5 MMA fighters who successfully transitioned to a career in WWE
The worlds of WWE and the UFC – and in fact, MMA as a whole – have always been closely linked, so it should come as no surprise when we see athletes cross over from one to the other.
This week it was announced that former Bellator MMA star Valerie Loureda has inked a contract with WWE, and while how much success she’ll enjoy remains to be seen, she isn’t the only fighter to make the transition.
Loureda is here to take over @WWE @WWENXT https://t.co/MhFB8XQmkJ
Over the years, we’ve seen numerous big-name MMA fighters head over to WWE to varying degrees of success, and there can be no doubt that others will follow the same path in the future.
With that in mind, here are five MMA fighters who successfully transitioned to WWE.
#5. Ken Shamrock – former WWE intercontinental champion
The first MMA star to really make an impact in the world of WWE was former UFC Superfight champion Ken Shamrock, who transitioned to pro-wrestling in the late 1990’s following a successful run inside the octagon.
While he didn’t actually win one of the UFC’s early tournaments, Shamrock became one of the promotion’s biggest stars alongside the likes of Royce Gracie and Dan Severn and entered into the mainstream consciousness when he was christened ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ by ABC News.
However, with an existing background in professional wrestling – and a career prior to his UFC run in Japan’s Pancrase promotion, which mixed legitimate bouts with staged ones – it was no surprise to see Shamrock leave the octagon for the glitz of WWE.
Initially debuting as the guest enforcer for a match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin in early 1997, Shamrock ended up becoming one of the promotion’s most popular performers, winning the intercontinental and tag team titles on numerous occasions.
Eventually, ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Man’ decided he missed the world of MMA and departed WWE for PRIDE in late 1999, eventually returning to the UFC three years later. However, to many fans his run in pro-wrestling remains his biggest claim to fame, as he was the first fighter to really show that success could be found in the squared circle as well as the octagon.
#4. Shayna Baszler – former WWE women’s tag team champion
One of the more recent MMA fighters to make the transition over to WWE is Shayna Baszler, a true pioneer of women’s fighting who only made her way to the UFC in the latter stages of her career.
A renowned catch wrestler who regularly trained with former UFC heavyweight champ Josh Barnett, ‘The Queen of Spades’ made her professional MMA debut way back in 2003, almost an entire decade before the UFC introduced female fighters to its roster.
Over the years, Baszler became one of the most respected female fighters on the planet, defeating the likes of Roxanne Modafferi, Julie Kedzie and Alexis Davis. When the UFC decided to bulk up the newly-installed women’s bantamweight division in 2013, it came as no surprise to see Baszler signed up quickly.
However, despite being an early favorite to win the 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter, ‘The Queen of Spades’ was largely past her prime and ended up losing all of her bouts inside the octagon before bouncing out of the UFC in 2015.
From there Baszler wasted no time moving into pro-wrestling and was signed by WWE in 2017, where she initially performed on the NXT brand before moving onto the Raw roster in 2020.
Since then ‘The Queen of Spades’ has done well for herself, winning the women’s tag team titles with Nia Jax on two occasions. As of the time of writing, she remains part of the promotion's roster, where she largely teams with Natalya.
#3. Matt Riddle – former WWE US champion
When Matt Riddle emerged into the UFC following a memorable stint on the 7th season of The Ultimate Fighter, it felt like the promotion had stumbled onto something special. With an entertaining fighting style and a charismatic personality, Riddle appeared to have everything required to become a genuine star.
Early on, it looked like he was on a direct route to the top. Despite only being 22 when he made his octagon debut, Riddle showed veteran poise in his first few bouts and put together an impressive record of 5-1.
However, late 2010 saw the brawling-heavy style of ‘Deep Waters’ exposed in losses to Sean Pierson and Lance Benoist, and while he did bounce back following those defeats by reeling off four wins in a row, two of them ended up being overturned when Riddle tested positive for marijuana.
The positive tests were enough to force the UFC to release him from his contract, and while he did fight once more in MMA, it didn’t take long for the young star to transition into the world of pro-wrestling.
After christening himself the ‘King of Bros’, he quickly became one of the most talked-about stars on the independent circuit before signing with WWE in 2018 to plenty of fanfare.
After a run on the NXT brand, the former UFC star debuted on the promotion’s main roster in mid-2020, since becoming one of their more recognisable stars. Riddle won the US and tag team titles, suggesting that his decision to leave MMA for pro-wrestling was likely the correct one.
This is NO riddle.
@SuperKingOfBros is in fact your NEW #USChampion! #WWEChamber https://t.co/AKhUFng1bK
#2. Ronda Rousey – current WWE women’s champion
One of the biggest UFC stars of all time, former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey was always inspired by the world of pro-wrestling – even taking her ‘Rowdy’ nickname from 80’s icon Roddy Piper – so it came as no surprise to see her make the move to WWE when her octagon career ended.
Rousey initially shot to fame with Strikeforce in the early 2010s, but it was her run as UFC bantamweight champion that transformed her into a mainstream superstar. Between February 2013 and November 2015, ‘Rowdy’ dispatched six straight challengers with six straight finishes, many of them coming in a matter of seconds.
This run had fans suggesting that Rousey was not only unbeatable, but that she could even compete with the best male 135lbers on the UFC’s roster. Unfortunately, neither idea turned out to be the case, and when she suffered an upset loss to Holly Holm, losing her title in the process, her aura was shattered for good.
Rousey did return to the octagon for one final fight, suffering a brutal loss to Amanda Nunes in December 2016. Just over a year later, she announced her retirement from MMA and signed with WWE.
Despite some fans doubting her ability to transition to the world of pro-wrestling, ‘Rowdy’ has done well for herself since her 2018 debut. Not only has she won the promotion's women’s title on two occasions, but in 2019 she also became one of the first women to headline a WrestleMania event, doing so alongside Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.
Rousey might not be as big a star in pro-wrestling as she was at her peak with the UFC, but she’s definitely done more than enough to be considered a success in the squared circle.
History is made!
Ronda Rousey becomes the first woman to be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. https://t.co/Ry8KgA3omH
#1. Brock Lesnar – former WWE heavyweight champion
Okay, so it’s probably fair to note that prior to his run in the UFC from 2008 to 2011, Brock Lesnar had already established himself as one of the biggest names in pro wrestling. After debuting there in March 2002, he won the heavyweight title just five months later, becoming the youngest champion in the promotion’s history in the process.
Despite being positioned as one of wrestling's biggest stars, by mid-2004 Lesnar had seemingly had enough of the pro-wrestling lifestyle and abruptly departed the promotion. After a failed attempt to break into the NFL, he quickly transitioned into MMA.
‘The Beast Incarnate’ was always a viable prospect in the fighting world, largely due to his incredible athleticism and accomplishments in the world of amateur wrestling where he’d won an NCAA Division I national championship.
Few fans expected him to do as well as he did once he arrived in the UFC. Just three fights into his career with the promotion, he was able to knock out Randy Couture to claim the heavyweight title.
Lesnar defended his title twice before dropping it to Cain Velasquez in 2010, and after a bout of diverticulitis kept him on the shelf for a lengthy period of time, he decided to hang up his gloves following a 2011 loss to Alistair Overeem.
Just months later, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ was back in the squared circle, and since then he’s once again achieved monumental success. Not only did he break The Undertaker’s legendary winning streak at Wrestlemania 30 in 2014, but he’s won both the WWE title and the Universal title on numerous occasions.
Overall, no other fighter has achieved as much success in the squared circle as Lesnar, while no pro-wrestling superstar transitioning to MMA has been able to replicate his success in the octagon either.