It's not likely to ever go down, but when asked if the WWE was ever going to strike a deal with UFC fighter and megastar Conor McGregor, Triple H said he's got a particular match in mind. He called it a "match made in heaven."
People have been making connections between WWE and Conor McGregor for years. And, why not? WWE has brought in stars from the MMA world before and done quite well with the cross promotion that comes with adding someone like Ronda Rousey, Cain Velasquez, and even Ken Shamrock. Not to mention, one of the company's biggest stars is Brock Lesnar, who was able to revive his WWE career after becoming a superstar in UFC. To say WWE doesn't have their eyes constantly on what McGregor is doing seems short-sighted.
WWE Executive Vice President and Hall of Famer Triple H recently spoke to TMZ Sports about the idea of one day bringing him in and The Game had some interesting thoughts. More specifically, he already has a match in mind.
He noted, “I think that Conor McGregor versus Vince McMahon with that Billion Dollar Walk on the line? I think that’s a match made in heaven!"
Obviously joking because there's really no way Vince would step into the ring at his age, Triple H does bring up a good point. Involving McGregor is probably less about having a good wrestling match and more about the spectacle around him simply being there. In short, it doesn't matter who he fights, his connection to WWE alone would draw huge numbers.
Triple H explained:
Yeah, you know, guys like him, there’s a lot of interest from a lot of — I think the nature of what we do, even entertainment and everything we do, it lends itself to combat sports. It lends itself to people like Conor McGregor or Ronda [Rousey] or others as it does with Tyson Fury, and it did in the past with Mike Tyson, or it did in the past with Floyd [Mayweather]. Entertaining people are what makes those fights interesting a lot of times. Yes, the styles and the fight itself, but the entertainment component, that ability to capture people as a personality, that’s what really makes those fights. Same in our business. If you can transfer that over and be really larger than life. That’s the key.”
(h/t 411mania.com for the transcription)
Inside Look At WWE's Frame of Mind
Triple H's comments suggest that if this relationship were to ever go down, WWE probably isn't looking at taking the time to ensure McGregor looks like he can wrestle. It would be about capitalizing on his name, setting up some sort of outlandish angle and hoping people tune in for the show.
Is that the right way to go about it? Would McGregor ever even be a realistic option?