10 Times WWE Moves Have Been Used In MMA
Ronda Rousey might have known more about professional wrestling than she initially thought...
With Ronda Rousey signing her WWE contract on Sunday at Elimination Chamber, 'WWE' and 'UFC' have been said many times in the same sentence by a lot of different people over the past few days.
It's no real surprise that Ronda has made the move to work for Vince McMahon because professional wrestling and mixed martial arts are one in the same - current WWE Universal and former UFC World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar told me so.
During a televised interview close to the last time his WWE contract was coming to an end in 2015, The Beast claimed that Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White are promoting the same thing while also using the same business model. If Brock thinks that's enough to categorise them in the same bracket, I'm sure as hell not going to argue with him - he might hurt me.
Let me indulge you in a few examples of when the action that takes place inside of an Octagon and squared circle have got themselves lost down the years - who knows, Ronda might be able to add a thing or two to her arsenal after reading this... she's a HUGE fan of Cultaholic, didn't you know?
(If I've missed any high profile examples here, please direct your complaints to @AdamPacitti on Twitter. He'd be more than happy to deal with your grievances.)
https://youtu.be/TOLpJ63cusA?t=21s
Move over Kevins Nash and Owens, Rampage Jackson can show you a thing or two about hitting a variation of the Powerbomb. There's little wonder the man who goes by Quinton ended up in the squared circle for TNA after seeing undeniable professional wrestling prowess like this.
Jackon's picture perfect Powerbomb - try and say that five times quickly, I dare you - took place at PRIDE Critical in 2004, with Ricardo Arona the unlucky recipient.
Some - and by that I mean those who have the insatiable need to see our favourite professional wrestlers really hurt themselves - argue that most of the Powerbombs we see in wrestling these days look too comfortable a move to take. They see the person hitting the move protecting the person they're hitting the move on - as well they should be - and don't like it. Hopefully, those people see the devastation on display during Rampage's rendition and then SHUT THE HELL UP.
Don't think this move was Rampage extracting the Michael from his opponents here either. Arona was one of PRIDE's better fighters at the time which makes this professional wrestling move being used in what, on paper at least, looked like being a competitive legitimate fight all the more awesome.
Of course this move has been used in MMA - it's downright savage when executed correctly. Being kicked in the face really hurts, so there's no surprise to see a couple of high profile examples of Shawn Michaels' patented finisher being used inside the Octagon in recent times.
Firstly, Kevin Wirth blasted Isaiah Gutierrez with the sole of his foot at LFA 33 (above) which resulted in the fight being stopped. Then, at UFC Fight Night 126, James Vick hit Francisco Trinaldo outta nowhere with a SCM - a move that even Michaels himself complimented on Twitter.
Why are these people hitting HBK's finisher in an Octagon? Well, they're clearly massive professional wrestling marks and shame on them for being so! (I don't mean that - kicking somebody in the head when they're not expecting it is always going to bring success, so why not use it?)
https://youtu.be/GMMigjW3q78
Or the Boston Crab, whatever floats your boat.
Jonno Mears, an English middleweight, used a Walls Of Jericho to earn a victory at FCC 19 in Bolton not too long ago. Not only did he steal Y2J's most famous move, he also stole some of that cockiness we'd associate with 2002/03 Jericho, pulling a face and sticking his thumbs up before his opponent had tapped. The balls on that guy...
Once more in a rather shocking turn of events, a professional wrestler seeing his finisher - sorry Pedro Morales and Rick Martel - being used effectively in a legitimate fight garnered a positive response from said professional wrestler. It's almost as if they want you to believe the graps is real or something...
https://twitter.com/IAmJericho/status/914232757093576704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2736304-mma-fighter-uses-walls-of-jericho-7-times-wwe-moves-have-invaded-the-octagon
https://youtu.be/zKwoQZR-CnI?t=22s
The attempted Dropkick above wasn't effective in the slightest but at least Ikuhisa Minowa gave it a try in his match against WrestleMania XV guest star Butterbean.
There are definitely shades of Daniel Bryan from the Japanese star here, who throws everything he has into the strike without much in the way of care or attention for his own wellbeing.
