A list of the top 10 Professional Wrestlers that also know martial arts

Over the years, professional wrestling has had its fair share of genuine martial artists. Although critics may be quick to say it’s ‘fake’ and laugh off its theatrics, the fact remains that some wrestlers are incredibly skilled martial artists and tough fighters. From gold medals at the Olympics, black belts in Judo and Taekwondo, and UFC Champions with over 100 fights, it’s fair to say that professional wrestling has had its fair share of tough guys.

Interestingly, you may be shocked to see some of the names on there. Whilst some may be obvious additions, you may be surprised to hear about the backgrounds of certain wrestlers and their respected martial arts disciplines. Read on for more information.

Eric Bischoff knows Karate

Not much is known about Eric Bischoff’s background in martial arts, which is probably to do with the era of which he supposedly trained. Making a name for himself in WWE and WCW during the 90s, he was often dubbed a ‘Karate black belt‘ and would sometimes come into the ring wearing it alongside his Karate gi.

Had this information been around today in the age of the internet and social media being more mainstream, we’d probably know more details on his martial arts past. It’s said that Bischoff genuinely trained Karate and competed at an amateur level before joining the world of wrestling.

It should also be noted that it takes the average practitioner around 5 years of casual training to become a black belt in Karate. With this said, there’s every chance that Eric Bischoff has a black belt in Karate. It’s also commendable to see him compete too which shows he has some fighting skills and heart.

Steve Blackman is a true martial artist

Steve Blackman was nicknamed ‘The Lethal Weapon’ and in fairness, this was a good judge of his character. Blackman is a blackbelt in Taekwondo that specializes in kicks and flexibility. You could see this in his ring moves and he could also generate great power when throwing these strikes. His second most practiced martial art was Eskrima, which is a Filipino martial art that involves blades.

This makes sense, as he’d often use martial arts weapons as part of his image, such as Okinawan sickles and nunchucks, as well as his infamous kendo stick.

After retiring from pro wrestling, he eventually went on to create BlackmanMMA where he taught MMA fighters his martial arts knowledge. He also began training wrestling, BJJ, and boxing at his gym – proving that he was genuinely a life-long martial artist who was constantly trying to improve his fighting knowledge.

Kurt Angle is an Olympic Gold Medalist in Freestyle Wrestling

Kurt Angle may have turned into one of WWE’s biggest villains at one point, but before that he was an all-American wrestling champion. His wrestling career peaked in 1996 when he won gold at the Atlanta Olympic Games in the men’s Freestyle division. Prior to this, he also had golds in the World Championships and other events.

Therefore, it’s safe to say that before joining professional wrestling, Kurt Angle was a true martial artist. What’s even more impressive is that in the build up to the 1996 Olympics, Angle herniated two discs in his neck due to an injury during training. To then go on to win gold is an incredible achievement, and shows a testament to his mental character for continuing on through such pain. What’s even crazier is how he then went on to wrestle professionally after for so long even with his chronic injuries.

Dan Severn is a UFC Champion and black belt in multiple disciplines

Dan Severn is definitely one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and retired with an impressive career record of 101-19, with 7 draws as well. He even went on to fight professionally well into his 50s, as well as winning various UFC titles and Championships. This career spanned over 20 years and during it – he had a short stint in the WWE.

As of right now, Severn is a 5th degree Judo black belt, 2nd degree Ju Jitsu black belt, Sambo master, and D1 wrestling champion. All of these are grappling martial arts, but he could also box and punch too. All in all, his fighting resume was incredibly well-rounded and his mark on MMA will last forever. Sadly, Severn only lasted under two years in Vince McMahon’s company after he was asked to tattoo 666 on his forehead. Being a staunch Christian, he asked to be released from the company. With the right image, he could have become a WWE great.

The Undertaker has a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt

The Undertaker is apparently a black belt under Rolles Gracie who is a member of the famous BJJ family. Apparently, The Phenom achieved this accomplishment in just one year. What’s interesting about this promotion is that it normally takes the average person around 10 years to get a BJJ black belt. Of course, The Undertaker is no ordinary human and would have had background knowledge in grappling which certainly helps. Nonetheless, his promotion was still met by skepticism by the BJJ community who questioned the speed of it.

