So You Wanna Be A Professional Wrestler?

Conor McGregor made headlines last week saying how nobody in the WWE locker room could possibly stand toe-to-toe with him.  The implication, of course, being that all of the giants in professional wrestling couldn't hang with a guy who trains UFC because... well, they're not tough.

It's a heel-like statement if there ever was one (Conor was downplaying the concept he'd ever go into the WWE, by cutting the most-WWE like promo ever) and ruffled some feathers.  But if there was ever any doubt about the toughness of professional wrestlers and the kinds of bumps they take, look no further than this video of our pal Douglas James (who recently showed several backyard wrestlers how tough the world of professional wrestling can really be).

The following match took place in Los Angeles and was organized by the SCWA.  Doug was entered into a royal rumble-esque match (eliminations over the top rope and whatnot) that would see him take on a bunch of (relative) wrestling newbs.  He would also pull a Ric Flair and start the match as the #1 draw and compete for the duration of said match. 

The participants were described as a bunch of backyard/untrained wrestlers, who definitely seemed up-for-the task, but, as this video quickly demonstrates, the art of professional wrestling truly requires a level of precision and athleticism (all while hilariously juxtaposed to Daniel Powter's Bad Day).

See for yourselves.

Faqing Hallman (highlight clip of footage from FanDeLucha), YouTube

The video, unsurprisingly, has gone viral.  And with good reason, Doug is the real deal when it comes to wrestling.  

Granted, he's not smart, he wasn't blessed with good-looks or charisma, but damn does he have a good drop kick.  So much so that one YouTube commentor asked if "he could do any other move than a dropkick?"  (Spoiler: the answer is yes and you probably don't want to see how legit those are either).

Anyway, we're happy a video like this exists to show the bumps the guys have to take and that shows just a little bit of what a guy like Douglas (and many of the other athletes involved in pro wrestling) can do and endure. 

Should you be interested to know more about Doug you can listen to his interview with myself and my pal Mike Stallings on our podcast HEEL SECTION below.  in it, you can hear how Doug made the transition from MMA to Pro Wrestling (take that Conor!) and what drives him to be great.  

Enjoy.