Makin The Tag - Pro Wrestling BAD, Mixed Martial Arts GOOD
Submitted by Krueges on Saturday, November 16, 2002 at 2:38 PM EST





For twenty years I have been a fan of professional wrestling. Twenty years is a long time. However, I have lately found myself drifting away from professional wrestling. While my interest in professional wrestling has steadily decreased over the past two years, my interest in mixed martial arts (MMA) competitions has grown exponentially. I’ve seen reports from time to time claiming that Vince McMahon is a little worried about the growing popularity of MMA especially UFC, and I can honestly see why.

I can’t speak for anyone but myself, but I do enjoy watching UFC, Pride, and K 1 MMA competitions much more than professional wrestling match. After watching pro wrestling for so long, anyone can figure out how a match is going to go, where the false finishes are, what spots are left, and usually how the match is going to end. It’s like watching the same movie over and over again, nothing ever changes. When it comes to MMA, if you blink you may regret it whether you are a fan or a competitor. Matches have and can end that quickly. The complete level of unpredictability in those MMA matches make them all the better to watch.

Pro wrestling also likes to always flaunt a couple of its talents as being true badasses. I don’t care about how big and bad people think Taker is, he wouldn’t last 2 minutes against a MMA fighter. Then again, hardly anyone in professional wrestling could. Aside from MMA actually being real, the training and conditioning that the fighters go through for a match would break someone like Triple H. I have a lot more respect for a MMA fighter. They are truly the new f’n show and a lot of people are beginning to take notice of that.

Now there have been some fighters who have gone back and forth between MMA and professional wrestling. Some of those include greats such as Dan “The Beast” Severn, Don “The Predator” Frye, and Ken Shamrock. Their legitimacy was never fully used by American professional wrestling organizations. Most MMA fighters who have been successful in pro wrestling have done so over in Japan. Of course, that is an entirely different presentation of professional wrestling.

Recently, UFC has been taking notes and ideas from WWE. The flagship of UFC, “The Huntington Beach Badboy” Tito Ortiz has an entrance that not only rivals but also surpasses that of any professional wrestler. The use of the big screen, flames, and Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” blows away anything that you will ever see. But it also wasn’t that long ago that Kurt Angle borrowed a page out of the MMA playbook by locking Taker in a triangle choke to defend against the Last Ride.

Rarely are there any storylines involved in MMA other than two men fighting each other who really hate each other. On November 22 one of the most anticipated UFC matches will be taking place as Ken Shamrock returns to the Octagon to face a man he has neither love or respect for in Tito Ortiz. If you’ve never seen any MMA competitions, I highly suggest ordering UFC 40: Vendetta on pay per view on November 22. After watching that, you will more than likely be hooked.

There is simply no comparison between the scripted world of professional wrestling and the face paced unpredictable world of mixed martial arts competition. Are you tired of watching WWE matches being able to predict 99.9% of what is going to happen in each match? Are you tired of counting spots to see how much long a match is going to go on? Are you tired of watching guys finish people off by dropping an elbow or a leg? Do you want to watch something different? Then all you have to do is watch a match featuring a member of the Gracie family. All it takes is a quick arm bar or triangle choke out of nowhere to capture your attention and make you go “Holy shit”. Sure, the Rock Bottom looks devastating * Cough * Cough * it doesn’t * Cough * Cough * but watch Mark “The Hammer” Coleman or “Big Daddy” Gary Goodridge tear someone apart with the good old “ground and pound” tactic. If you are looking for an alternative to professional wrestling, then I suggest you take a look at UFC or Pride Fighting Championships.

If you’ve seen any MMA competitions before, send in your thoughts about what you though of it. Personally, there isn’t anything that can even come close to it in my book. When it comes to pro wrestling, it used to be said that it only takes 3 seconds to beat a man. In MMA a choke out or submission hold can end a match a hell of a lot faster and it’s a lot more spectacular to watch.

On a closing note, I would just like to mention that LoP’s Mr. Tito has never been seen in the same place with “The Huntington Beach Badboy” Tito Ortiz… Is this just a coincidence or…






Krueges




 












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