By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

Following Brock Lesnar's decisive victory over Frank Mir at UFC 100, many wrestlers were in a celebratory mood on Twitter and Facebook saying that Lesnar's victory proved wrestlers should be considered equally tough as trained MMA fighters.

One of the psychological reasons why MMA fight fans seem to strongly dislike Brock Lesnar is because he still carries the "stain of WWE" with him. He's viewed as fake and not a legit fighter because of his association with an industry that scripts match outcomes and features midgets.

Wrestlers took offense to the notion that "real fight" fans look down on pro wrestlers, with Lesnar proving the toughness of anyone who spent time in WWE or pro wrestling in general.

"It pisses me off when athletes/performers from the industry I have been lucky enough to be in for over 20 years don't get the respect our guys and gals should be receiving," Taz said on his Facebook page. "Lesnar MAY be looked at as a 'fluke' from the Pro Wrestling genre therefore Brock may not be getting the respect he well deserves."

Pro wrestlers would argue they are just as tough as any other pro athlete because of the conditioning necessary to wrestle a 15-to-20-minute match that entertains a crowd. Also, just because match outcomes are pre-determined and they pull their punches, doesn't mean they would run away from a fight in a bar.

Wrestlers often say "this isn't ballet" to defend their decision to work hurt and not take a night off for even the most serious of injuries. Announcers are produced to say other pro athletes would be sidelined and cry about lesser injuries, like a hangnail or chipped tooth.

Frustration over the general misconceptions of the toughness of pro wrestlers was expressed over the weekend. That frustration was also released when Lesnar defeated Mir. For MMA fans, Lesnar's victory seemed to generate more hatred toward Lesnar, like any good heel would generate for beating a top babyface by nefarious means.

Lesnar wants to distance himself from pro wrestling, specifically WWE, but his former colleagues are still depending on him to continue succeeding to continue disproving misconceptions about the toughness of pro wrestlers.

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