Over the past few years, UFC athletes like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey have gained superstar status. While mixed martial arts promotions can thank big names like these for a considerable part of their ticket and pay-per-view sales, the same cannot be said for professional wrestling. The WWE's golden age of John Cena and Triple H is coming to an end and there is not yet a solid replacement for these marquee names.
"[The] WWE has been hurting for stars for a while... Somebody needs to emerge though [and] now is the perfect opportunity," UFC veteran Chael Sonnen said in an interview with Channel Guide Magazine. Despite the fact that the WWE is missing big names, he praised them for doing well with what they currently have on their roster.
Sonnen said that most of the younger talents in the WWE should take it upon themselves to come forward and take control. He added that wrestlers might have to put their jobs on the line and go off the script in order to achieve this.
When he was still in the UFC, Sonnen was once offered a contract worth around $5 million by WWE CEO Vince McMahon, according to Sports Joe. Sonnen stated that he never held talks with UFC president Dana White about the offer and that he handled it on his own. He simply turned down the multi-million WWE contract and never received an offer from them again.
Sonnen argued that he turned down the WWE's lucrative offer because he wanted to be loyal to his then-employer. However, he was fired from the UFC after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Sonnen most recently fought at the Bellator 170 event, in which fellow UFC alumnus Tito submitted him in the first round of their bout.
The WWE currently has had a bad rap with their micromanaging style when it comes to creative control. So much time and effort is dedicated to editing wrestling promos that they lose most, if not all, of their edge. Wrestling fans argue that the WWE should give more freedom to their talent instead of trying to manufacture them to drive up sales figures.
Watch the returning Brock Lesnar confront some of the biggest names on WWE Raw in the video below: