Tag: WWE

WWE Reaction to UFC 141: Did Brock Lesnar Lose on Purpose?

As everyone knows, Brock Lesnar got knocked out pretty fast in his comeback fight Friday night. In fact, it was like Brock wasn’t even fighting and instead it was a poorly trained clone. Almost immediately after his defeat Lesnar&nb…

As everyone knows, Brock Lesnar got knocked out pretty fast in his comeback fight Friday night. In fact, it was like Brock wasn’t even fighting and instead it was a poorly trained clone. 

Almost immediately after his defeat Lesnar announced during the pay-per-view telecast that he was retiring, and as many of you have read, since then people have been anticipating his return to World Wrestling Entertainment.

I actually wrote an article yesterday as to why the company or fans don’t need him back (from a business not a personal standpoint).

However, this article isn’t about whether he should return; it’s about the recent remarks made by the first Undisputed Champion, Chris Jericho.

Yesterday Jericho Tweeted:

“Lesnar just took a dive….”

Odds are Jericho is just working people and trying to get everyone off his back in regards to who the mystery man that will be returning tomorrow night on Raw. Plus, it’s Chris Jericho, this is what he does!

However lets just imagine for a second that Jericho wasn’t trying to blow smoke and actually might believe Lesnar took a dive. Hypothetically of course.

Anything is possible.

Lesnar is by no means old, but he sure has had a few rough years with his health and he’s not the dominate fighter he once was, he had a decent run for someone who entered the sport much later in life than most do and maybe he realized that he just didn’t need or want to continue to train 6-10 months a year for one fight that he could possibly lose and be a laughing stock. Maybe he realized that he could make much more money for a months work while being almost universally cheered and still looked at like a monster.

If you haven’t understood what I’m getting at, I’m saying maybe Lesnar took a dive to actually go back to the one place he seemed to hate…..professional wrestling.

The last six months seem way too coincidental and I don’t believe in coincidences.

In June, CM Punk mentions Brock Lesnar during his shoot promo.

In July, Dana White visited WWE HQ and had a meeting with Vince McMahon.

Lesnar then appeared in the new WWE 12 video game. This is the first time Lesnar had been associated with a WWE product in years.

Then during during a pre-fight press conference, Lesnar made some (in hindsight) interesting remarks where he said “Wrestling is fake” and “I am Brock Lesnar the UFC fighter.”

Just a few hours later he was Brock Lesnar the retired UFC fighter.

Now as I said, Jericho is probably just working everyone and he knew what he tweeted would go viral…and it did! But do you (the reader) think what he said has any merit to it? Do you think Brock took a dive so he could go make more money for one match then just disappear forever.

People will remember him much more as a dominate force if he goes back to WWE and destroys people compared to getting his butt kicked in UFC. No man likes to be remembered as someone who loses. 

 

Update:

It appears that I need to clarify the subject of the article because apparently some people have been getting upset and taking the idea of this article to the extreme.

This was just a scenario I put together, I never said Jericho was right or that Lesnar took a dive, it was all a hypothetical situation in which I asked you (the reader) to chime in and ask whether you thought it was possible.

What I wrote here was not my personal opinions, it was just a topic to get people to throw out ideas and talk. 

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Previewing Former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar’s UFC 141 Main Event Bout

Brock Lesnar is without a doubt one of the most polarizing, talented athletes that the WWE has ever seen on their roster.  Although he’s no longer a professional wrestler, Lesnar remains a major figure among wrestling fans, and tonight at UFC 141,…

Brock Lesnar is without a doubt one of the most polarizing, talented athletes that the WWE has ever seen on their roster.  

Although he’s no longer a professional wrestler, Lesnar remains a major figure among wrestling fans, and tonight at UFC 141, many of those fans will tune in due to his main-event match against Alistair Overeem. 

For some pro wrestling fans, an attraction to mixed martial arts is natural.  For others, it is viewed as competition to the WWE, and is therefore unwatchable.  Some are simply indifferent to MMA as a sport, period.  

