CANNES, FRANCE – JUNE 20: Conor McGregor attends as Spotify hosts a music evening with… [+] Star-studded performances with DJ Pee .Wee aka Anderson .Paak and Kendrick Lamar, during Cannes Lions 2022 at Spotify Beach on June 20, 2022 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Anthony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify)
Anthony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify
The former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion has always seemed like the perfect man for a WWE crossover appearance. McGregor’s presence, mic skills and massive following make him one of the best people to ever compete in mixed martial arts.
However, so far, that has never happened. I won’t overreact, but McGregor recently posted a video of WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and social media personality The Schmo tasting The Notorious’ Proper 12 whisky.
In a comment on the post, McGregor wrote: “See you soon.”
My wrestling mind is starting to spin, and while at this point it’s nothing more than speculation, consider the possibility.
WWE heads to Saudi Arabia for the crown jewel live event on Saturday. At that event, Rhodes and World Heavyweight Champion Gunther are scheduled to face off, with the winner receiving the inaugural Crown Jewel title.
The Saudis have made it clear they want every combat sports and professional wrestling event in the region to be a major showcase. With each passing year, I expect Crown Jewel to look more like WrestleMania and Summerslam.
One of the key concepts that WWE has always used to elevate WrestleMania and Summerslam is the infusion of the celebrity element. This approach has made its way to Crown Jewel, where Tyson Fury participated in a WWE match against Braun Strowman in 2019.
Fury reportedly earned $24 million for his appearances, culminating in a match with Strowman.
WWE and UFC, with whom McGregor is signed, have done business with the Saudis through Riyadh Season events. McGregor has an emotional relationship with Turki Al-Sheikh, as he was the latter’s guest at many boxing events in Riyadh.
Is it crazy that everyone involved agreed to cooperate and McGregor could attend Crown Jewel? It’s likely an exaggeration, but many fans began speculating about the same concept in the comments section of the post. No matter what happens in combat sports or professional wrestling this weekend, nothing could get more attention than McGregor at a WWE event, especially one as big as Crown Jewel.
The only thing that makes me question the theory is the timing of this teaser. If WWE planned to have a celebrity and crossover character like McGregor at an event, wouldn’t they announce it? I don’t recall ever seeing WWE use someone like McGregor, Fury, or Floyd Mayweather Jr. without telling the fans they were going to appear live. So, what could it be if it wasn’t an appearance in Crown Jewel?
WWE is scheduled to be in Dublin, Ireland, on November 3 at 3A Arena. When WWE was in Manchester, Rhodes invited interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to the ring. Aspinall seems to be enjoying himself so much that he said he plans to compete in WWE after his mixed martial arts career.
Maybe Rhodes will do something similar with McGregor in Dublin. Although not the same as an on-air appearance, McGregor’s appearance in a WWE ring could go viral.
Here’s a look at the full card for WWE Crown Jewel.
Cody Rhodes (WWE Undisputed Champion) vs. Gunther (WWE World Heavyweight Champion) for the Crown Jewel Championship Liv Morgan (WWE Women’s Champion) vs. Nia Jax (WWE World Heavyweight Champion) for the Crown Jewel Championship Roman Reigns, Jimmy Uso, and Jey Uso vs. Solo Sekoa & The Bloodline (Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa) Seth Rollins vs. Bronson Reed Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens Los Angeles Knight (WWE United States Champion) vs. Andrade vs. Carmelo Hayes WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Fatal Four-Way Championship – Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair (c) vs. IU Skye and Kairi Sane of Damage CTRL vs. Piper Niven and Chelsea Green vs. Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson
