10 Reasons Conor McGregor Would Become WWE's Franchise Player

1. There's No Competition

Conor McGregor WWE
© Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE/SPORTSFILE/Corbis

The only person on WWE’s current roster who can lay claim to being a legitimate franchise player is John Cena, and his career seems to be winding down. Cena’s been at the top of the business since 2005, but with Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles carrying SmackDown in his absence, the 15-time world champion is becoming less and less important to WWE.

Cena’s on a downswing, and there’s nobody to take his place. The likes of Styles, Ambrose, and Kevin Owens are all popular in their own right, but none have been groomed to become the company’s focal point. WWE have spent the past two years preparing Roman Reigns for the jump, but the experiment has been a huge flop, and Reigns is no closer to winning the fans over today than he was in 2014.

Simply put, the only thing preventing Conor McGregor from becoming WWE’s hottest ticket is himself. WWE have failed miserably in creating new superstars since the Attitude Era, and with Cena drifting towards a part-time schedule, the problem’s only going to worsen. They need a megastar, and if they can’t build one themselves, they must look to McGregor.

In terms of becoming the face of the brand, there’s no competition for McGregor in WWE. He might be an outsider, but he’d be the most talked about thing in wrestling from the moment he walked into WWE to the day he left. In terms of marketability, star power, charisma, and drawing ability, he has no equal.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.