(Shoe of the future or electric razor of the future? You decide. Photo via Fighterxfashion.com)
Rampage Jackson. Rampage. Jaaacksson.
I keep repeating the name out loud, hoping to dredge up some semblance of the physical being who once inhabited that moniker, of the powerbombing, ref-pranking, good time-having brawler who was feared the world over, but all I’m left with are the memories of a bitter, perpetually lamenting transexual rapist and peddler of millipede-shaped death shoes. Tis a cruel mistress, this thing we call time.
Although we’ve had our fun mocking Page’s downward spiral from the sidelines over the years, we truly (and somewhat secretly) have been holding onto the hope that we would one day see the Rampage of old — the aforementioned jive-talking world-beater — back in action whenever he finally found a promotion that “appreciates him.”
Well good news, Potato Nation, as it appears that Rampage has finally found said promotion…in Bellator.
Ariel Helwani has the details:
According to those same sources, Jackson’s new deal will be similar to the one Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal signed with the promotion last year, which gave him the opportunity to appear on TNA Impact Wrestling programming on Spike TV. Jackson has flirted with the idea of pursuing a pro wrestling career in the past, and it seems as though he will soon get a chance to showcase himself as a sports entertainer.
Jackson’s Bellator debut has yet to be finalized, but a fall date appears to be a possibility. Bellator would not confirm the new contract when contacted by MMAFighting.com.
Ah, so Rampage got himself one of those fancy King Mo double-down deals we’ve heard so much about. How’s that been working out for old Mo, anyway?
The irony of this situation is overwhelming, to be quite honest — here’s a guy who has been complaining for years about the dirty, lowball shit the UFC has been pulling on him, and what does he do? Sign with the promotion that seemingly cannot go a week without having one of their own fighters publicly rake them over the coals for their repeatedly shady business practices. Surely a great deluge of grievances and accusations is upon us.
It has only been a handful of months since Jackson ended his UFC contract on a surprisingly high note at UFC on FOX 6 (despite the fact that he lost his third straight fight to Glover Teixeira, I should say), yet it feels like it has been an eternity since we have seen the Rampage we all came to know and love in the spotlight. While I think it’s safe to say that that Rampage is dead and buried, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued to see who Bellator pairs him off with first. Any other takers?