There are a host of contrasting differences between WWE and MMA that make these two sports of entertainment their respective fans. WWE or World Wrestling Entertainment and MMA or Mixed Martial Arts are two different things. Even so, both WWE and MMA have a huge fan following that is extraordinary.
Many people then compare WWE and MMA. For some, WWE is considered better than MMA. Vice versa, where some others argue that MMA is better than WWE. However, perhaps many geeks are still confused about what is the big difference between WWE and MMA. And here are some explanations.
Types of fighting styles
As the name suggests, World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE is a venue that specifically shows or shows wrestling matches. WWE athletes display no other sports or martial elements besides wrestling skills. That is why many techniques like gripping pressure either joint locks frequently displayed at WWE matches.
Meanwhile, MMA itself displays a mix of various martial arts knowledge. Starting from wrestling, boxing, judo, etc. However, one of the martial arts that is often practiced or demonstrated is Jiu-Jitsu. Combinations of kicks, punches, and submissions are common in an MMA fight. This combination makes MMA fights more entertaining.
type of fight
In WWE wrestling, the audience will be served by other elements outside of the sport, namely entertainment. The entertainment in WWE battles can vary, for example, the drama of the disputes between wrestlers. This is the reason why WWE wrestlers have musical accompaniment when they enter or have a different persona in the ring.
Despite that, the fighting and fighting skills in the ring are real. Everyone trained before the time of the battle so that there would be no miscalculation. Meanwhile, MMA fights like Ultimate Fighting Championship are full contact fights where both fighters will attack each other just like other sports like boxing, muay thai or kickboxing.
no hyphens
As explained above, WWE is a wrestling match wrapped up in entertainment. There’s a lot of drama and other things that go into WWE battles, like the scripts that have been put together for each match. The fighters will practice the “scenes” that they will do in the moments of the later combat. It may also be that they have practiced who will win and who will lose in a match.
On the other hand, MMA fights are anything but scripted or pre-planned. In fact, they fought each other and tried to outdo each other. No one knows who will win or who will lose in the match. Who is able to survive to the end, then he is the winner. Even so, there are also a series of small elements outside the octagon that are prepared for the promotion of the party or the promotion of a product.
match class
Just like in a sports competition like boxing, MMA also has its own category based on the weight of the fighters. For example, there is featherweight, lightweight, and even heavyweight. In total there are about nine classes in an MMA match. And in each game there is always a jury that will determine who is the winner.
Unlike MMA, WWE has no class at all. That is to say, it is not impossible for those who are short in stature to fight against tall fighters. An example is Rey Mysterio who once fought The Undertaker. On the other hand, WWE has a wider variety of matches than MMA. For example, Hell in a Cell, Royal Rumble, Ladder Match and many others. WWE does not have judges, but there are referees who can decide the match.
match rules
WWE and MMA have quite contrasting rules of engagement. In an MMA match there are several rules that the fighters must follow. For example, it is not allowed to attack the lower part of the body, hold the neck, etc. There are several ways to determine the winner in an MMA match, namely disqualification, technical knockout, submission, and jury decision.
In a WWE match there are several rules that are inversely proportional to those of MMA. For example, wrestlers can leave the ring although there are also rules that prohibit doing so. WWE wrestlers are then allowed to hold the opponent’s neck. The winner of a WWE match is determined in three ways; submissions, disqualifications and pinfalls. Pinfall itself is the moment when a wrestler pins down the body of his opponent who is lying down and the referee will count to three.
ring type
MMA and WWE use different types of rings for their matches. MMA generally uses a type of ring that has eight corners or what is commonly known as an octagon. No other ornaments appear on the octagon. Meanwhile, WWE uses the same type of ring as boxing, which is square in shape. However, it is not uncommon for the ring to be modified.
As mentioned above, WWE has many types of matches, as one example is ‘Hell in a Cell’, which causes the ring to undergo modifications by adding iron bars. It is not uncommon for WWE matches to take place outside of the ring, for example backstage or even in a car park. They do this deliberately to present a dramatic impression in battle. The WWE ring is also considered safer than the Octagon, because the WWE ring is designed to protect wrestlers from injury.
Appearance
One of the biggest differences between WWE and MMA is how the fighters look or what they wear. In WWE matches, wrestlers can wear anything from pants to shorts. Although most don’t wear shirts, it’s not uncommon for wrestlers to wear costumes with bright, bright colors or wear undergarments such as undershirts.
However, in MMA matches all fighters follow similar rules. Male wrestlers must not wear clothes and only wear shorts. The wrestlers are free to choose the color of their shorts. Meanwhile, for women fighters besides wearing shorts they also wear special clothes like sports bras or special sports bras. Some also wear knee and ankle pads.
Pay
Pay is another difference between WWE and MMA. Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey once said that WWE pays a lot more than MMA, in this case, UFC. In an MMA fight, an ordinary fighter will be paid approximately 30,000 US dollars. Meanwhile, a wrestler who is less popular in WWE will receive an annual pay of US$500,000.
This number can appear in a WWE match, if it features a star wrestler. An example is a WWE superstar, such as John Cena, who will be paid US$500,000 for a match. This then becomes one of the reasons why not a few MMA fighters want to join WWE like Ronda.
show schedule
The final difference between WWE and MMA is the television schedule. It must be admitted that the media is a way of increasing the popularity of both types of parties. However, if you compare between the two, WWE is much “busier” than MMA. The popularity of MMA is currently on the rise, which has an effect on the hectic match schedule on television.
However, WWE features a lot more televised matches compared to MMA matches. Vince McMahon has been known to produce a minimum of three shows a week throughout the year. Not to mention, there are special match events that are shown on special channels like Pay-Per-View, also known as PPV.
MMA and WWE are sports entertainment that have become popular in recent years. Apart from America, the popularity of the two has even spread all over the world and even to Indonesia. However, despite some contrasting differences between WWE and MMA, these two sports entertainment will continue to grow for years to come.