If you can’t beat ‘em...
Having spent the last decade or so (all due respect to John Cena, but...) not making a truly transcendent star, WWE is rumored to be very interested in getting the UFC’s biggest name, featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor, to come do some business with them.
As mentioned in today’s Rumor Roundup, Dave Meltzer said on the post-UFC 205 edition of Wrestling Observer Radio (subscription required but recommended) that WWE “very much” wants McGregor to make an appearance on their product.
Triple H was in Madison Square Garden for the event this past Saturday, Nov. 12, where Conor defeated Eddie Alvarez to become the first man to hold titles in two weightclasses simultaneously, and he followed that up by tagging the Notorious One in a Tweet which makes a flattering comparison between McGregor and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon:
#WhenYouKnowYoureTheMan @VinceMcMahon @TheNotoriousMMA #UFC205 pic.twitter.com/HGOgmS3mgf
— Triple H (@TripleH) November 14, 2016
Vince and Haitch were two of the “Dons” Conor shouted out when he called most WWE performers, and pro wrestlers in general, “p***ies” earlier this year. There’s still no word on if McGregor would be interested in showing up on Raw, or at WrestleMania, but this - and a whole lot of money - are probably the kinds of things which would get him to do it.
While an appearance by the UFC star would undoubtedly get WWE a lot of press and probably pop a number (either ratings or pay-per-view (PPV) buys/Network subscriptions), is it a smart play in the long run?
It’s pretty unlikely that McGregor or Dana White will sign off on any long-term angles or anything where he’d do much more than throw a worked punch or two. If that’s all you’re getting, is it worth having the charismatic talker show up your full-time roster on a one-shot deal?
We may never find out. But the WWE brass seem really, really interested in getting him on board and worrying about the rest later.