MMA Fighters That Could Become Crossover WWE Superstars & Their WWE Counterparts

Sage Northcutt

There are certain fighters you take one look at and imagine the reaction Vince McMahon would have. Northcutt is near the top of my list as someone that McMahon would see “Superstar” attached to within seconds. Aside from an incredibly strong social media presence and a reflexive willingness to promote sponsors and brands, Northcutt may be the most unique voice and personality in the sport with few comparisons in that field. While it is still up for debate if Northcutt realizes his own self-parody when it comes to the fact he is essentially a Ken doll who relentlessly, shamelessly plugs products, thanks his sponsors and promoters -- and of course, God -- it doesn’t make him any less palatable.

In pro-wrestling, this is the living embodiment of Kurt Angle circa 1999 and 2000 that would translate so well backed by an incredible athletic pedigree as his foundation. The most difficult element would be allowing this version of Sage Northcutt the ability to convey that same presence and “Aw, shucks” approach to life in a WWE environment. You could not script a character like this, where the entertainment is not so much the individual but the situations you place him in with his genuine, non-kayfabe reactions. Part of the gimmick with Northcutt -- just as it is with his genuine MMA persona -- is trying to figure out whether or not he’s actually in on the joke.



Admittedly, Northcutt is not the biggest guy, but he has exactly the kind of cut-up physique that WWE has prized for so long and may work well for its 205 Live series if Northcutt never develops a proper heavyweight body. On top of that, he’s spent years showing us his flair of gymnastics and flippy theatrics, which lends itself well to him being able to become a thrilling, high-risk taking aerial artist in the ring.

He is a caricature of a cheerleading babyface right out of 1985 but transported to 2019 as a mixture of Ricky Steamboat’s looks wrapped in the innocence of Will Ferrell’s character in “Elf.” Best of all, because he is such a bizarre, otherworldly white-meat babyface, if bookers were ever able to find the perfect angle to turn him heel, it would be both thrilling and comedic in the sort of way that only great pro-wrestling can be.