9 Wrestlers Who Became MMA Fighters

An accomplished amateur wrestler at high school, Daniel Puder did not hesitate to enter WWE's first 'million dollar' Tough Enough contest, knowing full well he had all the requisite skills in his locker to storm the show.

Puder did more than just win the competition; he humiliated Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle in the process. The former amateur wrestling champion challenged the programme's finalists to a shoot match during a non-worked SmackDown segment, and after Chris Nawrocki stepped forward, the Olympian promptly broke the neophytes ribs. Completely unswayed by Angle's vicious display, Puder was next in line to accept the challenge.

Angle took the youngster down, and it seemed like things would go as expected. But in the process, Puder clamped his assailant into a kimura lock, and it was only the quick thinking of referee Jim Korderas counting a pin that didn't exist that saved Angle's blushes. Had he been in the hold any longer, he would have likely broken his arm.

Angle was utterly livid, to say the least, leaping up to vehemently spit vitriol in Puder's face. Had Angle been allowed to lose, the stunt could have made an overnight star of Puder. Instead, it went down as his only significant moment in the industry, the impertinence arguably harming his long-term chances of making it big.

Puder had enjoyed a very brief MMA career prior to the Tough Enough contest - leading to the inept Michael Cole to hail him as 'UFC's Daniel Puder', and snarkishly denounce the outfit after his 'loss' (no doubt in response to the worryingly audible 'UFC' chants around the arena). But after his short stint in the wrestling ring, it was clear MMA was where his future lied.

He resumed his pro-fighting career after leaving WWE, remaining undefeated until his retirement in 2011, after which Puder seemingly repudiated pugilism to become a born-again Christian.