It's clear that professional wrestling was part of Minowa's makeup as he would later go on to become a pro wrestler, making his debut in Antonio Inoki's IGF promotion by defeating Necro Butcher in what has to be one of the most severe cases of 'baptism of fire' in the history of the business.
https://youtu.be/4rtaHyy3joU?t=31s
What you're seeing above might not be as graceful as an Undertaker Tombstone or Suzuki's Gotch-Styled number, but Alan Belcher lifted up Patrick Cote at UFC 113 in 2010 and dropped him on his head. That's a Piledriver in my book - even if it is arguably the ugliest one we're ever likely to see.
Capitalising on the opportunity he created for himself, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Belcher followed this up with a rear naked choke for the win - the fact he did use that hold to finish suggests Cote had a neck to apply it on. The video above, however, suggests his neck was relocated somewhere in his chest.
UFC
Big Cass never knew he had such strong competition. While the seven-footer is famed for hitting his Empire Elbow, James Moontasri hit his own version during UFC Fight Night 44 in a bout against Joe Ellenberger.
Even though you could argue that hitting such a move leaves the person hitting it open for an Armbar or Triangle Choke, such was the force created by Moontasri's leap and placement of the elbow on the way down, there was never really a threat of that happening.
Ellenberger did come back to win the fight, however, so maybe James should look to take elbow dropping tips from The Rock or 'Macho Man' Randy Savage if he ever decides to step back into the Octagon.
https://youtu.be/uqhmNJiaCiE?t=2m9s
For a long old time the DDT was the most feared move in professional wrestling. These days it's nothing more than a second-rate transitional move, but that didn't stop Cat Zingano hitting the move made famous by Jake 'The Snake' Roberts during her three-round win over Amanda Nunes at UFC 178.
Rather than the variations we see on WWE television each week, this move was hit with all of the fluidity we used to see on the old SmackDown games for the PS1. Go back and play them, hit a DDT, and you'll see a slightly sped up version of what Zingano hit above.
https://youtu.be/i8tVTuNZ3Zw?t=2m46s
Again, because this is a legitimate fight and not the choreographed beauty we see each week on WWE television, this isn't anywhere near as nice on the eye as The Rock's version - but it's still a Rock Bottom nonetheless.
Look at the way Travis Fulton hits the move - he hooks the arm under the chin and arms of his opponent just like Rocky, he lifts the opponent up just like Rocky, and then slams the opponent down nothing like Rocky... Rocky was a safe worker and never had his opponents land on the back of their necks.
Jeremy Bullock (the guy taking the move) hasn't stepped back into a cage since, apparently. You can't blame him after this horrific bump.
https://youtu.be/5jDT_R0wq4A?t=1m24s
It's clear to me that Thiago Silva isn't a huge fan of Luke Gallows - I bet he wishes he was after suffering a Chokeslam Kane would be proud (ish) of. As we all know, when sorting out his travel and accommodation ahead of his first house show loop and with a series of matches against The Big Red Machine on the horizon, Gallows was unironically told to "watch out for that... Chokeslam" by The Fink - advice I'm sure Silva wishes he had on board before his bout with knockout artist Houston 'The Assassin' Alexander.
Fortunately for Silva, however, Alexander's Chokeslams clearly aren't as devastating as Kane's as he would go onto lose this match via KO in the first round. At least we got to see one ugly-arse Chokeslam in an Octagon though... every cloud.
https://youtu.be/cWhgY7txnlQ?t=5s
Suplex City *clap clap, clap clap clap*
I know that some of you might consider a German Suplex to be an amateur wrestling throw, but since the biggest name in the world of professional wrestling still uses the move to this very day, I'm throwing it in the same class as an Irish Whip or Hurricanrana. When Brock eventually returns to UFC, which is seemingly more inevitable by the week, we'll have to open up this discussion once more. Remind me.
Let's forget about Brock for the moment, however, as this is Jon Jones we're talking about. He's a very talented bloke. He's also a very flamboyant performer - of course he would do something like this. Of course he would.