In the case of Brock Lesnar, he brings all parties together.  A Brock Lesnar fight is an event not to be missed. 

Brock Lesnar captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship in his fourth professional MMA bout.  His size, athleticism, and most notably his amateur wrestling background allowed him to accomplish what was at the time, unthinkable.  

He successfully defended the heavyweight title twice, battering former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir in the historic main event of UFC 100, then returning from his first bout of diverticulitis to score an amazing second-round submission victory over Shane Carwin after nearly being stopped in the opening frame.  

Lesnar eventually lost the heavyweight championship to the highly regarded heavyweight, Cain Velasquez, at UFC 121 in October 2010.  His lack of experience in getting hit, and reacting appropriately had caught up to him, and he was stopped in the first round after taking a serious beating.  

A coaching stint on UFC’s reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter was cut short, as Lesnar’s diverticulitis wasn’t quite beaten.  He underwent surgery, and had foot of his colon removed.  

Finally, Brock Lesnar is back, the man himself and those around him claiming that he’s 100 percent after surgery, and better than ever.  However, the man greeting him back to the cage is just as big and bad as he is.  

Lesnar’s opponent at UFC 141 is Alistair Overeem, the Dream Heavyweight Champion, Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, and most notably, the 2010 K-1 World Grand Prix Champion.

Overeem is the first mixed martial artist to enter K-1, the premier kickboxing organization, and win a major title.  K-1 is home to the best strikers on the planet, and Alistair Overeem quickly established himself as more than capable of holding his own.  

Although Overeem’s K-1 World Grand Prix victory is the crown jewel of his kickboxing career, his greatest achievement in K-1 may be his first-round knockout of habitual bad boy and excellent kickboxer Badr Hari.  

“The Reem,” as Alistair Overeem is affectionately referred to by his fans, has amassed a 35-11-1 record, with 25 of those fights taking place in Japan.  Interestingly enough, the majority of Overeem’s career was spent fighting at Light Heavyweight (205 pounds).  

Overeem made the call to move to heavyweight full time when his record was 25-10, and weighed in yesterday at a lean, mean 263 pounds.  He’s not lost an MMA match since 2007, and is finally making his UFC debut. 

Tonight, fans can expect to see, literally, one of the biggest fights in UFC history.  Brock Lesnar won’t waste any time on the outside, and will avoid putting his chin at risk of being blasted by a punch, kick, or knee from Alistair Overeem.  

Lesnar’s primary goal will be to put Overeem on his back and neutralize his escapes and submission attempts.

That’s right, the Dutch kickboxing monster can grapple as well.  Overeem has a guillotine choke that would make Daniel Bryan envious.  Unfortunately for Lesnar, one of the most likely times to be caught in the guillotine choke is when one is shooting in for a take down.  

This is certainly something to keep an eye out for, but it’s hard to believe that Lesnar would be as careless as to overlook one of his opponent’s most effective tools.  

Then again, when wrestling instincts kick in after being rocked by a strike, keeping the threat of a guillotine in mind may be easier said than done.  

Overeem will look to avoid being pressed against the cage, and stuff takedowns constantly.  That factor does him no favors, as his striking assault will be limited, to avoid overextending and risking ending up on his back or in the clinch.  

Due to Lesnar’s two most recent performances, many are questioning his chin and ability to perform under fire.  It’s quite clear that Overeem’s path to victory is landing a flush strike, and capitalizing on Lesnar’s inexperience when it comes to fighting defensively while standing up.  

Fans, from hardcore to casual, from MMA to professional wrestling, will tune in to see if Brock Lesnar will be on the path to another UFC Championship, or if he’ll find himself picking up the pieces after another loss. 

We’re left with a compelling match up that has fans asking questions, and two fighters who will do their best to provide all the right answers to them.  

Interestingly enough, that’s what fans of either mixed martial arts or professional wrestling seek out of their choice of product on any given night.

