5 UFC Heavyweights that Vince McMahon would love to sign
If there’s one well-known fact about Vince McMahon, it’s that he likes big guys.
No, not in that way, at least I don’t think so.
What I mean is that Vince’s WWE is the Land of the Giants. Forget about smaller guys and average guys – to make it in WWE, you’ve got to stand out from the crowd and even today, when a lot of the newer talent doesn’t look as steroid-enhanced as it did back in the 80’s and 90’s, size still matters.
The problem with such a focus on bigger wrestlers though is the question, where do you find them? The talent pool for people 6’5” or taller and over 200lbs isn’t exactly a deep one when you’re competing with other sports that maybe have more respect due to their legitimacy.
There are however plenty of big guys in the UFC. Large, intimidating Heavyweights that could rival anyone in WWE in terms of size, ability, and marketability.
We’ve seen Brock Lesnar cross the stream from WWE to the UFC and then back again to monstrous success, and before that Ken Shamrock moved from the UFC to WWE and had a lot of success too.
Right now I can’t imagine that any UFC Heavyweight – save for Josh Barnett, who already does pro-wrestling in Japan and doesn’t have the look that Vince covets – wanting to move over, but that doesn’t mean Vince wouldn’t take them with open arms given the chance.
Here are five UFC Heavyweights that Vince would probably give his right arm to get into the WWE Universe.
#1 Alistair Overeem
Okay, so there’s no point beating around the bush. Overeem isn’t quite as ‘Uber’ anymore, not since the incident in 2012 that saw him popped for elevated testosterone levels.
Ignoring that, though, you can bet your bottom dollar that if given the chance, Vinny Mac would bring him into WWE without a second thought.
For one, WWE’s Wellness Policy isn’t nearly as strict as the UFC’s USADA-headed testing program. That means that if he were allowed to do so, Overeem could get back onto the vitamin regime that saw him blow up to 260lbs with a Herculean physique back in 2009-11.
Back then, Overeem was perhaps the most intimidating man in all of MMA. That run ended with his dominant win over Brock Lesnar, a one-sided fight that saw the Reem stop Lesnar midway through the first round with a barrage of knees to the body and finally a kick to the liver.
Also read: 5 reasons Vince McMahon vs. Dana White would be amazing
The win over Lesnar alone would make him a huge acquisition for WWE – can you imagine them being able to promote Brock against the last man to beat him in MMA? Assuming Overeem could get back to the size he was back then, the staredown alone would draw money.
Throw in the fact that Overeem carries himself like a Superstar, draws legions of fans from Europe, and can also talk extremely well on the mic without slipping up, and you’ve got a possible megastar for WWE.
Vince would absolutely love to get this guy aboard I’m sure.