The line between Mixed Martial Arts and the world of professional wrestling is a thick one, yet it is crossable if the heart allows it. Over the years, the wrestling world has welcomed shake-ups from the arrival of professional athletes from another sport, the most notable and noticeable of which is of course from the world of Mixed Martial Arts. This line is not one sided however, mixed martial arts fighters have left MMA to compete in the world of sports entertainment, and professional wrestlers have done the opposite.

This specific jump can be both risky and rewarding for a professional athlete's career, it can be career making or career breaking, but when the transaction is successful, both parties reap the rewards, profits and popularity. In this article, I aim to explore the benefits of the MMA to pro wrestling sport jumping, as well as explore the prospects and future candidates for the jump in question and the advantages that both parties would achieve from doing so.

Considering the ties between professional wrestling and mixed martial arts in the past, obvious and welcomed examples being Ken Shamrock's run in both the World Wrestling Federation as "The world's most dangerous man" as well as his stint with the National Wrestling Alliance ran organization known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in which he was crowned the NWA World Champion, and first TNA World Champion on June 19 2002 after winning a 20 man battle royal beating the likes of Scott Hall, Malice and Jeff Jarrett to win the gold.

Another example is Dan "The Beast" Severn who had a run in the World Wrestling Federation in the 90's and still wrestles to this date for independent and Japanese organizations. World Championship Wrestling also bought in Tank Abbott in the year 2000 in an attempt to capitalize on his notoriety in a feud with Bill Goldberg, who was seen at the time as the most dominant force that the world of professional wrestling had to offer. WCW of course milked the angle as much as they can, but thanks to sloppy booking and terrible writing, the angle failed dismally and Tank Abbott ended up jobbing to Bill Goldberg in a matter of seconds, before being placed in the midcard ranks and made into a comedy character. While I am sure the money was great, Tank's career was subsequently hurt from the move.

The transition from Mixed Martial Arts to professional wrestling is a tough one to make, but a worthwhile one in the long run for both parties. You are taking a loyal MMA fan-base to an entirely different world in the sports entertainment industry, from real life to a script, but you are also adding credibility and name value to your name assuming you are booked and used correctly. For example, many professional wrestling fans only know Tank Abbott and Ken Shamrock from their wrestling stints, and become amazed when they learn that they are actual martial artists.