Mixed Martial Artists Who Should Go into Pro Wrestling Full-Time

Pro Wrestling and mixed martial arts are as different as night and day, with one being a faux-sport and the other being an actual sport.

But to ignore pro wrestling's contribution to MMA would be a disservice to the early days of the sport. This is mostly tied to Japan, but it was pro wrestlers entering MMA that gave the sport its first bits of popularity. And it was the performances of a few pro wrestlers in MMA that helped the sport's rise, not to mention help create stars almost instantly.

But this isn't about wrestlers who should go into MMA, rather it's about current mixed martial artists who may want to think about a full-time move to pro wrestling. These are the fighters who have already made their mark in the sport, but also have prior experience in professional wrestling and could turn that into a real run in that business.

The most obvious fighter that fits this description is Kazushi Sakuraba. Sakuraba started his career in the same place that several name Japanese fighters in the late-90's started: Union of Wrestling Forces International (UWFi). Size is more a factor in the world of wrestling than in the world of fighting, and it was that size issue that prevented Sakuraba's move up the ranks despite being a very qualified pro wrestling. He went into MMA after the formation of Pride Fighting Championships and the rest is history.

The last seven years have featured Sakuraba taking big beatings and winning against far lesser foes than the ones he made his name against. It is time for him to go home again. A sign that such a move is possible lies with Sakuraba opting to participate in a pro wrestling match instead of an MMA fight on Dream's latest New Years Eve show. It's a perfect move as Sakuraba has nothing left to give to the sport of MMA, but still has plenty he could give to pro wrestling in Japan.

Ikuhisa Minowa, also known as Minowaman, is a fighter who has always had pro wrestling in heart, but has only recently been seeking out pro wrestling bookings. In recent years, Minowa has appeared on several IGF (Inoki Genome Federation) wrestling shows as well as a few wrestling matches on DEEP (an MMA promotion) cards. Minowa is also rumored to have been the man under the mask two years ago as Tiger Mask V. While Minowa is not near the end of his fighting career the same way Sakuraba is, the lack of real opportunities in MMA in Japan should be the sign for a guy like Minowa (with a full career already) to make a career change.

Either one of the two Japanese Olympic medalists that recently entered MMA, Satoshi Ishii and Hiroshi Izumi, could be given pushes instantly should they enter a pro wrestling promotion, especially if it were IGF. In the late-1990's, Naoya Ogawa, another judo standout with an Olympic medal, received a noteworthy (both positive and negative) push from the moment he entered pro wrestling. The difference in Ogawa's case was that he was entering pro wrestling first, and entered right out of judo competition. The fact that Ishii and/or Izumi has already gone into MMA eliminates the initial hoopla that such a debut could have had. But with both being skilled in judo and having some experience in MMA, they wouldn't be as much a fish out of water in pro wrestling as you might think. And again, if they're in IGF, which specializes in wrestling matches involving actual fighters, they'd be fine.

Katsuyori Shibata was Sakuraba's tag-team partner in a pro wrestling match this past New Year's Eve, and is another fighter who should move back to pro wrestling. Shibata could benefit from this move in one way that is unique from any fighter mentioned thus far: his former pro wrestling experience was in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Currently, New Japan is by far the number one promotion in Japan and the one with the absolute most attention and coverage. It would be harder to get a main-event push there than in just about any other promotion as his MMA background would only get him so far. However, Shibata's MMA prospects are even less and a move back to pro wrestling may be a necessity more than a choice.

Finally, there's Josh Barnett. Barnett could still fight for years, but with his recent loss to Daniel Cormier and the decreasing opportunities for fighters not in UFC, Barnett should really go to pro wrestling full-time. First off, he loves pro wrestling. This is a guy who cuts wrestling promos for fights or just for fun, and has tried to implement wrestling moves into his fights from time to time. Like Shibata, Barnett's previous experience has come in New Japan. However, Barnett and New Japan have had a strained relationship since Barnett was replaced in the 2005 G-1 Climax tournament (New Japan's big singles tournament) when a shoulder injury didn't heal in time. There are plenty of ways to wrestle through injury without making it worse and thus Barnett was very upset when he was simply replaced. Still, a guy like Barnett could get signed by the other two major promotions, All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH, no problem.

It isn't the easiest or most popular thing for legitimate fighters to participate in pro wrestling, but in Japan it really is something that fighters should consider. The fight game in Japan hasn't been this far down in popularity for a long time. At the same time, pro wrestling has been inching up in popularity over the past few years. If you're not fighting for a promotion owned by Zuffa or a stable Independent, and pro wrestling is not only an option, but an option that is increasing in popularity, do the math.

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