Many of WWE’s superstars hailed from other wrestling promotions, and then decided to move on to the biggest name in the industry once the opportunity came. Others were part of other fighting promotions, and waited patiently for a call from the company, or made the move themselves.
Some wrestlers even decided to move on to other ventures and companies after their time with the WWE. Today you’ll find top wrestlers John Cena and Dwayne Johnson dazzle on the silver screen, Stone Cold and Goldberg host their own Podcasts, and Trish Stratus runs her own yoga studio.
Similarly, many wrestlers have either come from a background of Mixed Martial Arts, or gone into the sport after entering the squared circle. Lets take a look at some wrestlers who either came from an MMA background, or have gone into the MMA world after moving on from wrestling.
The record of each wrestler’s professional MMA career is stated below their names in the following order:
Matches – Wins – Losses – No Contest/No Result
#10 CM Punk
2-0-2-0
After parting ways with the WWE in 2014, Punk announced that he had signed a multi-fight contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). In 2015 after months of training, it was announced that Punk would compete under the welterweight division.
He made his MMA debut on September 10 2015, and lost his first match at 2:14 of the first round. His second professional fight took place on June 9 2018, and he lost the fight via unanimous decision. After the bout, UFC president Dana White announced that Punk would probably never fight for the UFC again, though he’s still under contract for the promotion.
#9 Dave Batista
1-1-0-0
Batista is famously known for his time as a bodybuilder, wrestler for the WWE, and now a Hollywood star. However, he too announced in 2010 that he would be embarking on an MMA career.
Batista made his MMA debut in 2012, and fought Vince Lucero after his original opponent pulled out. Batista went on to win his first and only MMA fight in the first round of the match. He hasn’t returned to the octagon since, and at almost 50 years of age, it seems unlikely he will do so, unless a lucrative prospect comes along.
#8 Sonya Deville
3-2-1-0
Sonya Deville can be seen in the WWE trying to make a name for herself. Before joining the WWE, Sonya had some MMA experience, as she took part in 3 professional fights between 2014 and 2015 at a very young age.
She won two of her three fights, one via submission and the other via TKO, and lost her only fight by decision. Sadly, Sonya has not been able to shine brightly during her time with the WWE, but we hope that her fortune changes soon, and she gets some much needed spotlight.
#7 Shinsuke Nakamura
5-3-1-1
Shinsuke Nakamura is currently one of the best heels on the blue brand. After having become a two-time NXT Champion, he enjoyed a lot of success even before joining the WWE.
Between 2002 and 2004, Nakamura tried his hand at Mixed Martial Arts in Japan. He lost his first ever professional fight to Daniel Gracie by submission in 2002. However, he managed to be successful in his subsequent matches, winning the next two, with the fourth being a no contest, which was won by him later on in a recontest.
Nakamura has a decent record, and judging by his unorthodox wrestling method, we can see where he picked most of his maneuvers from.
#6 Rezar
8-6-2-0
“The Albanian Psycho” Rezar is one-half of the Authors of Pain. Before stepping into the squared-circle, Rezar was a man of the octagon. He was active as an MMA fighter from 2012-2014.
The 6’3” 265lbs demolition machine joined Golden Glory, and had 6 wins in eight matches. The fighter took his art to central Europe, the UK, and fought his last in the United States. At just 24 years of age, there are chances of Rezar taking a step back into the octagon, if the WWE does not reward his talent.
#5 Jack Gallagher
2-2-0-0
Currently known as Gentleman Jack on WWE’s cruiserweight division 205 Live, Jack is much more talented than you’d think. Believe it or not, he has two MMA matches under his belt, and he won both bouts via submission in the very first round.
He continued with his form into the WWE, and qualified for the Cruiserweight Classic by making the current United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne tap-out in a qualifier match.
#4 Brock Lesnar
9-5-3-1
Fighting in the heavyweight division currently, Lesnar first tried his hands at professional football out of the WWE, but found MMA as his home. He started off in 2006, joining Hero’s to further his career.
Soon afterward, he signed on to the famous Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2008, and stayed with the company for three years. Lesnar lost his debut match in the UFC, but has since managed to win 5 fights, and became the UFC Heavyweight Champion in 2009.
During his tenure with the UFC, Lesnar battled with an illness which caused him to stay away from the octagon for months, and caused him trouble during his fights. He initially retired from the MMA in 2011 and subsequently returned to the WWE. However, Lesnar is yet again planning to return to the UFC and challenge the current UFC Heavyweight Champion.
#3 Bobby Lashley
17-15-2-0
Lashley has been a part of many mixed martial arts bouts in the heavyweight division. Beginning his career in 2008 at the Mixed Fighting Alliance (MFA), Lashley has an impressive record of 15 wins in 17 matches, which include 4 knockouts.
The Dominator has been a part of multiple MMA promotions during the past decade, and has fought some of the biggest names in the sport. Currently signed with the WWE again, there remains little doubt that Lashley will go back to MMA at some point in his career.
#2 Shayna Baszler
26-15-11-0
She’s currently one of the most unforgiving women in the WWE, and is making a huge name for herself in the development brand of the company. Shayna was trained by the former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett, and later by Ronda Rousey.
The 38-year-old began her MMA career in 2006, and lost her first fight. From then onward, Shayna managed to have quite an impressive MMA record, scoring 15 wins in 26 fights. In August 2013, she was the first woman to be picked by Ronda Rousey in the UFC to be on her team for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs Team Tate.
After not doing too well with the UFC, Shayna was released from the company in 2015, and she moved on to build a professional wrestling career.
#1 Ronda Rousey
14-12-2-0
The Olympic bronze medalist Ronda Rousey is one of the most famous names in the Mixed Martial Arts world. She made her debut as an amateur in 2010, and won her first match in 23 seconds through submission. She won her next two matches in 57 seconds, and 24 seconds respectively.
She later signed on to Strikeforce in 2011, and won the Women’s Bantamweight Championship in 2012 after dislocating her opponent’s elbow through her signature armbar. This led to her becoming the first woman fighter to sign with the UFC.
After some impressive victories to defend her title, she won her fight against Zingano with an armbar in 14 seconds, marking the shortest match in UFC championship history. In November 2015, Ronda had her first loss, and lost her championship to Holly Helm. She later retired from MMA, and moved on to the WWE to begin her wrestling career.
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