Kaleb Kelchner is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, you can follow him on Twitter @kkelchner621 and find him covering all things WWE, as well as live blogging WWE Raw on Mondays and WWE pay-per-views in Bleacher Report’s WWE section.    

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UFC: Have the UFC and MMA Officially Eclipsed the WWE and Pro Wrestling?

The UFC is beginning to occupy the niche in American society that professional wrestling once had. What particular niche is that, you ask?Children and young teenagers used to look up to professional wrestlers as if they were the closest thing to r…

The UFC is beginning to occupy the niche in American society that professional wrestling once had. 

What particular niche is that, you ask?

Children and young teenagers used to look up to professional wrestlers as if they were the closest thing to real-life superheroes. 

There’s not a person alive who grew up in the ’90s who didn’t know about Hulk Hogan and didn’t heed his wise words about taking vitamins and saying prayers. 

Furthermore, what ’90s toybox was complete without a wrestling ring and hordes of wrestling figures?

Professional wrestling was on top of the earth. It was the “sport” that captivated the youth of the time period. 

Mixed martial arts is currently doing just that—and more. 

While the UFC’s image was once too brutal for children, this is changing. 

MMA fans with sharp memories will remember two children at the UFC 135 press conference in Denver. Their presence alone signified that the UFC product and brand had begun to pervade the youth. 

The UFC’s inroads into the niche occupied by professional wrestling can also be seen in another crucial area of both businesses: merchandising. 

The WWE was a trailblazer in the merchandising of professional wrestling. If it existed, Vince McMahon saw that a WWE logo was slapped on it and it was sold. From paper lunchbags to WWE-themed hockey games. 

The WWE is still king in this regard but the UFC is catching up and is light years ahead of where they were when Zuffa purchased the company in 2001. 

Is your kid a UFC fan? Then there are a multitude of action figures you can buy him/her and even a miniature Octagon playset that you can take on the road with you. For the parents looking to spend more money, you can purchase a cage bed for your little ankle-biter 

Outlandish characters like Chael Sonnen are also helping MMA transition into the role that professional wrestling once occupied. 

Sonnen’s antics have been compared to pro wrestling “heels” before and the comparison is a valid one (except Sonnen’s verbiage isn’t scripted). Look at the most recent Chael Sonnen shirt that has been made. Does that not remind you at least a little bit of something out of professional wrestling?

The truth is that while the professional wrestling industry and the WWE falter, MMA and the UFC continue to grow. 

Such a change is not to be maligned by UFC fans as it will signify that the UFC and MMA have truly taken their proper place in the American popular culture landscape.

The UFC and MMA are moving into the societal niche that the WWE and pro wrestling created.

Instead of kids looking up to Hulk Hogan and teens loving the wild antics of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, they will look up to Jon Jones and love the antics of men like and Nick Diaz; MMA fighters will become the rock stars of their time, just like the big pro wrestlers were.

 

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If Brock Lesnar Loses to Alistair Overeem, Should He Return to WWE Wrestling?

On December 30 2011, at UFC 141, Brock Lesnar will step into the octagon with the 6’5″ Alistair Overeem.It’s a battle between two of the UFC’s most massive fighters to determine who gets to battle Junior Dos Santos at a later date.For Lesnar, this figh…

On December 30 2011, at UFC 141, Brock Lesnar will step into the octagon with the 6’5″ Alistair Overeem.

It’s a battle between two of the UFC’s most massive fighters to determine who gets to battle Junior Dos Santos at a later date.

For Lesnar, this fight is a way for him to redeem himself after losing to Cain Velasquez 11 months ago. On the flip side of the coin his opponent, Alistair Overeem, is on a roll having won his last seven fights.

However, it is Brock who has more to gain—and more to lose—compared to Alistair.

A loss here for the former “Next Big Thing,” and his marketability as a UFC combatant takes a notable nosedive.

And if such a fate—being “engulfed” by the “Dutch Cyclone”— occurs, a return to wrestling, specifically the WWE, would be Lesnar’s best bet.

