Yes, it is 8:30 on a Sunday morning, and I am already excited about a game that doesn't take place for another 10 hours or so. But, my blog isn't about football, it's about wrestling. And I think there is a lesson Kurt Angle needs to learn based on last night. Let me explain.
UFC had a pay-per-view last night, one which was headlined by Brock Lesnar making his UFC debut against Frank Mir. The fight lasted all of 1 minute and Mir made Lesnar tap out to a leg lock. Granted, Lesnar was pounding him hard and dominated most of the match, but his inexperience showed when he left his leg wide open to be taken out.
The first thing I thought about was the WWF Brawl For All tournament that was held in 1998. The tournament was designed for Steve "Dr. Death" Williams to enhance his persona as a legitimate tough guy. But there was one problem. These were shoot style matches, and in the second round of the tournament, Williams was taken out by the unpushed Bart Gunn, effectively ruining the whole tough guy gimmick, and subsequently, ending his push. In a very funny story, while Gunn never got anywhere with the stateside fans, he made quite a name for himeself and resurrected a career that was going nowhere in Japan, under a name that I hold very dear to my heart. Mike Barton. I know it's total coincidence as I have never met the man, but my brother calls me and asks why I am in Japan's top ten rankings in PWI, and I started cracking up. I am digressing, but that's not always a bad thing. Let me get back to the story.
What professional wrestlers can learn from this match last night is this. Just as it takes years for pro wrestlers to master their craft, I think it's the same thing in MMA. The days of the Tank Abbots in MMA are gone, replaced by a bunch of highly skilled fighters. Kurt Angle, although most of us have never believed he would ever actually step foot inside an MMA match, should now just stop talking about it altogether. Lesnar is stronger and younger, and had more training. And he got taken out in one minute. Angle, pay attention to this. You wouldn't last that long. I'm sure Brock would tell you that it's a lot harder than it looks. And I think Brock should reconsider his career change and return to wrestling. But he would have to take a serious pay cut, as he was handily defeated inside the octagon last night, and has done damage to his name value.
I remember a famous quote I saw on a wall when I was younger. It read "Remember your past, or your bound to relive it!". Apparently, pro wrestlers aren't remembering the past mistakes made by people like Steve Williams. MMA is still in its infancy in the grand scheme of things, and the fighters are only going to get better. Wrestling in general seems to quickly forget the past mistakes that are made by the generations of wrestlers and companies now long gone. Brock Lesnar apparently didn't know about the Brawl For All Tournament, otherwise he may have thought twice about having that match last night.