Guest wildpegasus Posted February 22, 2003 Report Posted February 22, 2003 How good of a wrestler could Bruce Lee have been if he decided to give wrestling a try? To me, I think he had the ability to be a legend. He had great endurance, strength, explosiveness, agility and intelligence. There really wouldn't be anything he couldn't do in the ring.
Guest TheHulkster Posted February 22, 2003 Report Posted February 22, 2003 Odd question. He was really athletic and had a lot of natural charisma. In the US, during his time period he would've definitely been typecast with an ethnic stereotype. Japan would be strange too. Since he doesn't look remotely japanese, and was raised in Hong Kong. Inoki was raised in Brazil though, and that didn't really stop him from being probably the biggest draw in the history of wrestling. I think he would probably get over in an Inoki-esque way.
Guest art_vandelay Posted February 22, 2003 Report Posted February 22, 2003 "THIS IS Bruce Lee, SMACKDOWN #1 ANNOUNCER!" - Bruce Lee the wrestler, 2003.
Guest WrestlingDeacon Posted February 22, 2003 Report Posted February 22, 2003 Bruce Lee was pretty much taking any jobs opened to him during his stint in Hollywood, including playing Kato on the Green Hornet. Depending on the timing, he might have used that gimmick. However, you have to look at the fact that Lee was a legitimate and proud martial arts fighter and probably would have been easily disgusted by the confines of pro wrestling. Not to mention that he would have been green as grass as far as match construction and basic wrestling went. The style being practiced in the sixties in both the US and Japan was more of a mat based, grappling style and I don't think that would have been something Lee would have been too good with. Being a high flying crazy martial arts type of fighter didn't even get started until Ricky Steamboat in the early eighties and using martial arts style submission holds didn't get going until the mid-ninties. He would have been majorly out of his element and would have been better off as a pro martial arts fighter or exhibitionist.
Guest razazteca Posted February 22, 2003 Report Posted February 22, 2003 The Master of Jeet Kun Do, would of kick started the MMA movement earlier, with Inoki pushing for a wrestling vs kung fu match.
Guest deadbeater Posted February 22, 2003 Report Posted February 22, 2003 Bruce would have done a superb job. Remember, in the film Game of Death, he resorted to grappling to defeat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As he was and instructor, if he is allowed, he can build on the instruction style that was The Game of Death.
Guest Breetai Posted February 25, 2003 Report Posted February 25, 2003 Bah. What about Jackie Chan? We already know that he can work with ladders/tables, he's remarkably agile, and he's done quite a few wrestling moves in his movies, ie. germans, belly-to-bellies etc. Plus the man can bump...
Guest Karnage Posted February 25, 2003 Report Posted February 25, 2003 I just pictured Jackie doing a senton bomb...that's a weird thoughtsight.
Guest Pigsy Posted February 25, 2003 Report Posted February 25, 2003 If he were a wrestler, I think Jackie Chan would either end up like Foley - gaining a cult following through his crazy bumping ... or he'd just be a comedy jobber, who doesn't speak english, with "hilarious" results.
Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly Posted March 3, 2003 Report Posted March 3, 2003 I think Bruce Lee would have been great. He had incredible charisma and showmanship. The only thing that would have hurt him was the fact that he was about 90 pounds.
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