Stephen Thompson turns heel, joins Ariel Helwani in online feud with Darren Till

In a twist similar to Randy “Macho Man” Savage turning on Hulk Hogan, Stephen Thompson has shocked the world and turned heel.

It’s safe to say that the ongoing war of words between Ariel Helwani and Darren Till has sent shockwaves through the MMA universe, to the point where it seems obvious that they’re going to throw down in what will almost certainly be one of the most highly anticipated fights in the history of mixed martial arts.

Of course, one man who is well aware of what Till can do is none other than “Wonderboy” Thompson himself.

I was actually at both of those fights…I’m pretty sure GSP didn’t miss weight either 🤔🤔

— Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) April 19, 2020

Wonderboy heel turn!? This is bigger than Hogan at Bash at the Beach! https://t.co/XonQvxj7Uh

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 19, 2020

https://twitter.com/WonderboyMMA/status/1251955329446920201

Thompson turning against the man who narrowly beat you in his hometown is one thing, but aligning himself with Ariel Helwani aka the Eric Bischoff of his day? Some would argue that’s just unforgivable.

In the darkness of this new partnership comes the hope that maybe, just maybe, Till will also team up with a member of the MMA media in order to combat the betrayal of Thompson. Perhaps Brett Okamoto will step into the squared circle, or maybe, just maybe, Luke Thomas will insert himself into proceedings in a catchweight tag team battle for the ages.

In light of these recent events, and given what we all know to be true about “The Gorilla” and his antics on social media, you’d have to imagine that this is only just the beginning.

In all seriousness, it’s great to see some of these fighters creating their own form of entertainment at a time like this. It’s all pretty silly and you don’t have to be a genius to work that out, but in the absence of any actual fights to get excited about, what are we supposed to do?

If Stephen Thompson and Till ever did square off in a rematch, who do you think would come out on top?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 4/17/2020.