Written by JoeyAt75

With Brock Lesnars dominant performance in the octagon at UFC 100, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the WWE’s other athletes who could legitimately make the leap from the squared circle. Some UFC fans may scoff, but these athletes are some of the best in the world and you may need to watch out if they do decide to enter the “real” fighting world.

Jack Swagger

Just 3 years removed from being an All-American at Oklahoma University, Swaggers youth would serve him mightily if he were to go to into MMA. Swaggers legit size of 6-5 260lbs would serve him well in the world of real fighting. From what we’ve seen of him in the WWE he certainly posses the quickness and agility that is rarely seen men as big as he is.

Another thing to consider with Swagger is that wrestling career at Oklahoma did not begin until he was Sophmore. He originaly played for the Sooners football team where he was a 2nd string DT behind two current NFL players. The ability to transition into wrestling at such a high level shows that he has the acumen to learn and adapt, a pre requisite for an MMA career.

If you were to grade all the neccesary skils for one to make it in MMA, I believe that his brains, youth and athletic ability make Jack Swagger the most viable Pro Wrestler in the buisness today to achieve success in the sport.

Shelton Benjamin

A two-time All-American Heavyweight Wrestler at The University Of Minnesota, Benjamin is one of the few remaining “Pro Wrestlers” with such collegiate accolades, so the transition into MMA would likely be less daunting for him than the majority of pro wrestlers today. In addition to his collegiate wrestling and coaching expertise he was also a Junior National Track Champion, which while not directly relating to an MMA skillset does further highlite his athletic prowess.

Clearly an explosive and agile athlete, Benjamin is also 9 years removed from the world of everyday athletic competition so the transistion would likely not be quite as easy as it was for Lesnar. On the other hand, his close relationship with the current UFC Heavyweight Champion would certainly give him the in needed to train with the best of the best and help expedite his growth as an all around MMA fighter.

His billed weight of 248 is probably a good 20-30 pound exageration but if we are to assume that he could make Heavyweight he certainly would bring a speed and agility to the division that could negate what one would assume would be a less than extensive striking background. If he were to drop to under 205lbs one could certainly envision a battle of “Sugar” Rashad Evans and “Sweet” Shelton Benjamin.

The Big Show

Obviously a long shot but The Big Show has an enormous size that would be hard to move around and a base knowledge of boxing that could help him in a legitimate fighting competition. Another note is that we’ve all seen him take a shot from a world class boxer and shake it off with relative ease.

Could Big Show survive in an MMA fight against anything other than a low level fighter? Probably not. But that being said if his stand up ability is above average it would be awfully hard for an opponent to do much with him. At nearly 500 pounds though the point is fairly moot as I don’t think any commision in the US would sanction him to fight. Of course he could always go to Japan and fight Bob Sapp, and who wouldn’t dish out some yen to see that?

William Regal

An interesting case study in that the man has a reputation for stretching people much larger and stronger than him as well as having a legit street fighting/brawling background. Generaly considered one of the tougher men in Pro Wrestling, Regal seems to have a knowledge of ground grappling and submission ability that few in the fake sport have.

His age (41) and lack of any proper training would be a major hinderance but as I said, even his rudimentary, street taught prowess have served his repuation well enough that I could easily see him adapting and learning enough in MMA training to be at least a passable Mixed Martial Artist.

John Cena

A division III All-American Center in college, Cena does come from a real athletic background. His time spent in the world of pro bodybuilding and his degree in Physiology suggest that Cena has a world class understanding of training and getting the most out of your body which likely explains his legitimate world renowned natural strength (Cena has never used steroids).

Watching him in the WWE it has become clear that Cena clearly puts everything he has into his job, and if he were to attempt the transition to MMA with the same heart and passion he has put into his WWE career it would not be safe to bet against him succeeding.

One would have to imagine that the same arms and shoulders that have pressed to 500lb Big Show over his head could generate an amazing power in the striking game. One could also assume that even the top submission experts in the world would have a hard time dealing with is inate tendon strength, making most upper body locks and manipulations useless against the Massachussets native.

The only clear detriment to an MMA career for the Superstar would be his seemingly at times clumsiness but with the proper training and strict discipline of a world class training camp Cena could easily become the man to step up and challenge Brock Lesnar, in fact one might suggest that Cena is the only athlete today with the superhuman strength to counter the sheer size and power of Lesnar.

Who do you think could make the transition? CM Punk? The Great Khali? Santino? SID? Post below!