WWE Stars are true physical specimens, they are on the road most days of the year and take a lot of punishment while wrestling in front of thousands of screaming spectators.
Although WWE matches are fixed, there is a lot of physical and technical ability needed to become a WWE superstar and it is not unusual to see WWE stars coming in from other athletic backgrounds as well as cross training in other sports to better their performance in the ring.
It should be no surprise that WWE stars practice martial arts and definitely no surprise that they practice Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as it is a very effective grappling art that can have carryover into the WWE ring, a great example of a WWE move influenced by BJJ is the Undertaker’s finisher called Hell’s Gate which is basically a gogoplata.
WWE BJJ Practitioners
Here are 8 WWE stars who practice BJJ
The Undertaker
A huge man at 6”10 and 309lbs (208cm and 140kg) who is one of the most famous WWE superstars of all time also holds a blackbelt in BJJ under Rolles Gracie. Having such size and physical ability as well as the ground skills of a BJJ blackbelt makes the Undertaker a seriously dangerous man and definitely had part in his attaining his blackbelt in 2 years – a feat not common in BJJ.
The undertaker has even added the famous BJJ gogoplata submission to his list of moves under the name “Hell’s Gate”, truly respectful to his BJJ background.
David Bautista
Bautista has become a major international phenomenon, especially with his exploding movie career and WWE history. David is a purple belt in BJJ under Cesar Gracie and has even fought and won in an MMA fight. David Bautista has legitimate BJJ skills and is a true martial artist.
Montel Vontavious Porter
Montel Vontavious Porter is a true BJJ champ as in 2020 he won Gold at the IBBJF Masters as a Purple belt which is not an easy feat to do. After winning the gold medal he received his brown belt from Gracie Barra Blackbelt Andre Santos.
Shane McMahaon
Shane McMahon is the son of WWE’s owner Vince McMahon and an avid BJJ practitioner as well. Shane has trained with the one and only Renzo Gracie and John Danaher. Shane has shown his BJJ prowess more than once in the ring.
Eve Torres
Arguably the most interesting WWE star to practice BJJ is Eve Torres. Eve not only practices BJJ but she is married to Rener Gracie of Gracie Jiu-jitsu.
Eve is purple belt and the head of Gracie Women-Empowered Self Defense program which is an absolutely world class and professionally made program for women wanting to learn practical self defense. Eve has become one of the leading figures in BJJ and truly a technical BJJ master on the ground.
Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is no stranger to the grappling arts as he originally comes from a Judo background and in his later years he fell in love with BJJ and started to practice it along with Muay Thai. It is said that Joe trains at LA Boxing and is a real beast on the ground.
C.M. Punk
C.M. Punk made waves several years ago when he decided to make the switch from the WWE to fight in the UFC. Unfortunately C.M. never got to raise his hand in the octagon but he did try his best and showed what a humble sportsman he truly is in taking the defeat like a pro. C.M. practices BJJ and is a blue belt and is a real fan of the gentle art of jiu-jitsu.
Brock Lesnar
Although Brock is known for being a world class collegiate wrestler as well as one of the best WWE wrestlers of all time, Brock actually holds a blue belt in BJJ under the talented Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros.
In conclusion
WWE is fast paced and the professional wrestlers that work in the WWE are true physical specimens. These are just a few of the WWE wrestlers that practice BJJ and you can be certain that there will be many more who will start practicing BJJ in the future as BJJ truly can compliment the natural attributes that WWE superstars possess.
