Look, we'll come right out and say it - mixed martial artists are pretty bad ass. They can do things and overcome obstacles that the majority of us couldn't even dream of, and for that reason, they will forever be respected by fans all over the world.
However, there are a few things in relation to the world of professional wrestling that they probably wouldn't be able to pull off quite as well as you may think.
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Some will choose to believe that this list is being written in order to slander MMA fighters, but it's quite the opposite. We want to appreciate everything they do by stating that there are indeed only a few things that pro wrestlers can pull off that they can't.
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Also, it helps us to show people just how great these athletes are and no matter how many people think it's "fake", they still go through a hell of a lot.
Not everyone is a fan of the WWE and that's understandable because everyone has different tastes. However, they should command the same kind of respect that fighters from the Ultimate Fighting Championship do because they truly deserve it. They consistently perform on a global stage in front of a huge viewing audience, and that's no small task.
With that in mind, let's take a look at five things WWE superstars can do that MMA fighters can’t.
#1 Consistent promos
Every now and again UFC fighters decide to try and sell their fights the best they can. Some succeed at it and others fall short, but one way or another they try their hardest to build the supposed animosity between themselves and their opponents. The problem? Nobody really believes it because there are so few fighters that can make it seem believable.
Meanwhile over in the WWE, every single week these performers have a microphone stuck in front of them and they are given the opportunity to tell their story to the world. It's a tough thing to do, obviously - which is why it's so commendable that they pull it off so often.
In the UFC, the consistency with which they have to do that is nowhere near the level of professional wrestling. Onto another point centred around time periods.
#2 Perform weekly
In the UFC, a fighter will likely step into the Octagon between one and four times a year. That's pretty bad ass when you consider how much of a physical toll they put their bodies through, but at the end of the day, it's a maximum of once a quarter. In the WWE, these athletes have to go out and put on an incredible show for thousands of people three or four times a week.
That's no easy task and whilst fighters do have training camps, it's nowhere near the level of physical competition that the WWE Superstars have to go through because every single week they're being broadcast to millions of people on television. That in itself is intimidating and the fact that they do it and manage to stay injury free most of the time is admirable.
We move onto a much more logistical point.
#3 Travel
One of the biggest things that professional wrestlers of years gone by say about the business is the travel. The long-term issues with their health tend to be from the miles they travel in addition to the actual wrestling, which is something that mixed martial artists don't really have to contend with.
If you need two prime examples, then look at CM Punk and Brock Lesnar.
In the documentary series leading up to his fight with Mickey Gall, Punk said how much better it was to only have to travel a maximum of two hours a day to train as opposed to the lengthy journeys that were endured on the road in WWE. Then you have Brock Lesnar who openly admitted to hating the travel, with it being one of the big reasons that he left the business.
Back onto the more technical side of things for this next entry.
#4 Alter styles
When you're a UFC fighter it's important to be well-rounded in the Octagon, but it isn't a necessity. If you have one skill above all others that you know is likely to win you a fight, more often than not you'll stick to it. You have people like Roy Nelson who focus heavily on their knockout ability and whilst they can get the job done in other aspects, it isn't as 'complete' so to speak.
Then you have professional wrestlers who have to adapt and change their styles depending on who they're facing on any given night. They might have to work a high flying style in one arena then in the next, they are going at it like brawlers.
That's the same kind of thing they deal with in terms of babyface and heel alignments too, because they have to entirely change up their game. We conclude with perhaps the most important point of them all.
#5 Get mainstream connections
Unless your name is Conor McGregor or Ronda Rousey, the likelihood is that you can't step into the mainstream world like the WWE. Whether it's sport, politics, television, radio - any and all forms of media will likely have had professional wrestlers involved at one point or another.
Hell, they've even been littered on the likes of Conan and Jimmy Fallon - and that was just Sheamus and The Miz.
When it comes down to it, the WWE as a brand knows how to reach out to different corners of the entertainment world because they've been doing it for years now and that's their model. UFC will get there, but even their biggest stars can't touch the likes of John Cena and The Rock when it comes to their marketing potential.
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