The biggest hurdle to Brock joining the WWE is Dana White, who has gone on record saying that, as long as his MMA moneymaker is under UFC contract, he is not permitted to wrestle.

Supposing either White has a change or heart or Lesnar fulfills all of his obligations with the UFC, a WWE comeback should be right around the corner.

Reasons for returning to Vince McMahon’s empire include the fact that Brock has already begun the reconciliation process; he would likely be able to negotiate a part-time schedule that does not burn him out; his WWE contract would be a lucrative one backed by incentives; he’d have a multitude of new feuds at his disposal; and lastly, he would be promoted as perhaps the top draw in the company.

First, as many are aware, Lesnar is in the new WWE ’12 video game—even going so far as to film a commercial—which marks the first time he’s had any relationship with the WWE since WrestleMania XX. As Lesnar himself mentions in an ESPN interview: “It’s an honor to be back. You know, I never had any really true hard feelings for WWE. I think there’s some mutual respect between the both of us…”

Asked if he would ever go back to the WWE for one more match, Lesnar admits he and Vince should one day be able to go over a “game plan” that would outline his homecoming.

Certainly, the most important requirement for Lesnar to get in the wrestling ring again—besides Dana White signing off on it—is the willingness to make amends. The fact that Brock has openly accepted the possibility is paramount to any return.

Next, if he does recline at a desk with Vince McMahon and discuss donning the wrestling trunks again, Lesnar probably has the clout at this point to negotiate a contract with a limited number of dates.

As it has been chronicled in the past, one of the prime reasons for Lesnar’s departure in 2004 was the incessant traveling and overall wear and tear that his body endured from the daily grind.

A part-time schedule a la The Undertaker, Mick Foley and Shawn Michaels (before he retired), should be a strong possibility—and incentive—for the former WWE and UFC heavyweight champion.

The third reason to join the WWE would be a contract that would arguably make Brock the highest paid performer in the organization. Even coming off a loss wouldn’t detract or take away from the Minnesota-native being a household name.

In addition to his downside guarantee, Brock would take a meaty cut of merchandising profits bearing his likeness—as well as be given, potentially, the biggest slice of pay-per-view pie. It doesn’t take a clairvoyant to figure Brock would unequivocally be an elite main-event player upon his return.

Furthermore, a very tempting reason to lace up his wrestling boots again would be the plethora of potential feuds on his plate with both active and retired superstars.

The current WWE star that would have dibs on a bout with Brock would be The Undertaker, who tried to create some hype around a possible WrestleMania 28 match following the Velasquez fight in October 2010 before fate intervened, causing it to be placed on the back burner.

Nonetheless, according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the publicized confrontation between Brock and Undertaker was staged as both were interested in working with each other, but were unable to once Dana White put his foot down.

Besides The Undertaker, Brock has a program lined up with Steve Austin after making comments about “The Rattlesnake” ducking him during their tenure in the WWE together. The incendiary revelation instigated a Twitter “war” between the two that is likely be business driven, not personal, similar to The Undertaker incident.

Last but not least, the primary reason for Brock to reappear on Raw or SmackDown would be the likelihood that he would be promoted as one of the top draws in the company because, quite frankly, he has history on his side.

Lesnar is largely responsible for four of the seven UFC pay-per-views to garner over one million buys. Just to put this in perspective, only one of WWE’s pay-per-views per year—if that—attract as many buyers. For instance, WrestleMania 28, thanks to The Rock, was the first ‘Mania in four years to surpass the one million threshold.

Additionally, a loss against Overeem at UFC 141 would not undermine Lesnar’s credibility as a no-nonsense tough guy in the world of professional wrestling. In fact, his background as a university wrestling champion, and now a former UFC champion, would be enough to legitimize the 34-year-old as a viable commodity. He would be the antithesis of John Cena, for example, who lacks legitimacy in the eyes of many fans.

The WWE has always thrived on incorporating athletes with successful sports backgrounds into their product, be it Mark Henry, Kurt Angle or Ken Shamrock.

