If Bruce Lee didn't die, how tarnished would his legacy be?

[Fedorgasm]

People who die young never get the chance to disgrace themselves as they age.

I mean, look at how fondly everyone remembers Kurt Cobain. That would probably be different if he lived long enough to start making crappy music and doing deodorant commercials.

So let's talk about Bruce Lee. If he were still alive, how tarnished would his legacy be?

Would he have continued to do movies into his old age like Jackie Chan? How would he respond to the constant questions about the UFC and how he could've done in it?

Would he be in the expendables movies?

Or would he be selling "Bruce Lee's learn to fight in 14 days" online courses?

 

[jeff7b9]

He'd be 84.

I think he was smart enough to have made his money and moved on. Maybe move behind the camera or into business of some sort.

I see him going the Gene Hackman route.

Start handpicking his roles, then as age caught up, gracefully step out of the spotlight to enjoy family and peace and quiet.

Be like whiskey:

Mostly best to leave alone unless it's the weekend and I go to a party.

 

[Get To Da Choppa]

People who die young never get the chance to disgrace themselves as they age.

I mean, look at how fondly everyone remembers Kurt Cobain. That would probably be different if he lived long enough to start making crappy music and doing deodorant commercials.

So let's talk about Bruce Lee. If he were still alive, how tarnished would his legacy be?

Would he have continued to do movies into his old age like Jackie Chan? How would he respond to the constant questions about the UFC and how he could've done in it?

Would he be in the expendables movies?

Or would he be selling "Bruce Lee's learn to fight in 14 days" online courses?

In a parallel universe we would have Bruce Lee doing straight to DVD action movies with Sensei Seagal

 

[Osculater]

I don't know but he never had a pro fight

 

[wufabufa]

Probably end up like Chuck Norris. He'd be in some banger movies, some crap ones, and maybe a mediocre TV spot. You'd see his name on exercise equipment and supplements. But internationally, he'd be famous as fuck. I'd also like to think that his ideas and skills would have continued to evolve.

However, the internet would dig a bunch of stuff up about his past and to a certain degree he'd lose a lot of credibility for some of the unverifiable claims he's made in the past.

 

[Pittie Petey]

He wouldve probably ended up doing some stuff with the WWF during the 80's boom period, teaming with Ricky Steamboat maybe, that woulda been cool

 

[Kowboy On Sherdog]

He would have beaten Hulk Hogan at Pride 3... broken Frank Dux Kumite records. But lost to Rickson on a beach.

 

[Matt4786]

I think he might stay well regarded. While JKD is pretty tame in retrospect, he seemed ahead of his time on cross-training. And he was great on screen. He had the looks, speed, and intensity, which all lent him credibility.

 

[tgv976]

I think he would have embraced MMA. I don't think he would've fought, but I can see him involved somehow with a major org. Maybe the Seagal pathway just not as fat.

His philosophy of use what works and forget what doesn't was ahead of its time. If he was such an egomaniac as some portray him to be, maybe he would've been in Ron Van Clief's place in whatever UFC that was and got choked out too. Would be glorious and hilarious if he managed to KO Royce somehow.

 

[Belaya Smert]

He would be in jail for beating Frank Dux harder than Sensei Tanaka ever did. Possibly with the Dim Mak.

 

[William Huggins]

He would've been too big a star and too old to take part in MMA when it got big enough......

 

[shunyata]

Non zero chance we could have had Bruce on the UFC 1 commentary team.

 

[Spam On Rye]

He wouldve probably ended up doing some stuff with the WWF during the 80's boom period, teaming with Ricky Steamboat maybe, that woulda been cool

Then he goes heel and teams up with Rick Rude to take on Steamboat and Sting. Fucking loved Steamboat man.

 

[Spounman]

Chuck Norris is still a bad ass and legend. I feel like Bruce would be treated the same.

 

[joy2day]

Bruce Lee would still be the pioneer he is today if he were alive. Even Dana White and Chuck Lidell have called him the grandfather of MMA with his martial arts philosophy of having "no way as a way." If you followed kickboxing in the 70s, you know HW champ Joe Lewis trained with Bruce Lee, as well as multiple time world champ Chuck Norris. Many greats did, because he was a real martial arts pioneer as well as a pioneer of martial arts movies.

Paul McCartney hasn't done anything good since the invention of the telephone answering machine, but I wouldn't say that hurts how people perceive the Beatles. Some people go through timeless eras in their lives, and everyone fades, artists and athletes alike. It's normal. I think Bruce Lee's early work would have aged well even if he went downhill in terms of what he had to offer as he got older. I do think he was a revolutionary thinker though that would have contributed further if he had lived.

 

[Thrawn33]

He'd be better off than Seagul thats for sure.

Imagine if Brandon didn't die and they did a film together.

 

[Goon Dog]

Then he goes heel and teams up with Rick Rude to take on Steamboat and Sting. Fucking loved Steamboat man.

I took my kid to a RAW taping several years ago when they did the Slammy Awards. Steamboat presented an award and he walked right by us. He must have gotten out at the right time because he looked fantastic.

 

[Ardaric]

Well he has a gay name.

 

[Deaths Head]

He would have got the credit for modern MMA gloves not Tank Abbott ( he wasn’t the first to wear striking gloves with the open fingers though ) he wore similar gloves to MMA modern ones in Enter The Dragon .

He may have also tested the Gracie system like Chuck Norris ( he fought Rickson Gracie and lost ) and became a practitioner ? Lee did know traditional Jui Jitsu he also showcases it in Enter The Dragon .

 

[Natural Order]

Likely would have had a student compete at UFC 1. But I assume Gracie's would have avoided an invite.