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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier, is a huge pro wrestling fan. And, like most pro wrestling fans, he’s very opinionated when it comes to his scripted theater.
These days, most of what you’ll find in WWE and beyond is akin to Cirque du Soleil with chair shots. But “DC” and a lot of other old-school fans long for the simpler times of gritty, in-your-face wrasslin’ made famous by Ric Flair and Harley Race, among others.
That’s why he shat on this high-octane sequence from indy outfit Ring of Honor:
Super FLIPPY DROPKICKY Sequence! @NickJacksonYB @MattJackson13 @theAdamPage v @TheFlipGordon @dragon_leecmll #Titan #FinalBattle #ROH pic.twitter.com/KAwzOZxtLM
— Brian The Guppie (@briantheguppie) December 16, 2017
Cormier reacts:
@philbaroni this is actually pathetic. This is what people wanna see? Go to a god dang gymnastics competition. Suplex, bodyslam, piledriver do some old school wrestling man. DDT, I remember when the frankensteiner was the most you’d ever see someone flip. I say Boo to this BS https://t.co/eF4pnCy0SA
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) December 17, 2017
Pro wrestler Cody Rhodes fires back:
It's not pathetic. The paying audience enjoyed it. UFC is thriving, and pro-wrestling has been going strong since 1920...besides most of y'all ask hunter for a job when the wheels fall off anyway and most are on the comp list at staples...so lay the fuck off. https://t.co/oqKto3a4TK
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) December 17, 2017
Why all the hullabaloo? Cormier explains to MMA Junkie Radio:
“Listen, I’m a big-time wrestling guy. Like, I like watching that shit, and I know a lot people make fun of me for it. But I didn’t like that sequence of the match, and I’m going to say it. And if I want to say it on my Twitter, I’m going to say it on my Twitter. All those guys get all butt-hurt about it, and I’m like, ‘Hey, guys, not everybody is going to like everything you freaking do, so shut up.’ I told Cody Roades to lay off the swear words, because then when you start cussing like that, you’re pretending to be serious. And you don’t want to be serious with me.”
Mr. McGee, don’t make him angry...
Despite the frequent crossovers between sports (examples here and here), Twitter spats involving UFC fighters and pro wrestlers are nothing new, thanks to the efforts of UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
As for Cormier, he is scheduled to appear at UFC 220 next month in Boston, and it will be interesting to see if the pro wrestling community will be paying him back by way of social media.
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