14 August 2021
By Roger Jones
roger@TheCork.ie
Entertainment
Sportsbooks would have been happy with the latest Conor McGregor defeat in the UFC. The odds are that McGregor will continue his UFC career with plenty of big money fights out there. Could he switch the UFC octagon for a WWE ring at some point in the future?
There have been rumours in the past of McGregor becoming a professional wrestler. He could easily fit into the business and be a big hit in the WWE. The company aren’t getting the ratings that they want at present and are struggling to create new stars. The odds are that WWE owner Vince McMahon would jump at the chance of signing McGregor.
Professional wrestling isn’t all about in-ring ability. Of course, you do have to possess that, and McGregor wouldn’t take long to adapt to the new surroundings. A few weeks at their performance centre would soon see him ready to step into the ring.
Five years ago, McGregor sent out a tweet about the WWE roster. It read “I’d slap the head off your entire roster. And twice on Sunday’s.” Now that’s a comment that could be used for publicity if McGregor did move to WWE.
He wouldn’t be the first to compete in both UFC and WWE. Brock Lesnar began as a college wrestler, went into the WWE and won several titles. At one stage he left WWE and went into UFC becoming their heavyweight champion. The thought of a Lesnar v McGregor confrontation in WWE is a main event if ever there was one.
Although the results in WWE are predetermined, sportsbooks do offer odds on the matches. You might think that there’s a big weight difference between McGregor and a lot of the wrestlers in WWE (or superstars as they tend to be described) but that wouldn’t matter too much. Former McGregor opponent Floyd Mayweather made a fortune taking on The Big Show at WrestleMania and that was a David and Goliath affair for sure.
WWE are no strangers to having Irish wrestlers on their roster. Finn Balor, Sheamus and Becky Lynch have all been champions. August 21 sees WWE hold Summerslam and there is also the NXT:UK brand. There are plenty of odds at sportsbooks available for the show. If joining any online gambling site to bet on this and other top sporting events, do some research about UK betting sites before registering.
Part of being a professional wrestler is your ability on the microphone. Seeing The Rock on the mic it’s no surprise he’s gone on to become an extremely well-paid actor. If there’s one thing that McGregor can do, it’s talk.
There’s never a McGregor press conference that isn’t entertaining. McGregor has mastered the art of promoting his next contest. It’s not always that pleasant an experience when McGregor goes on a rant, but it makes you want to bet on his next contest and then see if the odds come up and his over-confident statements end in a win.
It’s the same in professional wrestling. Whether it be an in-ring interview, or one held backstage, they are all important in pushing the product. McGregor would excel in this department of the business, though he might need to watch his language a bit more. What are the odds of a few expletives finding their way into an interview?
Another UFC fighter who has made a successful transition to WWE is Matt Riddle, now just known as Riddle. He’s become a rather geekish character that rides around on a scooter, It’s unlikely McGregor would fancy such a change.
Riddle recently spoke to Sportskeeda about McGregor possibly joining WWE. “The guy has a mouth on him,” he joked. He knows that the Irish fighter is someone who will get people buying tickets for the shows he performs at. He compared McGregor to Jake Paul (though a lot more talented) as “they get people talking, they’re controversial, they make money with fights and dramas.”
There are plenty of matchups that Conor McGregor could have in WWE. How about an all-Irish battle with Sheamus? The Irish wrestler currently holds the WWE US title and despite a recent broken nose is still wrestling each week.
He’s already been stirring up a potential match with McGregor If the UFC fighter fancies joining WWE. McGregor told Sheamus on Twitter that “you will wake up with no teeth and your nose on my mantle.”
Sheamus didn’t instantly reply but then that all changed, and he engaged In some banter with the UFC fighter. “No one could take me. No one’s better than me. I could walk over anyone,” said Sheamus.
He did mention that he’s a heavyweight and might not be allowed to fight McGregor. As mentioned previously that wouldn’t be a problem. Who could resist Sheamus v McGregor in WWE, just who the odds would favour would be interesting to see.
Then there’s Tyson Fury in another catchweight dream fight. McGregor could never take him on in a boxing ring, but a WWE bout could well happen. Fury has already had matches in WWE and has spoken about making a return one day. Could you imagine how Fury and McGregor would promote such a match?
McGregor in WWE could well happen at some point in time. It’s unlikely he’d be a full-time wrestler but the occasional appearances and matches on their biggest events looks an intriguing possibility.
