MMA Fighters Who Could One Day Grace A WWE Ring

Conor McGregor, the fighting Irishman who drives MMA fans into a frenzy fueled by both love and hate, called it quits and then went “sike” over the course of weeks. Whether it was petty contract negotiations or the Notorious One finding financial pastures new, it got a few people thinking: is he going to head over to WWE?

He followed Triple H, Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, and Becky Lynch! Maybe he’s going to do it! It’d be something if he were to step into a squared circle and inject crazy energy into a WWE ring. McGregor has a personality and drawing power that screams “celebrity match” at a future WrestleMania. And while those speculations have been sussed out for the time being, there’s no telling when we’ll be putting ourselves through more fantasy madness because of a tweet or a Facebook post.

Throughout the last couple decades we’ve seen plenty of fighters cross the bridge to pro wrestling: Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Don Frye, Kevin Randleman, Mark Coleman, Bas Rutten, Josh Barnett, Bob Sapp, Tito Ortiz (ish), Frank Trigg (ish), and some of those guys that did it the other way around and became icons of their own, like Batista… oh yeah and that other Lesnar guy.

While we’re in the mood for fantasizing, here are some other MMA fighters who could fit right into the WWE roster.

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Ben Rothwell

That post-match promo. The menacing laugh. That vine of that menacing laugh. Ben Rothwell doesn’t necessarily have the “look” of a normal WWE Superstar, but there are two ways he could be a great fit. For one, he’d be a perfect Wyatt. I mean pass him over a bottle of Auburn Nice N’ Easy and you probably wouldn’t be the wiser, heck you’d be surprised at how much better Erick Rowan had gotten almost overnight! He could also be an interesting fit with or against Brock Lesnar, creating a Vikings/Packers-esque rivalry, or just being two Warriors of the Great Lakes. I’d watch him.

The Four Horsewomen

Rumors have been buzzing around some of these women for some time. They’re known to be big fans, appearing at PWG and WWE shows. Shayna Baszler has been pictured training with Natalya and it’s been a very “will she or won’t she” situation with respect to if she’s going to try out a stint in pro wrestling. Obviously Ronda Rousey (shown above) popped into WrestleMania 31 and WWE would happily welcome her with open arms if she wanted to commit to a match. WWE surely would see them as a welcome addition to a Women’s division interested in legitimizing women’s wrestling.

The Diaz Brothers

Potential failed wellness tests aside of course, the Diaz brothers would be interesting to watch. Kind of like a less-explicitly-homophobic Briscoe team from Stockton. Nate would be terrific on the mic, but WWE would probably have to employ a seven second delay, just to be safe. They would ultimately be very entertaining to have in the tag division.

Jon Jones & Daniel Cormier

These two are a “destined to do this forever” pairing. Jones could be a dominant guy on the WWE roster, thanks to being the right height and a successful MMA career behind him. Not to mention the flurry of opinions he carries with him. But Cormier is probably his ultimate rival, and has a wrestling background that would ensure quality matches. Their bad blood would make for great “worked shoot” situations that Antonio Inoki would shed a tear with pride in. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have one come into the company without the other.

Chael Sonnen

How to get American Alpha serious heat in 30 seconds. This guy could write the book on it.

Fedor Emmelianenko

I would fear for everyone’s excretory systems if they ever matched him up with The Undertaker in a match. Who wouldn’t want to see “The best pure striker in MMA against the best pure striker in WWE,” as Michael Cole would likely say, for weeks on end? But seriously, a legend like Fedor—whose time in PRIDE brought incredible gravitas to his elusive persona—would fit right in fighting against legendary WWE Superstars. Maybe it’s a little too late for it, but the thought will stay dancing in my head. Moving on…

Quinton Rampage Jackson

While we’re in the realm of fantasy, Rampage’s reputation precedes him. He is arguably the season zero version of many fighters that have come after him, like King Mo, so his confidence and offensive power would be really fun to see in WWE. While we’re on the topic…

King Mo

This inclusion almost needs no explanation. Personality. Huge fan. He is a shoo-in for any kind of list like this. Oh, and we must include this:

“Filthy” Tom Lawlor

He’s an outspoken, entertaining guy who makes no secret of his love of wrestling. Lawlor would have the potential to be a fan favorite. You know he’d do his absolute best in everything he did, and we all know fans love wrestlers who are as diehard as they are. Lawlor taking advantage of every moment he’d have as talent means a guaranteed connection with the audience. And he’s the kind of guy who would make his work in the ring fun, be it with matches or costumes.

We know UFC has roadblocked some of Lawlor’s aspirations so far, however he’ll surely stay a vocal wrestling fan for as long as he has a platform.

Honorable Mention: Rose Namajunas (just for the Imperator Furiosa look she could rock… heck she could team up with Becky Lynch it would be awesome), Andrei Arlovski (match him up with Rusev why not), Yair Rodriguez (have you seen the enzuigiri vine yet), Brian Stann (in case anyone thought they really needed to get The Patriot gimmick right, there he is).