It's no real surprise that Ronda has made the move to work for Vince McMahon because professional wrestling and mixed martial arts are one in the same - current WWE Universal and former UFC World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar told me so.
During a televised interview close to the last time his WWE contract was coming to an end in 2015, The Beast claimed that Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White are promoting the same thing while also using the same business model. If Brock thinks that's enough to categorise them in the same bracket, I'm sure as hell not going to argue with him - he might hurt me.
Let me indulge you in a few examples of when the action that takes place inside of an Octagon and squared circle have got themselves lost down the years - who knows, Ronda might be able to add a thing or two to her arsenal after reading this... she's a HUGE fan of Cultaholic, didn't you know?
(If I've missed any high profile examples here, please direct your complaints to @AdamPacitti on Twitter. He'd be more than happy to deal with your grievances.)
10. Powerbomb
https://youtu.be/TOLpJ63cusA?t=21s
Move over Kevins Nash and Owens, Rampage Jackson can show you a thing or two about hitting a variation of the Powerbomb. There's little wonder the man who goes by Quinton ended up in the squared circle for TNA after seeing undeniable professional wrestling prowess like this.
Jackon's picture perfect Powerbomb - try and say that five times quickly, I dare you - took place at PRIDE Critical in 2004, with Ricardo Arona the unlucky recipient.
Some - and by that I mean those who have the insatiable need to see our favourite professional wrestlers really hurt themselves - argue that most of the Powerbombs we see in wrestling these days look too comfortable a move to take. They see the person hitting the move protecting the person they're hitting the move on - as well they should be - and don't like it. Hopefully, those people see the devastation on display during Rampage's rendition and then SHUT THE HELL UP.
Don't think this move was Rampage extracting the Michael from his opponents here either. Arona was one of PRIDE's better fighters at the time which makes this professional wrestling move being used in what, on paper at least, looked like being a competitive legitimate fight all the more awesome.
9. Sweet Chin Music
Of course this move has been used in MMA - it's downright savage when executed correctly. Being kicked in the face really hurts, so there's no surprise to see a couple of high profile examples of Shawn Michaels' patented finisher being used inside the Octagon in recent times.
Firstly, Kevin Wirth blasted Isaiah Gutierrez with the sole of his foot at LFA 33 (above) which resulted in the fight being stopped. Then, at UFC Fight Night 126, James Vick hit Francisco Trinaldo outta nowhere with a SCM - a move that even Michaels himself complimented on Twitter.
Why are these people hitting HBK's finisher in an Octagon? Well, they're clearly massive professional wrestling marks and shame on them for being so! (I don't mean that - kicking somebody in the head when they're not expecting it is always going to bring success, so why not use it?)
8. Walls Of Jericho
https://youtu.be/GMMigjW3q78
Or the Boston Crab, whatever floats your boat.
Jonno Mears, an English middleweight, used a Walls Of Jericho to earn a victory at FCC 19 in Bolton not too long ago. Not only did he steal Y2J's most famous move, he also stole some of that cockiness we'd associate with 2002/03 Jericho, pulling a face and sticking his thumbs up before his opponent had tapped. The balls on that guy...
Once more in a rather shocking turn of events, a professional wrestler seeing his finisher - sorry Pedro Morales and Rick Martel - being used effectively in a legitimate fight garnered a positive response from said professional wrestler. It's almost as if they want you to believe the graps is real or something...
https://twitter.com/IAmJericho/status/914232757093576704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2736304-mma-fighter-uses-walls-of-jericho-7-times-wwe-moves-have-invaded-the-octagon
7. Dropkick
https://youtu.be/zKwoQZR-CnI?t=22s
The attempted Dropkick above wasn't effective in the slightest but at least Ikuhisa Minowa gave it a try in his match against WrestleMania XV guest star Butterbean.
There are definitely shades of Daniel Bryan from the Japanese star here, who throws everything he has into the strike without much in the way of care or attention for his own wellbeing.
It's clear that professional wrestling was part of Minowa's makeup as he would later go on to become a pro wrestler, making his debut in Antonio Inoki's IGF promotion by defeating Necro Butcher in what has to be one of the most severe cases of 'baptism of fire' in the history of the business.
