MMA-holes

"When you think about it, you should compare the World Wrestling Federation to other major entertainment companies or motion picture studios." -Vince McMahon

Former WWE star and current MMA competitor Bobby Lashley turned up at the TNA "Lockdown" PPV last Sunday. He came out on stage, and it was suggested that he is a part of the "Main Event Mafia." Subsequent to that, it's been revealed that Lashley is going to be making some fairly regular appearances on TNA television.

Lashley has commented (albeit softly) on this, saying that the TNA TV tapings aren't far from where he lives and trains, and he needs a way to make a buck while he's preparing for his next MMA event, which will be against veteran fighter Bob Sapp. We think about here is where the story should stop, because there are few of us out there who would look down on a guy who has a skill and can put it to use to put some food on the table while he's following a dream of being a fighter. And the TNA schedule certainly lends itself to having time for other things.

But that's not good enough for some people. The day after Bobby made his appearance at "Lockdown," one Mr. Jake Rosen, who writes for everyone's homepage Sherdog.com, ripped into Lashley for this particular career move. The entry was published on ESPN.com, and here's a couple things Rosen had to say:

I lauded former WWE acrobat Bobby Lashley for arriving in MMA with the proper humility...he has to go and ruin it.

Lashley popped up during something called "TNA Lockdown"...I assume some poorly performed theater for the hygiene-challenged ensued.

I don't think his hybrid career will do the sport of MMA any favors...

[Wrestling is] a deranged spectacle.

Alright, seriously though, who exactly does Mr. Rosen think composes the audience of MMA pay-per-view watchers? Let's do a quick poll here: put your hand up if you've watched a wrestling PPV in the past year. Now, put your hand up if you watched an MMA PPV in that same time period.

We're guessing the hands didn't change all that much. Judging from just anecdotal evidence only, there's plenty of overlap between the two. Sure, there are those who only will watch one or the other, but for the most part, you're catering to the same group of people.

Quick, pick the which is the MMA crowd and which is the wrestling crowd:

And ignore that kid.

Rosen seems to be stuck with this age-old stereotype of wrestling fans. They don't shower. They live in someone's basement. They deliver/eat a lot of pizzas. Is that really how shallow we are, sir? Take it from a couple of guys who don't fit that description (save for the eating of pizza) that not everyone is "hygiene-challenged." There are quite a few of what you might call "normal" people who watch wrestling too. But seeing as the internet is the world's version of junior high, feel free to continue the ad hominem attacks. It really helps your position.

Also, why is wrestling continued to be held to the same standards as sports. This isn't 1984. No one believes wrestling is real anymore. The ESPN television magazine program E:60 just did a segment on Vince McMahon and the production work behind Wrestlemania 25. But wrestling fans are still a deluded bunch of grown children. Right.



And a fan of MMA is going to call wrestling out as being a "deranged spectacle"? HAHAHAHAHA! Alright, ok, you're right. Mixed martial arts is not a spectacle at all...

Oh, look where that one came from.

It does have "arts" in the name after all.

He also calls TNA "professional wrestling slang for 'embarrassment to the human race.'"


Alright, you've got us there.

In an attempt to prove that he's cultured and has watched a movie or two, quoting Max von Sydow from Hannah and Her Sisters (that's the "Woody Allen movie" you were looking for), "Can you imagine the level of a mind that watches wrestling?"

We've heard a quote or two ourselves, pal. How about the legendary comedian Andy Kaufman, who once said, "There's no drama like wrestling"? Not good enough for you? Well, take this from Roland Barthes, a French literary scholar:

It is no more ignoble to attend a wrestled performance of suffering than a performance of the sorrows of Arnolphe of Andromaque.

Yeah! What you said, Barthes!

Roland Barthes. Probably.

Really, Rosen, why can't we just coexist? Let's get along, buddy, because when you think about it, we're really not that different in the end.