Chael Sonnen reveals $1 Million offer from WWE to crush Anderson Silva and perform UFC belt stunt on Monday Night Raw
Based on the showmanship he showcased during his career, it's no surprise that Chael Sonnen gained interest from WWE.
During his appearance on The MMA Hour, Sonnen told Ariel Helwani that he was in talks to make an appearance on WWE's flagship show Monday Night Raw following UFC 217.
He challenged then middleweight champion Anderson Silva for the title at the event and had a deal in place with the sports entertainment juggernaught had he won the title.
He said:
"The last time I had any contact with them, I was 33-years-old and they already thought I was too old. But I was just getting ready to fight Anderson Silva and they said, 'If you beat Anderson and you show up on Raw with the belt, we'll give you a million dollars, but you can't tell Dana [White]...The million dollars is to stick it Dana's a**.'"
Chael tells story of being offered $1M by WWE if he would have beaten Anderson Silva at UFC 117 and shown up on Raw on Monday with the UFC belt. WWE said the condition was he couldn't tell Dana.
#TheMMAHour https://t.co/G5ZvxfASuG
'The Bad Guy' revealed that he would have followed through and showed up on WWE television.
He mentioned that there were no contractual agreements and that the WWE would have paid him if he had given them his word that he would be showing up, saying:
"I would've done it, I would've taken the belt, I would've been on Raw. I just don't know how it would've stuck it to Dana. I don't know how Dana would have any kind of a problem with that. I've never understood that part...And no contracts, just if I would just give them my word they would send me the money."
It would have been interesting to see what WWE would have planned for Sonnen if he had appeared with the UFC middleweight championship.
He did an excellent job generating interest in his UFC bouts through his heel persona, so he would have been a natural in WWE.
Chael Sonnen says his age was the reason WWE never followed up with him
#MMAFightingArchives@ChaelSonnen It wouldn't be the "Best of Chael Sonnen" without the carrot incident… 🥕🚌 #MMAFightingArchives
Watch the video: mmafighting.com/2019/6/27/1876… https://t.co/OkuwGGLSrQ
Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva at UFC 117 was arguably one of the greatest middleweight title fights in the promotion's history.
'The Bad Guy' was submitted late in the fifth round, resulting in the proposed WWE deal falling through. During his appearance on The MMA Hour, the former middleweight contender mentioned that his age was a factor in WWE never following up, even after he left the UFC.
He said:
"I spoke to them times before that [UFC 117] and they said, 'You're too old. We're looking for 20-year-olds.' Not from a physicality standpoint, they said, 'We could teach you to wrestle in 6 months but to learn the psychology.' And that's the part that offended me. I am a master of psychology."
If 'The Bad Guy' had pursued a pro wrestling career after he graduated college, perhaps he would have become a star in that industry instead of MMA.