6. Piledriver
https://youtu.be/4rtaHyy3joU?t=31s
What you're seeing above might not be as graceful as an Undertaker Tombstone or Suzuki's Gotch-Styled number, but Alan Belcher lifted up Patrick Cote at UFC 113 in 2010 and dropped him on his head. That's a Piledriver in my book - even if it is arguably the ugliest one we're ever likely to see.
Capitalising on the opportunity he created for himself, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Belcher followed this up with a rear naked choke for the win - the fact he did use that hold to finish suggests Cote had a neck to apply it on. The video above, however, suggests his neck was relocated somewhere in his chest.
5. Elbow Drop
UFCBig Cass never knew he had such strong competition. While the seven-footer is famed for hitting his Empire Elbow, James Moontasri hit his own version during UFC Fight Night 44 in a bout against Joe Ellenberger.
Even though you could argue that hitting such a move leaves the person hitting it open for an Armbar or Triangle Choke, such was the force created by Moontasri's leap and placement of the elbow on the way down, there was never really a threat of that happening.
Ellenberger did come back to win the fight, however, so maybe James should look to take elbow dropping tips from The Rock or 'Macho Man' Randy Savage if he ever decides to step back into the Octagon.
4. DDT
https://youtu.be/uqhmNJiaCiE?t=2m9s
For a long old time the DDT was the most feared move in professional wrestling. These days it's nothing more than a second-rate transitional move, but that didn't stop Cat Zingano hitting the move made famous by Jake 'The Snake' Roberts during her three-round win over Amanda Nunes at UFC 178.
Rather than the variations we see on WWE television each week, this move was hit with all of the fluidity we used to see on the old SmackDown games for the PS1. Go back and play them, hit a DDT, and you'll see a slightly sped up version of what Zingano hit above.
3. The Rock Bottom
https://youtu.be/i8tVTuNZ3Zw?t=2m46s
Again, because this is a legitimate fight and not the choreographed beauty we see each week on WWE television, this isn't anywhere near as nice on the eye as The Rock's version - but it's still a Rock Bottom nonetheless.
Look at the way Travis Fulton hits the move - he hooks the arm under the chin and arms of his opponent just like Rocky, he lifts the opponent up just like Rocky, and then slams the opponent down nothing like Rocky... Rocky was a safe worker and never had his opponents land on the back of their necks.
Jeremy Bullock (the guy taking the move) hasn't stepped back into a cage since, apparently. You can't blame him after this horrific bump.
2. Chokeslam
https://youtu.be/5jDT_R0wq4A?t=1m24s
It's clear to me that Thiago Silva isn't a huge fan of Luke Gallows - I bet he wishes he was after suffering a Chokeslam Kane would be proud (ish) of. As we all know, when sorting out his travel and accommodation ahead of his first house show loop and with a series of matches against The Big Red Machine on the horizon, Gallows was unironically told to "watch out for that... Chokeslam" by The Fink - advice I'm sure Silva wishes he had on board before his bout with knockout artist Houston 'The Assassin' Alexander.
Fortunately for Silva, however, Alexander's Chokeslams clearly aren't as devastating as Kane's as he would go onto lose this match via KO in the first round. At least we got to see one ugly-arse Chokeslam in an Octagon though... every cloud.
1. German Suplex
https://youtu.be/cWhgY7txnlQ?t=5s
Suplex City *clap clap, clap clap clap*
I know that some of you might consider a German Suplex to be an amateur wrestling throw, but since the biggest name in the world of professional wrestling still uses the move to this very day, I'm throwing it in the same class as an Irish Whip or Hurricanrana. When Brock eventually returns to UFC, which is seemingly more inevitable by the week, we'll have to open up this discussion once more. Remind me.
Let's forget about Brock for the moment, however, as this is Jon Jones we're talking about. He's a very talented bloke. He's also a very flamboyant performer - of course he would do something like this. Of course he would.
Written by Ross Tweddell
Written and video journalist for Cultaholic Wrestling | twitter: @rossonrasslin | instagram: @rossonrasslin
