- Alistair Overeem will make his pro wrestling debut at WES UK
- The ex-UFC heavyweight previously said that pro wrestling is “lame”
After being an established professional MMA fighter for more than two decades, former Strikeforce and DREAM heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem has made the big switch to pro wrestling. What’s even more interesting, the ex-UFC star will be in the main event in his debut.
Overeem to headline a pro wrestling event
Wrestling Entertainment Series (WES) will be hosting its first-ever event in Nottingham, England on June 4. Headlining the main card is a bout between Overeem and Adam “The Titan” Scherr, the promotion announced.
Former Strikeforce & DREAM Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem is going to take on Adam “The Titan” Scherr the former WWE Champion in a Pro Wrestling match https://t.co/b3iXSIoQe3
— Jason Hagholm (@JHagholm1) May 17, 2022
See other fights in the card below:
- World Women’s Championship: Lina Fanene (formerly Nia Jax) vs. CJ Perry (formerly Lana)
- World Tag Team Championships: Legion of Pain (formerly Authors of Pain) vs. Westin Blake & Steve Maclin
- Killer Kross vs. JONAH vs. Samuray Del Sol
- World Women’s Tag Team Championships: Madison Rayne & Tenille Dashwood vs. Deonna Purrazzo & Chelsea Green
- Dean Muhtadi vs. Lince Dorado
- Mike Bennett vs. Biff Busick
- Dirty Dango vs. Levis Valenzuela Jr (formerly No Way Jose)
A sudden change of heart
As shocking as it is, Overeem used to be vocal about his dislike of everything about pro wrestling. In an interview with “The MMA Hour” last year, “The Demolition Man” notably said pro wrestling is “fake, lame” and “stupid.” And yet, he is now a part of it.
“The thing is with that whole wrestling thing, I watched it when I was 8, 9, 10 years old,” Overeem explained. “Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, huge fan of those guys. Honky Tonk Man. Great, funny. Andre The Giant. I stopped watching after that, so I’m not watching since [1992, 1993, 1994]. And just recently, I started looking again on YouTube, and oh my God, this stuff is lame. It’s just lame what these guys are doing. It’s fake. It’s lame. It’s stupid.
It’s gay. It doesn’t make any sense… “It’s lame. It’s not even a sport. It’s just lame. It’s bad acting. It’s just lame. Sorry for all the fans of WWE, but I’m just being honest. I’m just giving my opinion. Free country, right? I think it’s lame, and because I hadn’t seen it for 20 years. I never watched Brock fight. I never watched CM Punk fight. I knew they were from WWE.”
Overeem last fought in MMA at UFC Fight Night 184 where he suffered a TKO loss to Alexander Volkov. He hasn’t tasted a win since 2020 and from the look of it, it seems like the 42-year-old may have been thinking about retiring from MMA.
