WWE legend Lilian Garcia says Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles would be ideal for MMA as she explains leaving wrestling for PFL
WWE legend Lilian Garcia has been opened up to a whole new world as she swapped the ring for the cage.
The iconic ring announcer finished her full-time WWE career in 2016 before crossing over to MMA by signing with Professional Fighters League three years later.
Garcia, who started in 1999, featured in some of the biggest flagship pay-per-views, including WrestleMania 29 in 2013, which had a crowd of 80,676.
But despite experiencing it all in professional wrestling, the Spanish-American admits nothing can compare to the buzz of a live fight night.
Garcia, 54, told SunSport: “It’s a completely different atmosphere, I must say.
“With WWE there’s a flowing storyline that’s going on throughout the night and this is like one fight ends and it’s on to the next.
“So there’s really not this complessive storyline that going on through the night, it’s individual, but it’s an intensity that carries on because each fight is so important.
“Being in the cage I feel like I’m in an elimination chamber match for every single fight.”
Garcia, who still occasionally cameos in WWE, had no plans to continue announcing regularly, until out of the blue she was approached by PFL Executive Vice President George Greenberg.
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She said: “It was the coolest thing, really, I remember that moment.
“I talked to them and as soon as I had a meeting with George Greenberg, immediately I was in love with the organization.
“Just with everything they were trying to do, the whole concept of this MMA league is so different and for someone like myself who didn’t grow up an MMA fan, it’s a lot easier to grasp.”
Garcia, born in Madrid, worked with some of the greatest names in WWE, including Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Undertaker and John Cena.
But she named high-flyers Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles as the two stars most likely to have succeeded in the cage – due to their athleticism and on-camera personas.
Garica explained: “I’d think someone like AJ Styles or Jeff Hardy maybe could have done something.
“It’s their athleticism, they’ve both had such long careers, physically they have an ability to withstand it night after night.
“So, having them do something like MMA, and then add their personalities, I could definitely have seen that.”
WWE stars are famed for pushing their bodies to the limits in order to put on a show for their beloved fans.
But even Mick Foley – who was once thrown off a cage by Undertaker – admitted the brutality of MMA would be too much for him to handle.
Garcia revealed: “I remember inviting Mick Foley, he came and sat with me a couple times cageside and we were in New York and he was so into it.
“He said, ‘I could never be an MMA fighter’. He sees the intensity of that world and how amazing these athletes are.”
PFL have a unique quarters, semis and final format, with the last two fighting for a life-changing $1million cheque.
And while ultimately skills pay the bills with it all to play for in the cage, Garcia’s knows from her time in the WWE just how much you can profit from selling yourself to an audience.
She said: “What’s important is not only the athleticism, but the personality.
“Some of these new fighters they’ve signed, interviewing them I could see their personalities coming through.
“Someone like Tom Lawlor, who’s had experience as a wrestler, he knows when he goes into the cage to really hype up the fans.
“If they add that personality – wow that’s the ticket to the top.
“You get the $1m and then have the fans that love you and then follow your career as they love your personality and charisma.”
Garcia, who has worked closely with PFL Vice President of Production and Programming Josh Fowler, will return for the 2021 season, starting on April 23.
But she will do so in front of a limited crowd amid the coronavirus pandemic, until restrictions are lifted.
But Garcia – who feeds off the energy of fans – is relishing the moment her announcing will echo around a packed out arena who are in full voice.
She said: “I can’t wait, there’s any energy that you get where the hairs stand up on your skin.
“It’s so intoxicating, so that I can’t wait for. I think the beautiful lesson is we will not take it for granted any longer.”