MMA fighters entering the wrestling ring is a trend now. Some were wrestlers at one point, left the industry, and returned when the returning was good. Most of them are entering the business or training following the downturn of their MMA careers. There are new, larger draws now. There was one guy who really should’ve gotten into the ring a few years back: “The American Gangster” Chael Sonnen.
A couple of the guys joining now had their best periods during the 90s and 00s. You have Tito Ortiz at WWE’s Performance Center, Cain Velasquez doing whatever he’s doing at the moment with WWE, and Ken Shamrock returned to wrestling with Impact Wrestling last year. There’s also King Mo kicking off his second run in wrestling with Major League Wrestling—this time, actually wrestling.
Chael Sonnen Missed The Wrestling Boat
Or did he? According to Sonnen, he tried out for the WCW Power Plant back in 1998. It was a good time for wrestling but he picked the wrong promotion. The guys who came out of WCW’s Power Plant at that time would’ve made up the 1998-1999 class of talent.
Sonnen would’ve been saved by his height and probably wouldn’t have gotten lost in the booking at that time. In the late 90s, it would’ve been hard to find the perfect place for him to fit in where he could get in. ECW’s wrestling school or training at a private school would’ve been the likely path.
However, just imagining Sonnen coming out of the Power Plant is interesting. The late 2000s and 2010s was a period when he was a rising star in MMA. He had the skills, experience, and that extra umph: charisma.
This guy was the best part of UFC interviews for a few years. He could talk landfills of trash, he had the natural gift of gab. Like Muhammad Ali in boxing, his interviews were heavily influenced by wrestling interviews. They had to be, there’s no way you fight one to four times a year and have that much trash to talk on opponents, on the California state athletic commission, and so on.
Although Sonnen never made it into professional wrestling, we’ve gotten a few MMA fighters who entered the business and are better-rounded than that first generation that did the same. Matt Riddle in NXT, Tom Lawlor in MLW, Jack Gallagher, Ronda Rousey, and Shayna Baszler to name a few.
The What If Factor
Chael Sonnen, had he managed to enter wrestling any time between 2000 and 2005 could’ve had quite the career going forward. He would’ve probably would’ve retired early or would still be active and gone through WWE and Impact Wrestling at some point. Sonnen would’ve definitely been through Impact.
As a matter of fact, Sonnen in early TNA would’ve been interesting. We’re talking three years before he signs with UFC, he’s not exactly a name in MMA yet, and Shamrock bounced on the company. Having Chael Sonnen as that MMA heel and one that can talk on the mic? TNA would’ve had its first big star right there.
He wouldn’t even need to be good, just decent. Sonnen could’ve done it. Who knows, it’s late but it’s never too late. As I said, you have these veterans of the 90s and 00s MMA wars joining the industry and guys returning, Chael Sonnen between the ropes and in the ring isn’t totally impossible.
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