Perhaps his biggest tribute to the martial art is the ‘Hells Gate’ submission which is a modified Omoplata shoulder lock. As well, he has also appeared at a few UFC events over the years and seems to genuinely love the sport.

Great Muta

One of Japan’s finest wrestling exports is Great Muta, who made a name for himself in the 80s and 90s on US soil before seeing out most of his career in his homeland. Whilst most Japanese wrestlers are often blessed with technical ability in the ring, Muta took this a step further and was also a real martial artist outside of the squared circle.

It turns out that Muta has a black belt in Judo, which shouldn’t be too surprising as it’s one of Japan’s most popular physical sports and martial arts. He was also trained by the legendary Japanese wrestler, Hiro Matsuda. With this in mind, you can count on Muta being a genuine wrestler in real life too. Overall, this would have translated well to his professional career as well as serving him with good fighting skills if he ever needed to scrap outside of his professional setting.

Brock Lesnar

Before wrestling, Brock Lesnar was a D1 wrestler and there’s plenty of footage of his wrestling career during his college days. Even back then, you could see that this man was physically built for martial arts due to his sheer size. Since then, he also achieved a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu too. Perhaps his biggest achievement though was winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship after beating the likes of Randy Courture in the process.

Unlike the likes of CM Punk, Lesnar’s venture into MMA was definitely successful and he retired from MMA with a record of 5-3. This showed that it was possible to go from WWE to becoming UFC Champion, which is something that has never been done since and may not ever be done again. Obviously, Brock Lesnars physicality is something of a genetic gift, but even still to win such a title is a big deal and shows technical skill. After returning to the WWE later, he used a Kimura shoulder lock as his main finishing move.

Ken Shamrock

Like Dan Severn, Ken Shamrock successfully managed to balance a successful MMA career with a pro wrestling one. Here, he fought in the UFC (and even beat Dan Severn to win the title) and also took part in WWE during The Attitude Era. He then went on to retire from MMA in 2016 and has also featured in wrestling promotions such as TNA as well.

Before joining pro wrestling, Shamrock mostly specialized in shootfighting and kickboxing. Whilst most know about kickboxing, shootfighting was a Japanese martial art that was like a hybrid of early MMA. Here, you could strike whilst standing but would have to grapple on the floor.

This is where his submission knowledge came in handy and he was known as a leglock specialist in his prime, often winning by heel hook and kneebar submissions of which little was known about in the fighting world at that point. Unlike some MMA-pro wrestling crossovers, Shamrock had definite staying power and proved to be a hit with the fans.

Ronda Rousey

It’s funny how sometimes, life can go full circle. Ronda Rousey won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as a black belt Judoka. She then went on to become one of the greatest MMA fighters ever and won the UFC’s female bantamweight Championship. During this period, she showed off her devastating Judo throws in an MMA setting, something of which had rarely been seen so consistently before. Here, she would use various trips and throws and would often finish her opponents by submission. Specifically, Rousey would often specialize with armbars which she became synonymous with.

Retiring from MMA in 2016 with a record of 12-2, she joined the UFC and made a career as ‘Rowdy Rousey’. What’s interesting is that she was coached by none other than Gene LeBell. This man was a well known Judoka who helped grow the martial art in the USA, before venturing into the world of professional wrestling. Many years later, Rousey would follow in the same footsteps.

Bobby Lashley

Continuing the trend of wrestling-MMA crossovers, Bobby Lashley is the last name on the list. Lashley first made a name for himself as a successful amateur wrestler, before eventually joining WWE and then TNA. In 2008 though, he had his first professional MMA fight of what would be an 8 year career. In a twist of fate, he was also billed to fight Ken Shamrock at one point but this never materialized.

Interestingly, Lashley would go on to achieve an impressive 15-2 record and was never stopped during his time in the cage. He retired from MMA in 2016 after winning 5 on the bounce with Bellator. To this day, it’s not really why he walked away from MMA during such a dominant run in such an established promotion. Nonetheless, Lashley eventually returned to WWE years later.