Lesnar would be the quintessence of the athlete turned wrestler except, in his case, it would be for the second time.

Brock Lesnar: The WWE sequel would undoubtedly be bigger, badder and better than the first go-around.

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WWE’s CM Punk: Triple H Doesn’t Get MMA, UFC Is Evolving and Is a WWE Competitor

WWE superstars CM Punk and Triple H have two drastically different views on the UFC and the entire sport of mixed martial arts. It was only last week that Triple H was quoted as saying that he believed that the UFC needed to evolve, but that the WWE di…

WWE superstars CM Punk and Triple H have two drastically different views on the UFC and the entire sport of mixed martial arts.

It was only last week that Triple H was quoted as saying that he believed that the UFC needed to evolve, but that the WWE did not. But CM Punk had an answer for the man who defeated him on Sunday night’s WWE Night of Champions in their no-disqualification match-up.

“Triple H just doesn’t get mixed martial arts. He doesn’t watch it either,” Punk told MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani. I think he’s missing the picture that UFC is evolving. There’s only one other sport entity in the world that has production rights to their own material on network and that’s the NFL. UFC has just bartered a huge deal [with FOX]. That’s evolution.”

In addition to Punk’s belief that the UFC is evolving already, he was also in disagreement with Triple H on the point that WWE does not need to evolve themselves.

“I think that’s absolutely insane,” Punk proclaimed. “Any human being, any business, any sport needs to constantly evolve. I’m not a big football guy, but look at the NFL, they’re constantly evolving. Whether it’s good or it’s bad, they’re evolving. And if you don’t evolve, you die.”

The WWE has taken quite a bit of criticism from fans and analysts in recent years because of their lack of evolution. It has become so bad, in fact, that many believe that the large drop-off in viewers that the WWE has sustained over the past 10 years can largely be credited to fans leaving the pro wrestling organization to begin watching the UFC.

“UFC is entertainment. WWE is entertainment,” Punk said. “And regards to people spending their money on it. It’s definitely a competition. I think the way things are in our economy, there’s a billion pay-per-views between UFC, [other MMA pay-per-views] and the WWE, we’re competing for each other’s dollars, absolutely.”

While Punk disagrees with Triple H who doesn’t believe that the UFC is a competitor, he also believes that every other form of entertainment is a competitor.

“I wouldn’t say [MMA has] ‘hurt’ us, I think that might be a little harsh of a term, but to deny that UFC is our competition is a little ridiculous,” Punk told MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani. “Cirque du Soleil is our competition. Mad Men and Breaking Bad is our competition. I think everything that people spend their time on and their money on is our competition and to blatantly say that mixed martial arts has no bearing on what’s good or bad in our business, is silly. It’s closed-minded. You’re putting a band-aid on a gunshot wound.”

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It’s Time to Play the Game: Examining Triple H’s Smack Talk About the UFC

I did it at least nine times. How else would I inherit his empire?

By Jason Moles

Last week MMA Fighting reported that Paul Levesque, better known as Triple H, real life son-in-law of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, said he thought the UFC should evolve like the pro wrestling juggernaut has, “because quite frankly sometimes the fights are long and boring, guys lying around and sometimes the fights are fast and over in five seconds.”

Is “The Game” right? Does it matter? Before we pass judgment on his comments, let’s take a quick look at a few specific examples he gave for his opinion, then weigh the pros and cons of leaning too far towards Entertainment or Winning.

I did it at least nine times. How else would I inherit his empire?

By Jason Moles

Last week MMA Fighting reported that Paul Levesque, better known as Triple H, real life son-in-law of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, said he thought the UFC should evolve like the pro wrestling juggernaut has, “because quite frankly sometimes the fights are long and boring, guys lying around and sometimes the fights are fast and over in five seconds.”

Is “The Game” right? Does it matter? Before we pass judgment on his comments, let’s take a quick look at a few specific examples he gave for his opinion, then weigh the pros and cons of leaning too far towards Entertainment or Winning.

