A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of mixed martial arts[2][3] and the first true world-class wrestler to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

After completing his degree program and graduation Severn entered numerous competitions from 1982 to 1994 that took him to Japan, Hungary, Cuba, France, and Turkey.

The Beast also tried his hand at coaching wrestling at ASU and Michigan State University as he continued to compete and excel after his collegiate career.

Severn won a split decision in what most fans regard as one of the worst fights in MMA history, mainly due to legal issues surrounding the event.

In 1996, Severn managed his friend and fellow wrestler and judoka Don Frye, as well as wrestling champion Dan Bobish, in their own mixed martial arts ventures.

Held under the long running Gladiator Challenge promotion in San Jacinto, California, Severn picked up his 9th straight win to improve his record to 98–16–7.

[24] Severn was scheduled to face fellow mixed martial arts veteran Ken Shamrock on March 20, 2016, in a MMA match for the upstart URFight promotion.

However, Shamrock claimed to have been injured during his bout with Royce Gracie at Bellator 149, and was later suspended after his pre-fight blood sample tested positive for banned substances.

[29] During his time with the Union Of Professional Wrestling Force International, Severn participated in the Best Of The World 1994 tournament, Dan finished before the semi-finals.

Severn entered the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in 1995, making his debut for the governing body at an event on January 6, by defeating Johnny Johnson in a "wrestler versus boxer" match.

On February 24, Severn defeated Chris Candido to capture his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship at a Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) event.

His challengers during his first year of title reign included Osamu Nishimura, Tommy Cairo, Max Anthony, Yoshihiro Tajiri, Andre Baker, Tony Monroe, Geza Kalman Jr., and Jim Neidhart.

[31] Severn continued to retain the title in 1996, against the likes of Jim Neidhart, Ghetto Blaster, Repo Man, and Geza Kalman Jr.

The other challengers for the title whom he defeated that year included Rod Price, Paul Atlas, Rik Ratchet, Lance Diamond, Doug Gilbert, Sgt.

Severn's final two title defenses were at major supercards, the first against Steven Regal at 50th Anniversary Show and Hack Meyers at NWA Florida event WrestleGrowl '98.

After holding the title for four years, Severn lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Naoya Ogawa at a Universal Fighting-Arts Organization event Battle in the Hama Ring on March 14, 1999.

The following year, Severn defeated Shinya Hashimoto to win his second NWA World Heavyweight Championship at a Pro Wrestling Zero-One event Vast Energy on March 3, 2002.

[32] Severn made his first appearance in the WWF with the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship on June 23, 1997, to join the color commentary team.

He would also take part in the 1998 King of the Ring tournament, defeating D'Lo Brown and Owen Hart before losing to The Rock in the semi-finals.

On the June 8, 1998, episode of Monday Night Raw, Severn would (kayfabe) injure Brown's rib cage via the bow and arrow submission hold, causing him to wear a chest protector for the next few months.

According to Severn, shortly before the 1999 Royal Rumble, the WWF asked to him to tattoo "666" on his forehead ("the mark of the beast") and become an Undertaker disciple, presumably as part of his Ministry of Darkness stable forming during that time.

Severn was knocked out of the tournament in the semi-finals in a fatal four-way match when Raymond Rowe was the victor against Dan, Tim Donst and Tracey Williams.

On May 12, 2017, Dan Severn competed at Gladiator Championship Wrestling against Brent Myers in a winning effort via his Beast Choker finishing submission move.

Then on June 3, Dan returned to Price of Glory Wrestling where he defeated "so fine" Frank Isaac Anderson, who Severn trained to become a professional wrestler.

On March 17, 2019, Josh Barnett announced via Twitter that Severn would be participating in Game Changer Wrestling's (GCW) Bloodsport, an event that features worked matches presented in a shoot style.

[40] Severn founded Midwest Wrestling Alliance (MWA) with Mark Pennington, based out of Coldwater, Michigan in June 2004.

Utilizing the many students at his pro wrestling school Michigan sports camps, they created the popular promotion running on a monthly basis.

The plot is about a detective on the track of a serial killer in L.A.[46] In late 2010, Severn played himself in Tetherball: The Movie directed by Chris Nickin.

"[47] In 2012, Severn acted in the amateur wrestling movie Win by Fall directed by Chris Nickin, as the character called Coach Winters.

[49] In 2016, Severn acted as a referee in Beyond the Game which is an action movie directed by Erken Ialgashev and written by J. Stephen Maunder and David Mitchell.