WWE Star Looking to Cross Over to MMA
Posted by Steve Carrier on 04/20/2011 at 10:40 PM

Seldom seen WWE talent Harry Smith (a/k/a David Hart Smith) apparently has plans to cross over from professional wrestling to mixed martial arts. His mother, Diana Smith, wrote on Twitter that he plans on following his father and grandfather's trail as a shoot fighter.

"My son Harry Smith is quite the shoot fighter, does everyone know that?" she wrote. "He is following in his dad Davey's and Grandfather Stu's footsteps."

Diana also believes he is good enough to compete in a premiere mixed martial arts organization today.

"I actually think my son Harry Smith could compete in Pride, MMA/UFC now as a high level wrestler, he's honestly that good! Ask Josh Barnett."

Barnett, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, said last year in an interview that he has been training the WWE Superstar in catch wrestling. Smith can be seen sparring with Barnett in the DVD seminar W.A.R. Catch Wrestling: Lessons in Catch-As-Catch-Can with Billy Robinson.

CagesideSeats.com reported last month that Smith became an assistant coach in the Scientific Wrestling certification program under Catch-As-Catch-Can-Wrestling legend Billy Robinson. Smith earned the designation after logging over 100 hours of training with Robinson and receiving his approval to teach his concepts.

Robinson stated to Wrestling Observer Newsletter editor Dave Meltzer that if he personally trained Smith for 18 months, he could win the UFC Heavyweight Championship—he was that impressed by him in the time they sparred.

Smith, however, remains under contract to WWE, which prohibits him from joining a mixed martial arts organization. While no indication has been given that the third generation wrestler is leaving WWE, his future prospects with the entertainment empire appear grim as he finds himself in a bigger rut than his 2007-2008 stint on the main roster where he primarily competed on WWE Heat. Sans an appearance in the 22-Man Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXVII, Smith has not competed in over two months; his last match occurred on the February 17, 2011 episode of WWE Superstars. Even further, Smith has not competed in a match on Monday Night Raw in nearly six months. He last appeared on the program on December 6, 2010, which saw him lose to former tag team partner Tyson Kidd in a blow off match. He was then laid out by Kidd's short-lived bodyguard Jackson Andrews.