“[They should] give more of an entertainment standpoint. Give more form; they just have fighters who walk in in T-shirts and shorts and just stand there and then they fight and then they win and then they go ‘thanks, I’d like to thank my sponsors’ and then they leave. The whole world was up in arms when Brock was flipping people off and was cussing at the beer company because they didn’t give him any money. The whole world was talking about it. They couldn’t wait to see him get beat up. And then he did well, and he beat some guys and then people jump on his bandwagon going ‘Brock’s the greatest.’”

It appears that Hunter has taken a few too many chair shots over the years and has become quite confused. You see, his comments do not reflect a desire to see the UFC evolve — rather he would have them take a page out of Vinnie Mac’s script and add a bunch of fabricated drama to invoke human interest so the audience will become emotionally invested in the product.

His only valid point was the comments made about boring fights. Would you not agree? Dana White certainly does. Remember that interview with SI.com when they asked him if it’s a fighter’s job to entertain or just win fights.

Sure. But you’ve got to be exciting! If all we cared about was guys winning fights, you know how many wrestlers could just go lay on a guy? There are tons of wrestlers that could do that. I don’t know. Do you think we’d be talking about all these big plans and all the exciting things that we’re going to be doing if that was the case? I mean, that’s a pretty stupid question. If somebody really asks that question, you’d have to look at them and go, “Are you stupid?” Seriously, it’s a really dumb question.

Hear that Mr. Game? You’re preaching to the choir.

Why do most fighters fight? Money. How can they make more money? Winning, bonuses, and sponsorships. How do these streams of cash grow? Higher TV Ratings and increased PPV buy rates — essentially, you need more people watching your product. How do you get more people to watch your product? Be exciting, which means, according to the average MMA fan, you need to KO your opponent or get them to tap out. Whatever you do, it has to be fast-paced and explosive. Easy enough, right?

What happens if a fighter’s goal is solely to entertain the crowd and look for the Knockout of the Night bonus? We laugh at his attempts to defeat better opposition — guys who actually have a gameplan and well-rounded skill-set, and know more than what they learned in Mike Tyson’s ‘Punch-Out!’. Does this hypothetical slugger have a tendency to give us highlight-reel material from time to time? Sure. But you won’t see him in the main event anytime soon [Ed. note: well…] because although he’s an exciting guy to watch, his skills can only take him so far up the contender ladder. So much for that cash flow increasing.

Conversely, we have “safe” fighters whose only objective is to win, good, bad, or ugly…and it’s usually the latter two. When these guys fight, the numbers don’t suddenly jump off the charts. No one says, “I am pumped to see Jon Fitch fight again,” since the only thing he seems to care about is getting a ‘W’ and that paper. If he only understood that laying someone the eff out would garner him much more money than merely violating him for fifteen minutes, we’d all be winners.

So how do we deal with this contradiction? Should fighters fight to get a win at all costs, even if it means hearing a roar of boos as you smother your opponent for three rounds, or should you call your shot as you step up to the plate, swinging for the fences the entire bout hoping you drop him before he drops you?

So since Triple H brought it up, let’s talk about “evolution,” and what it means in this sport. The UFC has grown and adapted to the changes in our culture by adding rules, protective gear, and a referee. As the organization continued to grow, it became more corporate, breaking away from its blue collar, blood-thirsty past. Dana White and the Fertittas will continue to allow the UFC to evolve, just as the sport of mixed martial arts itself did. Remember when it was a fight between a karate guy and a boxer, fighting to see which style was superior? Now we have guys who can do it all — or at least all that is necessary to eke out a win — squaring off to determine which fighter, not style, is king.

In the end, the only thing that matters is that everyone is satisfied. White wants to be satisfied with the success of the UFC which is ultimately dependent upon its fighters, who want to be satisfied with what they are paid, which largely depends on the fans — who really just want to be satisfied with how enjoyable the fights are. So I just have to ask, ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!