Why Conor McGregor is still the perfect fit for WWE
There have been plenty of MMA fighters linked with a move to the WWE (and other promotions in recent years), and fans know that there can be something of a revolving door between the sport and sports entertainment franchises, a fact that is only going to get more prevalent after the merge between UFC and WWE. However, few would be as big of a deal as Conor McGregor.
When having a detailed look at some of the amazing athletes that have gone to war in the Octagon, fans of MMA have had an array of likable stars to get behind over the years. Although he appears to be dividing opinion at the moment, and perhaps understandably so too, there is no denying just how impressive Conor McGregor – as an all-round package – was during his time in the UFC.
With fans of The Notorious excited to see what the future holds for McGregor, it feels like the perfect time to remind everyone of his immense talent in the sport and not some of the distasteful comments he makes on Twitter. The former two-weight champion is currently in Las Vegas for the new series of the UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter against Michael Chandler, who he is set to fight later in the year, but many fans of pro wrestling would love to see him in the Squared Circle ahead of anything else.
McGregor’s absence from the sport has been well documented, with a number of theories emerging as to why it has taken so long for him to make a comeback. The truth will probably never be revealed, but should McGregor manage to return even stronger and demonstrate his hunger for the sport once again, then we will surely see him come out on top more often than not. Make no mistake about it, a fighter with his résumé deserves more respect than he is currently getting. In fact, there is a strong argument to suggest that McGregor would be perfect in WWE.
Let’s assess why below.
He would make the perfect heel
We all know that McGregor is a good talker. His trash-talking is legendary in UFC, so he would be comfortable on the mic in a pro wrestling context. Perhaps the problem is that he is often a bit “adult” for WWE’s modern content, yet, you could easily see McGregor channel his energy into becoming a fantastic heel. If you are not a monster, a great heel needs to be able to talk, and McGregor could hang with the best of them on the mic.
He would draw
Despite his poor run of results in UFC recently, McGregor is the ultimate box-office competitor. As soon as his name is on the card, there is an instant rising of interest in MMA on social media, combat sports betting platforms, and mainstream media. He would be an instant headliner in WWE, and he has the receipts to prove it. Whenever he fought, fans around the world had to tune in. This is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that his fights occupy most of the top five highest-ever UFC pay-per-view buys. For example, his clash with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 is the highest-selling event in UFC history, with 2.4 million people watching it. He is also the fighter with the best support in an arena, with the biggest ever UFC event occurring at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden as $17,700,000 was earned on the night.
He has the pedigree to be believable
Before McGregor joined the UFC, he was making a lot of noise in Cage Warriors. He eventually backed up his words by becoming the Cage Warriors featherweight champion at CWFC 47 following a remarkable rear-naked choke submission over Dave Hill. With one title to his name, McGregor then went on to defeat lightweight Ivan Buchinger at CWFC 51, making him the first European fighter to hold titles in two divisions at the same time. A star was certainly born on that day.
Mayweather fight shows he understand theater
Although this reason might annoy some as it’s not strictly related to MMA, the fact that Conor McGregor backed himself in a boxing match against one of boxing’s greatest-ever fighters highlighted the sheer confidence of the man. When assessing the various fighters fans follow on social media and back in MMA betting ahead of the big events on the calendar, not many of them would fancy their chances against some of the world’s top boxers of today. Such is McGregor’s belief in himself that he decided to take part in an event that was billed as the biggest fight in combat sports history. The mega-crossover bout ended in a loss for the Irishman, but the attention he brought to the mixed martial arts scene was massive. Conor McGregor is arguably the best promoter any sport has ever seen, and this was just another example of that.
The first-ever ‘champ-champ’ in the UFC
Fast forward to his time in the UFC and Conor McGregor’s immense talent was wowing audiences from the offset, but it was perhaps best showcased when he managed to see off Nate Diaz in two hugely entertaining match-ups, before taking his chance to become the lightweight title holder by seeing off Eddie Alvarez in style at UFC 205. The victory resulted in the Dubliner becoming the first ‘champ-champ’ in the history of the sport. WWE recognizes symbolism, and it can draw upon McGregor’s numerous achievements to build him as a megastar.