The worlds of Mixed Martial Arts and WWE have been inextricably linked for years with numerous high profile fighting stars making the jump to the squared circle, and now it seems that Paige VanZant has one eye on adding her name to that list.
Since Ken Shamrock first made the switch from the Ultimate Fighting Championship to the then WWF back in 1997 and achieved almost instant success, there has been a steady flow of ‘shoot’ fighters who have tried their luck in WWE. More recently the likes of Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler have made WWE their home, while Brock Lesnar famously won the UFC Heavyweight Championship in 2008 after years of wrestling success, before returning to WWE in 2012.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on his “Insight With Chris Van Vliet podcast,” ahead of her Bare Knuckle FC debut on February 5th, Paige VanZant has confirmed that she has been in contact with WWE, and that the “door is definitely open” regarding a move.
When asked whether she had an interest in working for WWE, VanZant confirmed that she did, revealing that she feels she would be a success inside a wrestling ring.
“I do. I get asked about WWE a lot and I do feel like it’s something I would be very good at because I kind of have the best of both worlds; I was a dancer where I was used to the entertainment and the showmanship side of it and the combat sports side obviously goes into the WWE. You know, I don’t think that it’s something that I could do both (Bare Knuckle FC and pro wrestling) at the same time. I feel like I would want to do that 100%, so maybe it’s something that after I’m done fighting in a cage and in a ring that maybe I’ll go over to there but the door is definitely open.”
VanZant went on to confirm that there has been communication between the two parties, before reiterating that it is something that she would like to pursue in the future.
“Communication is actually there sometimes so we’re able to communicate and show our interest with each other and once there’s a little bit more free time in my schedule I think that’s something that I would like to really pursue.”
Interestingly, the Mixed Martial Arts star also said that she has already visited the WWE Performance Center to have a look around and get a feel for the place.
“Yes, I have visited their campus, the Performance Center in Orlando. I was able to go visit and look around and kind of get a sense for what it’s all about.”
In August 2020 VanZant signed a four-fight contract with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, and is set to make her debut for the promotion on February 5th against Britain Hart in the main event of BKFC 16.
You can watch the pay-per-view live at https://www.bareknuckle.tv/