9 Wrestlers Who Became MMA Fighters

After the news that Brock Lesnar will be heading back to UFC for the promotion's biggest ever show, UFC 200, questions have been asked surrounding The Beast Incarnate's future. Though it's seemingly just a one-off - and WWE have been quick to confirm as such - stepping back into the Octagon could nevertheless whet Brock's appetite to finish a fighting career which a debiliating illness abruptly drew to a close.

Creeping ever closer to 40, and with his health problems well-documented, a full-time return to professional fighting seems inadvisable. The cushy and equally lucrative world of 'sports entertainment' seems a far better place for a star with no real need to prove himself anew.

However, the allure may prove too difficult to resist. Brock wouldn't be the first; after all, there have been plenty of wrestling stars - many much less talented and some even older - who felt it necessary to prove just what tough guys they actually were, regardless of the risks.

Here's a handful of the most noteworthy.

The story goes that when Lashley was in OVW, his trainers desperately tried to keep the six-foot plus behemoth hidden from Vince McMahon. Knowing the chairman would be bowled over by the Kansas native's impressive physique, higher ups at the development school feared the still-green Lashley would be called up to the main roster well before he was fully ripe.

So it proved; just a year into his formative studies, 'The Destroyer' was hurried up to the big shows, and given a monstrous push to match his monstrous size. Unfortunately, he did not possess the talent to back it up. Disagreements with influential management figures led to Lashley walking out of WWF under acrimonious circumstances in 2008.

What he lacked in refined grappling ability, Lashley made up for in raw, brutish strength, and thus was the perfect fit for MMA. Shortly after leaving the squared circle, he destroyed Joshua Franklin in under a minute on his shootfight debut, and his next five fights for an array of promotions ended in similarly dominant fashion.

Seven years after his MMA bow, Lashley remains a formidable force, having lost only two of his sixteen contests. He has also remained active on the independent wrestling circuit, demonstrating how it's eminently possible to juggle careers in two similar but fundamentally different professions. His wrestling duties are arguably less high-key than Brock's, though.