Professional wrestling and mixed martial arts will forever be linked moving forward, and it started way before Dan Lambert made an appearance in AEW. Back in the 1990s, before MMA and the UFC took over the world, pro wrestling fans would glance over to the world of boxing every now and then, hoping for a box-office crossover. WrestleMania 14 is remembered fondly as the event ushered in the Attitude Era and catapulted Steve Austin to the top of the company. However, the sight of Mike Tyson, the then baddest man on the planet, knocking Shawn Michaels’ lights out in one punch is right up there with some of the biggest moments in pro wrestling history. Austin was the star that night, but Mike Tyson was presented as the special attraction, and his presence made the spectacle even bigger.Sadly, boxing would then suffer a decline due to an array of reasons but as the sport imploded from within, MMA entered the combat sports culture. MMA was far more dynamic and with punches, elbows, kicks, suplexes, and wrestling holds, and the new sport resonated far more with pro wrestling fans than boxing ever did.Updated on January 18th, 2022, by Andrew Kelly: There is no denying the heat that Dan Lambert generates the moment his face appears on-screen or when he begins talking. He has a great knack of knowing what to say in order to garner huge crowd reactions, and he is no doubt an asset for AEW in some way, shape, or form. However, he hasn’t been used in the best of ways thus far, with his storylines seriously lacking. After a painfully long feud with The Inner Circle, Lambert seems to be hopping around looking for something significant to do. The MMA crossover seems to be put on hold, or even ended, as Lambert has been working solely with the professional wrestlers of AEW.
American Top Team's Founder Is A Lifelong Wrestling Fan
Over the years, MMA superstars such as Ronda Rousey, Matt Riddle, and Cain Velasquez have entered the squared circle for extended programs, but wrestling fans always crave something more. Something more chaotic than simple one on one matches. Fans wanted an invasion from the other side and a wrestling fan by the name of Dan Lambert in Miami, Florida was all too happy to grant that wish.
Dan Lambert founded American Top Team in 2001 and the MMA gym is widely recognized as being one of the more premier gyms around the world. ATT currently houses UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, Glover Teixeira, and the greatest female fighter of all time, UFC double champion, Amanda Nunes, 10 Fighters With The Most Fights In UFC History. However, despite the success of his gym in the MMA realm, Lambert never forgot his love for professional wrestling and when AEW opened its door, Lambert and ATT became prominent fixtures on the program.
Lambert debuted back in July and after jumping the barricade and voicing out his opinions about the current product, the owner of ATT got people talking and hating his guts. The man cut a terrific promo on his first day and generated tremendous heel heat, and with Jorge Masvidal and Amanda Nunes at ringside, viewers were excited at the prospect of an MMA gym invading AEW.
Fast forward a few months, and the Dan Lambert experiment has left viewers scratching their heads. The idea was simple and the execution did not need too much complexity or build-up. But AEW’s handling of the storyline grew questionable as for the first couple of months, Lambert did nothing but blast the fans and the company over and over again and the story progressed no further.
Lambert’s character resembled a parody of legendary critic, Jim Cornette, and he stuck to the concept a bit too much. The angle works as long as Lambert puts over his team of MMA fighters as superior fighters, and while he has done that on occasions, once started talking about booking decisions and spot monkeys, the narrative went off the rails.
Another debacle to mention is the recruitment of Men of the Year into the stable led by Lambert, but that is another matter. Ethan Page is the last guy on the roster who needs a mouthpiece to hype him and his association with Lambert makes no sense, even if Page has a martial arts background. And of all the factions ATT could feud with, Lambert set his sights on the Inner Circle. And while that does make a little sense, considering Hager is an active Bellator heavyweight, the Inner Circle is just way past their expiration date and a program with ATT is a terrible ending note.
The Angle Dragged On For Too Long
Moreover, the MMA fighters are hardly distinguishable from the regular wrestlers on the roster. Lambert placed emphasis on his team being a group of trained killers, but ATT has yet to demonstrate fighting superiority, befitting the touted trained killers.
The anticipated debut match of Junior Dos Santos ended with a dusty finish, with interference from Paige and Masvidal giving ATT the victory. Junior Dos Santo's debut match ended with controversy instead of the former champion looming over the unconscious bodies of his foes.
Dos Santos is clearly out of his fighting prime and was released from the UFC in the middle of a four-fight skid, but the former UFC champion can still knock out a rhino with a shot and is still capable of being an imposing figure — a knock-out artist with the touch of death in his fists. But AEW has booked him and the other MMA fighters as nothing special to behold in a wrestling ring.
Slow progression, uninspired booking, and the constant kayfabe mutilation have stalled what should have been an amazing invasion angel. The owner of ATT has an undeniable passion for the pro wrestling business and a team of well-known MMA superstars and AEW should have capitalized on the potential months ago.
* AEW Doesn’t Seem To Know What To Do With Lambert
The Inner Circle’s feud with American Top Team lasted all the way until the Full Gear PPV event, where the two teams fought in a Minneapolis Street Fight. It wasn’t the best of matches, especially given the quality on the night, but it was fine enough for what it was. It was a welcome end to a feud that fans had gotten sick of, especially with controversy arising from homophobic and sexist jokes told throughout the feud, which many fans had no time for, and rightly so. In a match which featured a promising young star like Sammy Guevara, who was reigning as TNT Champion, along with underused acts such as Santana & Ortiz and Ethan Page, the match was mostly all about Chris Jericho and Lambert, when the focus should have been elsewhere.
It seemed like Lambert’s time in AEW had come to an end, but he returned not too long after, acting as the mouthpiece for Page and Sky yet again, despite them being good enough to manage on their own. Lambert forced Page & Sky’s way into the TNT Title picture, but it became repetitive quickly, with not too much happening week to week. The make matters worse, when Cody Rhodes was brought into the title scene, even winning the belt, AEW made the baffling choice to put fan-hated babyface Rhodes against a heel who gets massive heel heat, with nobody cheering either man during their exchanges. Perhaps the intention was to get fans back on side with Rhodes, but it didn’t work.
* Why Have Dan Lambert Interrupt Adam "Hangman" Page?
From out of nowhere, Lambert interrupted AEW World Champion, “Hangman” Adam Page, during a promo. Firstly, it seemed like this would kickstart a feud between one of Lambert’s guys and Page, which isn’t the most interesting direction, but then Lance Archer made an appearance, establishing himself as a heel by not attacking Lambert, instead going for Page. This was an odd move for Lambert, who had been so focused on the TNT Championship. It seems as though AEW doesn’t quite know what to do with Lambert, and without the more popular and intriguing members of American Top Team potentially becoming crossover stars, Lambert has become much less interesting.