WWE does not exist in a vacuum, even though it sure seems like it at times. As a sports-entertainment brand, it combines the best of sports and entertainment, bringing in celebrities from both worlds to attract casual fans.
That’s why there’s a celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame as well, which features among other luminaries, The President of the United States, Mr Donald Trump. Of course, there have been many sporting legends, who’ve made a huge impact in WWE as well and subsequently been inducted into the Hall of Fame, such as Pete Rose and Mike Tyson.
We believe Conor McGregor can not just fit in, but thrive in today’s WWE.
Mind you, we realise that there are contracts and obligations in place. However, if Vince McMahon were to snag Conor McGregor for even a one-off program, we think that he would greatly benefit from the same. Remember how Mike Tyson shifted the tide, during the Monday Night Wars in 1998?
Here’s why Vince McMahon needs to bring in Conor McGregor, almost immediately!
#5 Record low ratings
As a result of the U.S. Presidential election and Monday night football, Raw has been clocking some of the lowest ratings in the history of WWE.
It is only the presence of stars such as Goldberg that is helping Raw reach the 3 million viewers mark weekly. Let’s face it; Monday Night Raw is not the same hot commodity it used to be in the days of Stone Cold Steve Austin.
It constantly needs a shot in the arm, as casual fans continue to tune out. We believe that Conor McGregor will attract enough casual fans to the product once more, to check out how he fares in today’s WWE.
#4 An actual inter-brand war storyline
It’s 2016, and the audience is not stupid anymore. Nobody really believes that Raw and Smackdown are competing with one another when they’re really under the same banner. Now a storyline that may make sense is UFC vs. WWE! That is a real war that is being waged, in which MMA has been inching ahead of professional wrestling.
This will be a fight with real heat, and will actually have the audience picking sides. It will be a much more relatable storyline than a Raw vs. Smackdown 5 on 5 Survivor Series match, and there will be actual stakes and pride involved in the contest.
#3 A legend in his prime
Remember how much we cringe when WWE brings in stars who are past their prime, and only on WWE television to collect a fat paycheck?
Yes, we’re looking at you both, Jeremy Piven and Ashton Kutcher. Unlike the two of them, Conor McGregor is hot news, and he’s in the prime of his career as well. He makes news wherever he goes and in whatever he does.
Holding off McGregor’s entry for too long may make him irrelevant, in an age with short attention spans. McGregor is one of the most talked about superstars in the world right now, in sport or otherwise, and it would be a great mutual exercise in PR, were he to come down to WWE!
#2 Already a storyline in place
Remember the Twitter battle from a few months back? Shortly before his fight at UFC 202, McGregor took pot shots at WWE, saying he could slap the head off the entire WWE roster, and twice on Sundays.
Every WWE superstar from Romain Reigns to Rusev and even Ric Flair responded to McGregor. There hasn’t been a more united effort from a collection of wrestling superstars in a really long time.
Babyfaces and heels alike worked together to put McGregor to shame. So, if and when Conor McGregor comes into the squared circle, there’s a storyline that’s ready for him. The whole roster hates the Notorious one. It would be a more organic saga than anything the writers can come up with because it’s based on reality.
#1 More popular than entire roster
Wrestling was a household phenomenon in the 80s with Flair, Hogan and Andre the Giant.
Even in the mid-90s, during the Monday Night Wars, the magic of sports entertainment was enjoyed by a huge fanbase. Fast forward to 2016, and it is quite likely that casual fans don’t even know, who the two champions of WWE are.
McGregor’s unsinkable popularity is rooted in the fact that he is the modern day anti-hero, who personifies everything that made us love the classic eras of wrestling. He’s unconventional, he’s great on the microphone and he’s the best in the world at what he does. In an era when WWE cannot create new stars, it has to rely on McGregor!
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