Ever since Conor McGregor challenged pretty much everyone on the WWE roster to a fight, there has been a lot of speculation regarding the Irishman’s chances of stepping into the squared circle. Some believe it will never happen, meanwhile, others think that he would slot into the world of professional wrestling perfectly.
Whichever camp you fall into, you simply can't deny that Conor takes a lot of his work from the sports entertainment industry. Whether it's his imitation of Vince McMahon's walk or his larger than life heel persona on the microphone if you watched one of his press conferences you could easily confuse him for a WWE Superstar.
Alas, for the time being, he remains in the UFC, and as we look ahead to the remainder of 2017 it seems that boxing is a far more likely transition for the two-weight World Champion. With that being said, it can't hurt to look into the possibility of Conor having a wrestling career and analysing just how well it would go exactly.
Conor McGregor being a part of the WWE is undoubtedly a fascinating possibility, and one day it may well happen. However, there are far too many negatives in play to realistically believe that it can be a long-term success. It will be messy, it will be tense, but perhaps that's what could make it so exciting.
After all, McGregor has never been one to back down from a challenge, so it seems unlikely to think he would turn Vince or Triple H down if the right amount of money were to fall on his doorstep.
#1 Schedule
First of all, let's look at the schedule. Whilst we can safely assume that Conor would probably be a part timer, that doesn't mean there won't be some form of extensive travel. If he's booked in a long term program or even a short one, the odds are he'll have to appear on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown every other week.
Given the numerous businesses that The Notorious One is currently a part of, something tells us he wouldn't take too kindly to being told where to go and when to be there. If you need an example of that, just look at the fact that he refused to take part in a media tour for the UFC.
That was just for one event - imagine what it would be like when you multiply that. From one thing you can't control to another.
#2 Pressure
The pressure on this guy's shoulders would be overwhelming. Sure he's a success in a straight up fighting environment and this is pre-determined, but there are certain expectations to live up to and some of these crowds he'll be facing are going to be a lot bigger than at a UFC event.
When he steps through the curtains at WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble or any other weekly event, McGregor will soon realise the scale of what he's gotten himself into. The largest UFC crowd in history drew 56,000 fans, meanwhile, the showcase of the immortals pushes 75,000, year in and year out, with ease.
Plus, more often than not, Raw can easily match the totals that UFC numbered events receive. We go from anticipation to execution with the next entry.
#3 In-ring work
Then there's the actual in-ring work. Conor likely has no experience inside of a professional wrestling ring, and he'd have to train for a long time in order to prepare for that. Yes, he's never been shy about getting down to business and putting 110% into something, but we can't imagine he'll have the patience to do so when it comes to this particular form of sports entertainment.
WWE will likely want to rush him into a feud immediately after signing him because let's face it, they won't be able to keep it quiet for long and the WWE audiences can be ruthless. If McGregor isn't prepared enough which is an extremely realistic possibility, the matches won't be anywhere near the standards we're expecting.
Speaking of matches, he needs someone standing across from him.
#4 Opponents
Speaking of which, who would the company put him up against? There are potential bouts with guys like AJ Styles who are of a similar stature, but the difference in quality between the two will be very obvious for everyone to see.
Then there's the appeal of a match with Lesnar, but god knows how they'd pull that off unless they attempt to work it in a way that's similar to Mayweather vs. Big Show.
Conor has a certain look and a certain way he goes about business, and whilst that's going to be a success when you just stand and talk, getting in the ring is a different animal when these guys have been doing this for 10+ years. Perhaps he could transition into being a manager, but many would see that as a huge waste of his potential.
Opponents, of course, will bring in the green.
#5 Money
Besides, before any of it even got started can you imagine how much money he's going to demand? The UFC are starting to pay Conor in excess of $10 million per fight and given the astronomical fee that he's being offered for the potential fight with Floyd, we can't imagine he'd fancy a pay cut.
It would surely rule out a long term deal because he probably won't settle for as little as Brock did, meanwhile, he'd also want to at least equal what Mayweather earned at WrestleMania 24. When you think of the money alone, there's just so many variables at play and not enough answers.
Sorry, Conor - this is harder than you may think.
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