10 Things That Are Inevitable Before WWE WrestleMania 33
2. Conor McGregor Will Appear In WWE
In another life (presumably one in which he’s blessed with a stature bigger than the average garden gnome), Conor McGregor would make an excellent professional wrestler.
Blessed with supreme athleticism and a near-delusional level of self-confident, the UFC Featherweight Champion is the best talker in any professional sport, period. His boastful tirades and razor-sharp lines have made him an international megastar, and an untouchable figure at the top of the MMA mountain despite his March loss to Nate Diaz.
Like Muhammad Ali before him, McGregor’s promo style is perfectly suited to professional wrestling. He’s taken to the media to openly criticise WWE’s talent roster in recent weeks, with John Cena the latest target of his vociferous rants against the sport as a whole.
Why would he choose to do this? “Attention” is the most obvious answer, but there’s already a huge crossover between MMA and wrestling fans, and The Notorious gains very little exposure from openly attacking those in a completely different industry. There’s every chance he’s using these tirades as a means of drawing in wrestling fans to view his forthcoming rematch with Diaz, but it’s far likelier that McGregor’s recent actions are part of something bigger.
Ronda Rousey’s WrestleMania 31 appearance and Brock Lesnar’s UFC 200 return have demonstrated that WWE and UFC are willing to work together under the right circumstances. Could McGregor be set to appear on WWE television? Almost certainly. He’s a smart self-promoter who knows how to draw a reaction from fans, and despite his continued criticisms of WWE, he’s likely being set-up as a heel antagonist for an eventual appearance.
Conor McGregor in WWE would generate huge attention for both companies and, in light of recent events, it makes too much sense not to happen.