Six Pro Wrestlers Who Failed In MMA

One of the key competitors to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has always been professional wrestling, even if the two have some clear and glaringly obvious differences.

Both pro wrestling and MMA feature some of the most freakishly large human beings competing inside of a ring (or Octagon), and some of those competitors have attempted to find success in both ventures. While some have been able to juggle both professions successfully (such as Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, Shinsuke Nakamura, etc.), there are some who have been…… not so lucky, to say the least.

With that being said, fight fans, let’s take a look at six pro wrestlers who tried to make the jump into the grueling world of MMA, but ultimately failed to find success…

6. Bob Sapp

We kick off our list with one of the biggest fan favorites in super heavyweight history, Bob Sapp. Sapp started off as a professional wrestler in 2001 when he competed at NWA’s Wildside show. Sapp impressed powerhouse wrestling promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and was signed on as a developmental talent.

Sadly for Sapp the WCW was bought out by rival powerhouse wrestling promotion World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Sapp was not a part of the deal. He continued his pro wrestling career for companies such as New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), making quite the name for himself in the Japanese pro wrestling circuit.

Sapp’s combat sports career began in K-1 kickboxing, where he amassed a professional record of 12-17. He also began mixed martial arts (MMA) in PRIDE with two straight wins. That didn’t last long, however, as Sapp began to struggle halfway through his career, suffering losses to the likes of Bobby Lashley, Rolles Gracie, and Aleksander Emelianenko.

He would end his career on a 13-fight loss streak, being finished in each of them. Not really Hall Of Fame worthy…….

5. Bam Bam Bigelow

Although he was one of the biggest names in the world of professional wrestling, Bam Bam Bigelow didn’t really make the big time in the realm of MMA.

The two-time WCW Tag Team champion and ECW World Heavyweight champion competed in professional wrestling for almost 20 years, and decided to try his hand in the sport of MMA in 1996 against Kimo Leopoldo. Bigelow lasted just over two minutes against Leopoldo before being submitted via rear-naked choke in the first round.

It was Bigelow’s first and only appearance inside an MMA cage, as he retired from combat sports competition with an 0-1 record. He is arguably one of the biggest names in the industry to have never been inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Unfortunately Bigelow passed away in January of 2007 due to an overdose. A mixture of cocaine and anti-anxiety drugs led to his death per an autopsy report.

4. Kid Kash

Another longtime professional wrestling veteran who decided to step into the real world of fighting is David Tyler Morton Cash, a.k.a ‘Kid Kash.’

Kash is a former WWE Cruiserweight champion and multiple time TNA champion, in addition to working for other promotions such as ECW, JCW, WWC, and the XWF. After winning a string of titles in various organizations, Kash decided to test the waters in MMA.

On March 21, 2008, Kash made his debut inside the cage at a local event in Frankfort, Kentucky, against Bryan Brown. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Despite his loss, Kash decided to try once more, and signed on to fight at Valor Fights 38 this past November.

Kash took on Lindsey Jones in Nashville, Tennessee, and only lasted 38 seconds before getting finished via TKO. After suffering his second consecutive loss inside the MMA cage Kash has yet to comment on his fighting future.

At the age of 47, however, it is safe to say that it is perhaps the last time we’ve seen Kash put on a pair of 4-ounce gloves and se to foot into a cage.

 

3. David Batista

‘The Animal’ Batista once tried his hand at MMA, and while he may have walked away from the sport, he never capitalized on the momentum.

Batista shot up rather quickly in the WWE after debuting in the legendary Evolution faction alongside Triple H and Ric Flair. After much success in the industry of pro wrestling he decided to attempt to mimic that success in MMA.

The former WWE World Heavyweight champion made his MMA debut against husky competitor Vince Lucero at CES MMA: Real Pain in October of 2012. He won the contest via first-round TKO with under a minute left in the round. After the fight, an extremely fatigued Batista got on the mic and claimed his opponent ‘hit like a f*cking horse’ and applauded him for his performance.

This was the first and only time Batista competed inside the cage. Given his size and athleticism, perhaps the former WWE champ could have had a successful career in the sport if he was trained by an engineer team. Batista had already set up a great foundation for a potential career in MMA, as he earned his purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Cesar Gracie.

Although he experienced early success, ‘The Animal’ never capitalized on the momentum from his first-round knockout debut, thus ruling his career as a failure.

 

2. Alberto Del Rio

Next up is a man who not only once sat atop the mountain of the WWE, but also shared the cage with MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop. Yeah……

Alberto Del Rio is a pro wrestling legend in his home country of Mexico, being a third generation wrestler in a Lucha Libre dynasty. Del Rio was extremely athletic as a child, competing in amateur wrestling, professional wrestling, and also MMA.

After finding out that fighting inside the cage could earn him a hefty paycheck aside from the gigs he was working as a pro wrestler in Mexico, Del Rio quickly signed a deal with DEEP. After going three for five in his career with DEEP, Del Rio got the call up to PRIDE and made his promotional debut against none other than Mirko Cro Cop.

He was knocked out by a vicious head kick after only 46 seconds. Del Rio would fight once more for PRIDE in a bout against Kazuhiro Nakamura, but lost via unanimous decision.

Del Rio then went on a six-fight win streak that included five submissions, but ended his career with a second round knockout loss to Yamamoto Hanshi in February of 2010.

Although Del Rio was able to muster up a six-fight win streak of lackluster talent for a period of time, he was never able to serve as true competition to the upper echelon of the sport.

1. CM Punk

You knew he was No. 1. Don’t act so surprised.

At least for now Punk serves as the poster boy for failed pro wrestlers turned mixed martial artists. After becoming one of the most loved stars in the WWE and winning multiple world titles with the company, Punk decided to walk away from Vince McMahon and the crew on very bad terms.

The split opened up the door for Punk to fulfill a lifelong dream of participating in MMA competition, as he signed a UFC deal in December of 2014. He dedicated two years of his life to prepare for his opponent at one of the most prestigious gyms in MMA today, Roufus Sport.

UFC President Dana White soon found a suitable contender to welcome Punk to the Octagon on his YouTube show “Dana White’s Looking For A Fight” in young welterweight Mickey Gall. Gall won his MMA debut while White was in attendance scouting talent, and got on the microphone to throw his name in the hat of possible candidates to step into the Octagon with Punk first.

Gall defeated Mike Jackson in his UFC debut last February to earn the opportunity to face Punk at a later date. Seven months later, Gall finally got the opportunity to get his hands on Punk at UFC 203, and it wasn’t pretty.

After immediately taking the former pro wrestler  star to the ground and pattering him with some ground-and-pound, Gall ended ‘The Cult Of Personality’s’ suffering with a rear-naked choke 2:14 into the first round.

Punk has expressed intense interest to get right back into the Octagon, but against athletes who have dedicated their whole lives to becoming the top unarmed combatants in the world, his chances are very slim, making him the most high-profile pro wrestler to fail at succeeding in he world of MMA.