WWE News: Conor McGregor And Ronda Rousey In WWE? Jim Ross Shares His Thoughts
The subject of Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey in the WWE has been thrown about for some time. As the biggest male and female draw respectively in UFC, the two mixed martial artists have been the subject of many rumors regarding their availability for WWE events, especially WrestleMania 33. But according to legendary announcer Jim Ross, they may not see anything more than guest appearances for these big events.
In particular, the chances of Ronda Rousey joining WWE have been rather good. She made an appearance at WrestleMania 31 alongside The Rock, engaging in a memorable angle with The Authority — Triple H and Stephanie McMahon — and solidifying her status as a lifelong fan of professional wrestling. And with her fight against current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes coming up this month at UFC 207, rumors of “Rowdy” Ronda talking business with WWE have been heating up.
In a recent interview with USA Today, Stephanie McMahon talked about how a lot of WWE fans would “love” to see Rousey join the company, and how she could potentially be a big draw should she get signed.
“Ronda has this cross platform appeal in terms of all forms of entertainment. We would welcome her with open arms. She is the total package.”
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor’s odds of a WWE appearance haven’t been as impressive. In August, the outspoken Irishman ruffled a lot of feathers within the business by referring to most of WWE’s current wrestlers as “dweebs,” throwing potshots as well at John Cena, whom he called a “40-year-old failed Mr. Olympia.” Uproxx wrote that those remarks had angered a lot of current and retired pro wrestlers, including Ric Flair, who dared Conor to fight Dolph Ziggler or former UFC and WWE champion Brock Lesnar, both of whom have college wrestling backgrounds, or McGregor’s own countryman, former WWE wrestler Dave “Fit” Finlay.
Nonetheless, McGregor was more subdued quite recently when he spoke to RTE Sport (quotes c/o Wrestling Inc) and acknowledged that he’s been receiving offers from several sources outside of UFC.
“I can go out and conquer the boxing scene as well,” said McGregor. “That’s a very serious thought. That’s a very serious conversation that’s happening. I’ve got those (professional) wrestling guys trying to contact me as well. I’ve got Hollywood trying to contact me as well. I’ve got so many options.”
#OnThisDay last year 2015 @TheNotoriousMMA #ConorMcGregor KOs #JoseAldo in 13 seconds pic.twitter.com/2AvpIo3bPK
— Gavin Duffy (@GavinDuffy) December 13, 2016
Given what’s happened and what’s been said as of late, is it fair to expect Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey in WWE? Former WWE announcer Jim Ross believes it is, having said so in a new post on his official blog site. According to Ross, it would be plausible to see both UFC stars getting physical in the WWE ring, but not on a full-time basis. He also put over two UFC standouts in their early-20s — Paige VanZant and Sage Northcutt — as two up-and-coming MMA talents he believes WWE should take notice of.
“How can anyone be shocked that WWE is interested in such UFC stars Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor? I’d be more shocked to read that WWE was NOT interested in these two, notwithstanding Paige VanZant and Sage Northcutt as well. I can’t see any of them joining the WWE team full time but can easily see some strategically marketed, big event appearances that would include physicality and could be highly successful.”
As WrestleMania 33 is just a little more than three months away, that gives WWE lots of time to cook up deals that could bring two of UFC’s biggest stars of all-time to the company, even for a few select appearances, as Jim Ross hinted. And while everything is still based on rumors and company officials’ genuine interest in bringing Conor McGregor and/or Ronda Rousey to WWE, having even just one of the two at WrestleMania 33 should attract a lot of mainstream interest in the lead-up to the promotion’s biggest pay-per-view event of its calendar.
[Featured Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]
