SOCCER + WRESTLING
- Nossaire Errahmani
- Aug 19, 2017
- 6 min read
There is the sport where people make fake strikes look like they possibly killed someone, and then there is professional wrestling.
Seriously.
So, with having established the fact that soccer and wrestling are basically the same thing with two different names, I thought I would pinpoint a few of the sports' similarities through 11 different players and wrestlers who have the same kind of role, reputation and stigma in their respective worlds.
Sergio Busquets - Dean Malenko
The wrestling connoisseurs will know how valuable Malenko was, but he was unfortunately a no name to the casual fans. This right here is the "Busquets syndrome". His curse is that he is so subtle and so smart, that he makes a tough situation look like a regular pass. This can easily be compared to Malenko, who was so clean and technically sound that you could easily miss his talent if you didn't look close enough.
Antoine Griezmann - Kenny Omega
You could compare Kenny Omega's run in the NJPW Jr. Heavyweights to Griezmann's rise in Real Sociedad. People knew they were hot prospects, but were waiting for them to get to that next level. And just like Griezmann leading Atletico to 2 Champions League finals in 3 years, Kenny Omega's classic encounters with Kazuchika Okada have put NJPW on the map as the place to seek the best wrestling. And now both seem to find comfort where they are, even though every top team and their mother want to get their hand on them. The future seems very bright for these two, and they are making their company's/team's future seem very bright too, provided they decide to call it home.
Sergio Aguero - Seth Rollins
Just like Griezmann, Aguero was once Atletico's top striker, only to be bought by Manchester City. He is unanimously regarded as a top level player, while having his defining moment in 2012 by winning Manchester City their title at the last minute. But people kinda blaim him for spending so much of his prime with Man City instead of living up to his potential and going for the top teams to win European trophees. Same goes with Rollins. After knowing the glory of the Shield, having his defining moment at Wrestlemania 31, and being one of the top if not the best wrestler in WWE, he's in a weird period where he is largely popular, but at the same time it feels like he's been on autopilot for a little while now.
Cristiano Ronaldo - John Cena
Probably the most striking comparison of the bunch. They're both work ethic freaks, they've both been at the top for 10+ years, and despite many critics downplaying their ability (be it for overcompensating a lack of natural talent with hardwork, or for there being someone else that is widely regarded as the best in the world), you couldn't hope for a better figurehead for your company/team, as both bring high level results and are very marketable.
Bundesliga - Cruiserweight Division
This one might be controversial, but I see some similarities between the two. You have Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund/Neville and Austin Aries that are basically 1A and 1B. They're usually regarded as top level teams/wrestlers by reaching Champions League semi finals/stealing the show at PPV, however, it seems like people don't really give them the attention they seemingly deserve. Bundesliga is usually not people's first choice if there are many games from different leagues happening, just like the CW division is officially a part of Raw, but clearly doesn't get the same amount of crowd reaction that the rest of the roster does despite having fairly good matches going on. And just like the CW division was brought back after a very good CWC, only to fall back into relative irrelevance, the 2013 Champions League final where Bayern faced Dortmund kinda brought back some attention to the Bundesliga, only for it to become once again the lesser alternative to La Liga or Premier League.
Diego Maradona - Stone Cold Steve Austin
Relatively unknown, to kings of their world, to outlaws, to hopefully stable stars enjoying their retirement years. The parallels between El Pipe de Oro and the Rattlesnake are pretty apparent. To those unfamiliar, Maradona shares that same kind of anti-hero persona as Stone Cold. Maradona is widely regarded as being part of the "Mount Rushmore of soccer", yet ended up letting his demons get the best of him (and thankfully managed to eventually sort his life out). He is a World Cup winner, but in the process he managed to score the most controversial goal in soccer history AND the most awe inspiring goal in soccer history, in the same game. He also won a few Ballon D'or awards along the way, only to let cocaine addiction ruin his career in the middle of a World Cup. He went on to recover from his addiction and be the coach of the Argentinian national team. A very similar career for Stone Cold, who became the biggest anti hero in wrestling, but then unfortunately fell from grace because of a neck injury, domestic abuse charges, and driving under influence. Also like Maradona, Stone Cold seems to have his life back in order and makes sporadic wrestling appearances.
Nigel De Jong - New Jack
Watch this GIF. I think no further explaination is needed.
Pep Guardiola - Paul Heyman
Innovators. Both men managed to pretty much create a brand new style of their sport, and both men's true value wasn't appreciated or truly shown until they were gone. Guardiola created probably the most lethal and attractive team in soccer history with Barcelona circa 2010. He won a bevy of Champions League and La Liga trophies, while making guys like Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, and Puyol some of the best players in the world. Then he left, leaving enormous shoes to fill for his successors, who did a pretty lackluster job at recreating his magic. Heyman had that same kind of aura when he made ECW (and then SmackDown) some of the hottest wrestling around. And right around the time he was gonna try to remake ECW, he couldn't handle the backstage politicking and left, leaving SmackDown a much lesser brand without him.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - CM Punk
CM Punk made a name for himself with a few viral matches with Chris Hero and Samoa Joe. Zlatan made a name for himself with a viral goal with Ajax. WWE put a lot of trust into Punk by making him win and successfully cash in two Money in the Bank contracts in a row, only for him to relatively fail at capitalizing right away. Barcelona put a lot of trust into Zlatan by buying out his contract for an exhorbitant amount of money, only for his ego to clash with Guardiola's, and fail to live up to his hype. They're also both known for being ridiculously compelling with a microphone in front of their mouth, and despite being regarded as all time greats, failing to main event Wrestlemania/win the Champions League.
Chicharito - Drew McIntyre
The definition of being put in the spotlight too soon and failing to deliver, despite being very talented. Chicharito caught the eyes of the global audience in the 2010 World Cup by being a big factor in Mexico advancing to the first knockout round, where they suffered a controversial loss to Argentina. Real Madrid capitalized on that gem and signed him right away. So here he was, at 22, in one of the top clubs in the world. However, with Benzema and Higuain barring the way to a first team spot, he ended up warming the bench and eventually being sold to Manchester United, then to Bayer Leverkusen, and finally to West Ham this past summer, where he still can bounce back into the elite if he manages to perform. The same trajectory can be observed with Drew McIntyre, who caught the eye of Vince McMahon at an early age (which was a curse in disguise). He ended up being given a lot of exposure before he had yet hit his stride. And just like Chicharito, he was relegated to being a comedy act, and eventually left the company. Now, after a successful run in the indie scene, he's in the same spot as the Mexican striker, with a second chance and a world of potential that he just has to live up to.
Ronaldinho - The Rock
I was initially going to compare Ronaldinho to HBK, but he is way too much of a trailblazer and unique specimen, which makes the Rock comparison extremely relevant and a no brainer. Roni is arguably the one soccer player that made million of current fans fall in love with the sport. He added an artistic element to soccer like no other player had before, and to a lot of people his name is synonymous with the sport to this day. See the similarities yet?
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