Pro wrestlings influence in MMA

MMAIRELANDFAN

Interested in more knowledge on MMA been influenced by PW?

I read back some old threads on the MMA forum and there totally opposed to the fact that MMA came from Pro Wrestling in Japan

A thread like this over there would be beat down

Even now Brock is 1 of the best MMA fighters in the world.

PW to MMA is a natural progression

Discuss please.

jaykhunter

Before I start, I have to get this out of the way :

Please refrain from saying things like "PW to MMA is a natural progression" and the like because people here, who watch wrestling, don't appreciate the condescending tone that phrase suggests. I'm not saying you meant it like that (I can tell you didn't!). Just because MMA is hot right now and shares many similarities to wrestling doesn't mean we should leave 'our' sport for 'your' real one. (I realise that is also an argumentative phrase but please don't take it that way). MMA is there if we want it. We love wrestling.

---

Right! Back on track....
MMA (well, I'll say UFC) is heavily influenced by current pro-wrestling but yes, the idea of different disciplines (eg Wrestler vs Boxer) can be seen in Japanese wrestling; there being many wrestlers that have crossed over to MMA and vice-versa (eg Kazushi Sakuraba; who wrestled in New Japan and fought in UFC and Pride, amongst others); but also wrestling in the late 70s and early 80s (Inoki vs Ali; Piper vs Mr T).

Things UFC has in common with WWE :
(At least) Monthly Pay Per Views.
Showcasing two characters and a reason to fight
Smack talk
Emphasis on promo packages
TV Production values
Specific entrance themes
Showmanship : Highlighting more spectacular/entertaining fighters rather than boring/calculated ones

Having watched WrestleMania 1/2 recently, I noted some similarities between it and MMA :
Boxer vs Wrestler
Lighting the ring and not the crowd
Post-match ring announcements

All in all i think Dana has taken all the best aspects of pro-wrestling and incorporated into his company; and the phrase "UFC is doing pro-wrestling better than pro-wrestling" can certainly be applied. He's taken cues from the visionary Vince McMahon; and deserves all the congratulations he gets.

riffmongous

Well remember there is a big difference between the American mma style popularised by the UFC and the Japanese style which has far more in common with pro wrestling.

Japanese mma grew out of pro-wrestling, the early organisations like Pancrase and RINGS were set up by pro-wrestlers having legitimate matches with undetermined outcomes. Certain styles of Japanese pro-wrestling used a 'hard' style already, which basically means legitimately hitting your opponent, but the finish of the fight is still pre-determined. So a lot of wrestlers were legitimate fighters themselves, or 'Shooters', and because of this the line between mma and pro-wrestling wasn't very clear. Undetermined and determined fights could be held at the same event (RINGS I think).

So when you look at the roster in the early years of Pride, a lot of wrestlers featured since they were some of the most experienced fighters around,Shoji and Fujita being some of the most notable. Eventually most of these retired though, and the link became less noticeable. But when you look at recent Japanese mma events you can still see the production influence, the use of a ring rather than cage, ceremonies, entrances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwSSa-IOMAM

drayme

MMAIRELANDFAN wrote: »

I read back some old threads on the MMA forum and there totally opposed to the fact that MMA came from Pro Wrestling in Japan

lol quite the bunch of historians over there.

Justin Ternet

'Worked' Pro wrestling was derived from legit catch style grappling. It started off as a way for athletes to protect themselves from broken limbs and give a better show to the punters.
As pro wrestlin evolved into the 'sports entertainment' spectacular it is now things have come full circle. MMA might have happened without pro wrestling but I cant imagine it being half as popular. It uses the lights camera and action style of pro wrestling which makes for a more enjoyable product.
Hell if it wasn't for pro wrestling would there have been Gladiators or Robot wars? I wouldn't want to live in a world lke that.

Charisteas

Are there any Irish MMA feds?

flahavaj

MMAIRELANDFAN wrote: »

I read back some old threads on the MMA forum and there totally opposed to the fact that MMA came from Pro Wrestling in Japan

A thread like this over there would be beat down

Then they haven't a clue about the hostory of ths sport they claim to be fans of.

drayme

flahavaj wrote: »

Then they haven't a clue about the hostory of ths sport they claim to be fans of.

Not for the lack of coverage either. At one stage you couldn't move online due to the glut of articles, blogs and podcasts covering the influence and shared history.

You can draw your own conclusions why amateur practitioners wouldn't like to acknowledge fake Pro Wrestling.

MMAIRELANDFAN

Charisteas wrote: »

Are there any Irish MMA feds?

I dont get this?

flahavaj wrote: »

Then they haven't a clue about the hostory of ths sport they claim to be fans of.

Nail hit on the head.

Are they embarrassed to admit the link?

or is it just ignorance?

gimmick

^ Its both really. Some know but will not acknowledge it, others are just schollyard morons who used to love shouting "wrestling is fake".

I dont get this?

I presume he means Irish based MMA clubs/shows, which there are many.

drayme

http://video.aol.com/video/josh-barnett-open-workout-wrestling-video/1482401428

Check out the 3.25 mark

CMpunked

drayme wrote: »

http://video.aol.com/video/josh-barnett-open-workout-wrestling-video/1482401428

Check out the 3.25 mark

he cuts a better promo than some wwe wrestlers!

drayme

CMpunked wrote: »

he cuts a better promo than some wwe wrestlers!

For those who don't know he plagerised this famous promo by Dusty Rhodes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxC3oAD1iUg

youllneverknow

Brock lesnar didnt start off in professional wrestling he started wrestling in college. he was a pretty good wrestler in college so he has a good base for mma all he had to do was work on his stand up... if he tried some pro wrestling moves in the cage he would get destroyed.

CMpunked

youllneverknow wrote: »

if he tried some pro wrestling moves in the cage he would get destroyed.

which is obviously why he doesnt..

drayme

He should though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwKpzKZOpe4

riffmongous

drayme wrote: »

He should though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwKpzKZOpe4

I saw this vid a few days ago, I think some of the moves are labelled wrongly and I can think of a few better german suplex examples but its still pretty good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzk66VwinCc