Big UFC Name Interested in Joining WWE?

Could a big UFC star be interested in signing with WWE in the near future?

In this week’s (subscribers-only) Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer mentioned that an unnamed UFC star is keen to talk with Vince McMahon about possibly coming in next year:

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A major UFC name was expected to be in contact with WWE this week about coming over in 2014. This would be someone who has the right look and his persona is better developed than 80 percent of the wrestlers in WWE and talks better than all but a few. It’s also not Chael Sonnen, who is expected to wind up as a broadcaster with FOX after his career as a fighter ends, even though Sonnen has a number of friends in WWE like recruiter Gerald Brisco and Punk.

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Who could it be?

Well, as CageSideSeats notes, Roy Nelson was reportedly in talks with WWE last year—and the popular, charismatic heavyweight would count as a major name.

Frank Mir, widely regarded as one of the best talkers in UFC history, has claimed in the past that he is “not opposed to going to WWE” when his MMA career is done (from TWPN news).

And just think of the huge potential for a program with old nemesis Brock Lesnar were Mir to sign with the McMahons!

Really, though, it could be anyone.

Regardless of whom the fighter in question is, MMA stars getting involved has typically produced patchy results. Training someone from scratch isn’t easy.

Wrestling can often take years to get the hang of, it’s not something that one can just pick up in weeks.

Look at the predicament TNA finds itself in with Tito Ortiz and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

Likely hoping to cash-in on the two’s past UFC success, the company made the two an integral part of Impact—Ortiz even joined heel group Aces & Eights.

Alas, within a month it was clear that TNA had foolishly built their flagship show around two guys who couldn’t work—at all—and who had an upcoming fight on Bellator they had to promote. (They were soon pulled from TNA programming by Bellator in order to focus on their MMA duties.)

What a debacle.

Vince McMahon should therefore proceed very carefully if he's looking to sign a new UFC star. While it has its upside, it also has significant disadvantages too.