9 Wrestlers Who Became MMA Fighters

When Ken Shamrock made his WWF debut in 1997, his MMA career was in no way downplayed. Billed as 'the World's Most Dangerous Man', presenting Shamrock as a legitimate fighter confusingly blurred the lines between what we were supposed to consider 'real' in a wrestling ring; after all, if this guy was a genuine fighter, what were the WWF's existing superstars?

Curiously, though he was presented as a crossover from the world of mixed martial arts, Shamrock had actually competed as a wrestler first, before making the transition to the Octagon in 1993. Learning the craft under Buzz Sawyer, Shamrock enjoyed little success in the American south, and eventually migrated to Japan to compete in Universal Wrestling Federation.

UWF was a trailblazing promotion which aimed to mix the similar yet currently incompatible worlds of pro-wrestling and shoot-fighting. Under the name 'Wayne Shamrock', Ken cut his MMA teeth in Tokyo, and after a successful series of shoot matches at the Tokyo Dome in 1992, Shamrock splintered off with Suzuki to help found Pancrase.

Shamrock tallied an impressive record in the new promotion, before a bitter dispute led to his return to the States, and full-time competition with UFC. It was there that he established himself as a star of the business - to the extent that the WWF scrambled to have him bring his big-name drawing power back to the world of pro-wrestling.