10 Things UFC Can Learn From Pro Wrestling
Should the UFC look to WWE for the recipe to success?
Since the early days of mixed martial arts, the sport has been intertwined with the world of pro wrestling.
As much as MMA purists hate to admit it, the real fights in the cage have been heavily influenced by the scripted world of pro wrestling. MMA pioneers like Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, and Kazushi Sakuraba never shied away from the theatrics of scripted pro wrestling, and for good reason: it allowed them to "get over" in their other profession as pro fighters.
In recent times, MMA and the UFC in particular has taken strides to separate itself from any ties to scripted "sports entertainment," perhaps for fear that the public would confuse the two and believe MMA outcomes predetermined. However, try as they might, they still welcome pro wrestlers back into the fold when the money is right (see Lesnar, Brock and Punk, CM as evidence).
The reality is that the UFC could actually learn a lot from the world of pro wrestling, something that is as important as ever now the the promotion has sold for the unholy sum of $4.2 billion dollars U.S. to talent agency powerhouse WME-IMG.
The promotion needs to build stars, after all, with Ronda Rousey and possibly even Conor McGregor heading off into the sunset...
10. Value The Talent As Much As The Promotion
The UFC has had a love/hate relationship with some of its biggest stars, to the detriment of the sport and company. Each and every time a star has eclipsed the promotion - be it Ken Shamrock, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, or Conor McGregor in modern times - the promotion has wound up in an ugly, public feud as it struggled to rein in an athlete who had outgrown the company.
Compare that to the WWE, TNA, and other wrestling promotions, where every wrestler is a "superstar" - at least on paper. The WWE in particular is all about promoting talent, and letting them rise to the occasion. Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, The Rock, Mankind, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, The Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian - they were all huge in their heyday, and while some have feuded with the WWE over the years, it has rarely ever gotten to the point of, say, Ortiz and UFC President Dana White - who at one point were scheduled to settle their differences in a boxing match.
The UFC could learn a lot from the way the WWE builds its stars, and the first lesson is simple: You can allow your stars to surpass the promotion in terms of name recognition and still be successful. In fact, you should encourage it. People don't attend fights because of your brand's initials, they attend fights (or order them) because of who is fighting. If you keep holding back talent from getting "too big" you'll soon have no stars left.