7 Wrestlers You Didn't Know Did MMA

We all know Ken Shamrock, Brock Lesnar, Dan Severn... but what about these guys?

WWE.comWWE.comProfessional wrestling and mixed martial arts have been somewhat married since their inceptions. As legit pro wrestling gave way to scripted pro wrestling, the same tactics and training techniques stuck around for decades. The likes of Billy Robinson, Judo Gene LeBell and Stu Hart transitioned their shoot wrestling abilities and parlayed them into success in pro wrestling. Worked fights continued all the way up through the 1990s, but as the UFC emerged, it became much easier to decipher a work from a shoot. That hasn't stopped the two worlds from intersecting, as the likes of Ken Shamrock, Brock Lesnar, Dan Severn, Bob Sapp and several others have managed success in both MMA and pro wrestling. Not every pro wrestling crossover has had the same level of success as the aforementioned stars, though. Some pro wrestlers that transitioned into the cage quite frankly had no business being involved with the sport, as their performances showed. Other wrestling superstars that you wouldn't suspect to be successful had pretty stellar careers as fighters. Let's take a look at 7 fighters you may not have known competed in MMA.
Contributor
Contributor

Sean Ross Sapp, 28, is a convergent media major at Morehead State University, and a news/feature writer for RantSports and WhatCulture. Before taking a managerial role for the Kraken Fight Team, Sapp was a two-time submission wrestling medalist in the region. He is also a contributor to Bill Apter's 1Wrestling.com, and an editor for Cage Passion Sports. He has also published over 300 articles for Fansided. You can contact Sean Ross Sapp for news tips and radio appearances at SeanRossSapp@gmail.com