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WWE: The Top 7 WWE Superstar NBA Counterparts

By Mark Justice

BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 29: Enes Kanter #11 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket and shoots the ball against the Brooklyn Nets on November 29, 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 29: Enes Kanter #11 of the Boston Celtics drives to the basket and shoots the ball against the Brooklyn Nets on November 29, 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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5.) CM Punk/AJ Lee = Allen Iverson

Did somebody say ‘practice?’ Allen Iverson, an individual who had an uncharacteristic look for an NBA player, was nonetheless one of the best players in NBA history and could have been the GOAT if his career ended in a more positive manner. Unfortunately, because of his look and attitude, the system that loomed over his head was set for him to fail before he knew it.

Indeed, David Stern’s system in the NBA held Iverson back from stardom dramatically, preventing him from playing on the All-Star team and the Olympic team. The negative images portrayed by the media onto Iverson also dissuaded many NBA teams from signing him.

If anyone knows Iverson, they know that he had no filter between his brain and his mouth but he spoke the truth. Thanks to his candid ‘pipebombs,’ he truly was a revolutionary voice of the voiceless and his voice was heard by the NBA fans around the world but was never truly listened to by the establishment.

Evidently, CM Punk and AJ Lee fit this description. Both were revolutionaries who could have been the ‘best in the world’ but they did not have the look of a typical WWE superstar and thereby spoke against the system with their famous ‘pipebombs’ in 2011 and 2013 respectively.

While Vince McMahon wanted big, sweaty men and ‘strong, sexy, and powerful’ blonde women to be the faces of the WWE, CM Punk was tattooed and scrawny like Iverson while Lee was short and geeky (i.e. hence the name ‘Freaks And Geeks’ with Paige), which was not the typical look of a WWE ‘diva’ at the time.

Thankfully, despite having to leave the WWE with disgruntled animosity towards said system, their revolutionary words of wisdom somehow set easier pathways for future stars in both the NBA and the WWE respectively. However, there’s no doubt that those same obstacles set by the Authority are still somewhat existent today.

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