WWE: 19 Professional Wrestlers with surprising MMA records that you may not know about
WWE has for a long time been the leader in the world of Sports Entertainment and Professional Wrestling. Over the years, the Superstars in the company have been some of the best to have ever stepped into the ring, with professional fighters from every field trying their hand at wrestling.
While the best Superstars in WWE have almost always been those who combine charisma and ability on the mic with their in-ring capabilities, over the years many Superstars have impressed with only their ability to decimate anyone who steps into the ring with them.
While Superstars like Brock Lesnar have shown again and again that WWE Superstars are capable of going into other disciplines and achieving success, other Superstars have proven that is not true for everyone.
In this article, we will be talking about wrestlers who have shown their abilities in the professional wrestling ring while also having a record in the world of MMA. With that in mind, here are 19 professional WWE wrestlers with surprising MMA records.
Without any further ado, let's get into it.
Bonus: Antonio Inoki
It seems almost uncivilized to mention the world of pro-wrestling and MMA crossing over without mentioning the Japanese legend Antonio Inoki. I have not included him in the list proper as unlike everyone else in the list, Inoki does not have a professional MMA record.
However, his involvement in the world of wrestling, as well as MMA, cannot be overstated.
For those who may not know, Inoki is the founder of New Japan Pro Wrestling. He was also the person who helped to bring an enormous wrestling show to North Korea in the mid-1990s, where he wrestled Ric Flair. Before all of that, in 1979, Inoki defeated the then-WWF Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund to win the title. He later refused the title when he apparently lost it to Backlund, but the loss was ruled as a no-contest due to interference from Tiger Jeet Singh. The reign is not included or recognized by WWE in its official history as Inoki had refused the title, with Backlund's reign being deemed to have never been interrupted.
Inoki had a wrestler vs boxer fight when he fought Muhammad Ali. There were a lot of factors in play which stopped the fight from being what it could have been, but this was the fight that is said to have laid the groundwork for what Mixed Martial Arts would later become. Inoki drew with Ali, and the latter left without a press conference, his legs damaged as a result of Inoki's repeated low kicks.