Pulling A CM Punk: Five WWE Stars Who Could Make The Move To The UFC

CM Punk’s UFC debut didn’t exactly go the way he had hoped it would, as he was completely dominated and finished by Mickey Gall in the very first round at UFC 203. But, despite the fact that he got demolished in his pro MMA debut, Punk plans to keep on fighting. Whether not that’ll be in the UFC remains to be seen.

It’s unlikely that the UFC will allow a WWE star like Punk, who had no professional or amateur fights before his debut, to compete inside the Octagon. However, there are several WWE stars who have very accomplished amateur wrestling careers much like Brock Lesnar did before he stepped inside the Octagon for the first time, and there’s a chance that the UFC would allow them to compete in their organization without having any previous MMA experience.

The WWE superstars listed below all had successful amateur wrestling careers, but, if they ever decided to make the transition to MMA, there’s a good chance that the purists of the sport would roll their eyes at their attempt, simply because they made their name in the world of sports-entertainment.

• Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger is far from WWE’s biggest star, and he’s been treated like a joke for the majority of his pro wrestling career. But, he’s one of the few guys in the WWE locker room that could possibly be successful in the world of mixed martial arts.

Swagger holds the record for most pins in a single season at the University of Oklahoma, and he’s a former NCAA All-American, so he definitely has the credentials to make the transition to MMA. Would the UFC take him? Probably not right away. But if he ended up having success in another promotion, the UFC would probably be interested in bringing him in.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Swagger has considered leaving WWE to pursue an MMA career, but he feels, at the age of 34, that he’s too old to do so.

• Jason Jordan

Jason Jordan is one of the best athletes in WWE today, and during his amateur wrestling career, he was one of the best, and most athletic heavyweights in the entire country, as he was regularly ranked in the top 15 while at the University of Indiana.

Jordan has a promising future ahead of him in WWE, but at the age of 28, he could make a huge splash in the UFC’s heavyweight division if he were to pursue a career in MMA. Right now, the UFC’s heavyweight division is probably the weakest that it’s ever been, so they could use someone who has a bit of star power. Of course, Jordan isn’t the most popular guy in WWE, but if he were to pursue a UFC career, it would definitely be a huge story.

• Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler is only a year younger than CM Punk, but if he were to start training for his UFC debut today, he’d already be starting off with more skills than Punk, as he was an outstanding wrestler at Kent State University.

While attending Kent State, Ziggler, real name Nick Nemeth, set the team record for most career wins. That record was eventually broken in 2006, and as of right now, he has the second most wins in school history.

Ziggler isn’t as big of a star as Punk was, but, nevertheless, he’s still a big star. So if he were to make the transition to MMA, his career move would get a lot of attention, whether it was in the UFC or if he went elsewhere.

• Chad Gable

Like his tag team partner Jason Jordan, Chad Gable is a very accomplished amateur wrestler. In fact, he’s probably the most accomplished amateur wrestler in WWE history aside from Kurt Angle.

Gable is 30-years-old, which isn’t young in the MMA world, but it’s certainly not old. So if he were to make the jump to the UFC, right now would be the perfect time. But, he does have a promising future in WWE. The only thing that’s going to hold him back in the company is his size, but he literally has everything else it takes to be a mega superstar in the world of professional wrestling, so he’s probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

• Kurt Angle

Everybody knows Kurt Angle’s credentials — Pennsylvania state wrestling champion, 1996 Olympic gold medalist, two-time NCAA division 1 champion — he’s by far the most accomplished amateur wrestler in WWE history. But, surprisingly enough, he never pursued a career in mixed martial arts.

Sure, the UFC was around when Angle won his Olympic gold medal in 1996, but most fighters weren’t making that much money, and by the time the UFC caught fire, Angle had become one of pro wrestling’s biggest superstars.

Over the years, Angle has teased that he was going to fight. There was even a time where he challenged UFC legend Chuck Liddell, and even though there was a ton of interest in that fight, it never ended happening.

In recent years, Angle’s said that if he does fight, he’ll fight someone who is from his generation like Ken Shamrock or Dan Severn, which would mean that he’d fight in Bellator. But, Angle would be a huge draw in the UFC, and even though he’s 47 years old, he could probably beat some of the fighters in the UFC’s light heavyweight division, which is likely where he would fight if he joined the company.

[Featured Image via Rey Del Rio/Getty Images]