Conor McGregor is the most popular, most marketable star in the world of MMA. The first double champion in UFC history is also making loud noises about his impending careers beyond the Octagon. He’s not going to fight for at least 10 months (supposedly), and one of his options is a potential future in pro wrestling. God knows he has the promos and personality down pat. WWE has reportedly been trying to book Conor for at least an appearance for some time, and McGregor has made it pretty clear that he alone dictates his moves.
Count Paul Heyman among those who think it would be great for everyone involved if McGregor were to make the leap from UFC to WWE. On the first episode of Bring it to the Table on WWE Network, host Peter Rosenberg asked Heyman what he thinks about McGregor making the jump. Heyman didn’t hesitate.
“It’d be great if he was. He’s a mainline box office attraction. He’s a headline news grabber. I think it’d be great for WWE. I think it’d be great for Conor McGregor.”
Rosenberg brought up that it wasn’t very long ago McGregor was infuriating wrestlers and wrestling fans alike with his dismissive comments about WWE. Heyman, always the smartest guy in the room, rightfully pointed out that McGregor is the ultimate showman and worked everyone … and got exactly the result he wanted.
“Suckers. Hook, line and sinker. There are people mentioning him by name here, on our platform to promote him. He’s not mentioning anybody by name here. Why? Because he has a platform all of his own. That makes him a huge box office attraction, being promoted by other box office attractions that spend their equity talking about him. Kudos to him. He outsmarted everybody … except for me, and except for Brock Lesnar.”
McGregor has always and will always go where the money is. I can’t imagine it will be too long before WWE makes him an offer he likes for an appearance, although I believe a WWE match anytime soon would be an extreme longshot. And who would he even fight, anyway? Kalisto?
You know what? I take it back. Pay McGregor $200 million to come in and get kicked and Red Arrow’d to death by Neville. It would be worth it to me, at least.
