10 Ways MMA Has Influenced Modern WWE

The "MMA Fantasy" concept comes from CM Punk, who mentioned that a number of workers, at least backstage/in private, have MMA fantasies. They want to cross over the way Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, and CM Punk himself have.

Of course, for every Lesnar and Bobby Lashley (the jury is still out on Punk, who is yet to set foot in the octagon for his first fight), there's a Sean O'Haire, whose MMA career, while solid as far as win to loss ratio goes, never went anywhere.

Still, there's no question that MMA has had an impact: where pro wrestlers were once seen to have few if any other athletic options, they now know that the likes of the UFC, Bellator, and the WSOF will be more than happy to offer them big money contracts so long as they can fight.