It’s hard to imagine Chael Sonnen ever needing advice on how to cut an iconic promo, it’s even harder to imagine ignoring someone like Stone Cold.
Former UFC title challenger and Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen might very well be the single greatest trash-talker that we’ve ever witnessed in combat sports, but that doesn’t mean that the ‘Bad Guy’ didn’t look for a helping hand.
Chael Sonnen shares he used to call Steve Austin for promo advice
On a recent appearance on the Flagrant Podcast, Chael Sonnen revealed that on multiple occasions during his early UFC career, he would call up a fellow sporting legend for advice on how to best cut a promo.
Whilst you would assume that Sonnen would go to one of his fellow collegiate wrestlers or even one of his teammates competing in MMA, the ‘Bad Guy’ revealed that he would instead ask WWE superstar ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.
Sonnen explained that when he was faced with the opportunity to lay down some trash-talk, “I would definitely ask myself, ‘What would Stone Cold?’ in this situation,” – well, if he couldn’t figure it out by himself, why not just give the icon a call?
“I would sometimes even call Stone Cold and say, ‘In this situation, how would you handle this? Your character. How would that happen?’ [And] He gave me a couple of promos for Jon Jones.”
Sonnen laughed as he acknowledged that “It was more ideas” and that “I ended up not even using it,” as he detailed one such interaction with the legendary entertainer.
“I called him, he answered the phone, and I was like, ‘this guy is a lot younger and bigger.’ He says, ‘I’m driving down the road right now. Two lane road with a yellow stripe down the middle. It reminds me of Jon Jones. That yellow stripe down his back.’
“He starts cutting a promo, but it’s what is actually happening; he’s just thinking as he’s talking giving and taking the time to give this to me.”
Whilst Sonnen ultimately came up with his own iconic lines for Jones, “It was more to turn my brain as to what a promo was and what people wanted to hear.”
Sonnen reveals how he nearly pursued a path in professional wrestling
Given Sonnen’s quick wit and status as one of the greatest trash-talkers in the game, you might have assumed that the fan-favorite star may have been tempted to dip his toes into the WWE game down the years… And you’d be right.
The MMA veteran revealed that when he was in college, he actually tried out for a professional wrestling program and was shocked by the level of fitness that was required for such a career path.
“I had tried to pursue that at one time, I was at college, and they would do something called a Power Plant. You went out there for a try-out and if they accepted you then pay them – it was kind of like a business and marketing thing…
“I go my try-out date; I went there, and I made it. Only me and one other guy made it, and it was hard; oh my goodness it was hard.”
Sonnen, who was an NCA All-American at the time, noted that despite being “in really good shape, I barely got through this thing,”
“When you’ve had enough you go home and you don’t come back, it was like the Navy Seals and I mean some guys were out of there early, great big steroid guys [and] I mean really early.
“It was really difficult and that was my only foray.”
Interestingly, given the UFC’s parent company recently merged with the WWE to form the TKO Group, could there still be a chance of seeing Sonnen in the organization?
“I’m not against it, but I don’t know who to contact.”
Sonnen recently returned to action in a boxing match with Anderson Silva down in Brazil and following their draw, called for a bout with long-term rival Jorge Masvidal.