any weekly shows, where you can always catch the fights the day after if you don’t feel like streaming of buying the fights. MMA is addictive just like wrestling except its less maintenance and won’t hamper you love for wrestling. The two can co-exist! Let MMA be your mistress…pro wrestling won’t mind. You want to see what would happen if wrestling became real? Then watch MMA.
Now’s a great time with to get into the UFC with Brock Lesnar’s crossover from wrestling to MMA and the potential of Bobby Lashley and Kurt Angle crossing over into MMA as well. But that’s another column for another time. Don’t miss out on the MMA explosion, because you’ll surely be missing out on a fantastic pop culture phenomenon taking the world by storm.
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