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WWE Rumors: Conor McGregor ‘WrestleMania 33’ Appearance Possible, ‘Notorious’ One Now Open To WWE Deal

By Lorenzo Tanos
Published on: 18:31 PST, Nov 22, 2016

It might be a plausible idea after all — Conor McGregor appearing at WrestleMania 33. Although several statements he made in August suggested that he has little to no respect for WWE and most of its current Superstars, the quotable Irishman is now open to contract offers from the company, his agent confirmed to ESPN.

Thanks to his reputation as one of MMA’s fiercest trash talkers, Conor McGregor has been considered by many to be a natural fit for the world of sports entertainment. But that was questioned in August, as McGregor was preparing for his UFC 202 rematch against Nate Diaz. In interviews leading up to that event, Conor had spoken ill about WWE and its talent, calling most of the company’s wrestlers “messed-up” and referring to John Cena as a “failed Mr. Olympia.”

According to an August report from MMA Fighting, these comments upset a lot of current and former wrestlers, though the 28-year-old McGregor was far more respectful toward WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and late-’90s standouts like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Since McGregor beat Diaz in their UFC 202 rematch, the “Notorious” one has been on a roll. Earlier this month, he beat erstwhile UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez for the title, adding to his featherweight belt and making him the first fighter in company history to hold separate titles in two weight divisions concurrently. He’s also going to be taking a lot of time off from mixed martial arts; the Los Angeles Times cited UFC President Dana White, who confirmed Conor will be going on hiatus until May 2017, which would mark the birth of his first child.

Likewise, that means Conor McGregor may be available for WrestleMania 33, which takes place on April 2, 2017, and well within his six-month MMA hiatus. This was a possibility thrown around by ESPN, which featured McGregor’s agent Audie Attar on Tuesday night’s episode of the 5ive Rounds podcast. According to Attar, McGregor may entertain a WWE deal, provided the price is right.

“I think it’s all about business, man. If (WWE) is going to come with an offer, we are willing to entertain it. We are here. Have their people call his people — which is me. We can have a conversation.”

Talk of a possible Conor McGregor guest shot, possibly at WrestleMania 33, had fired up significantly when WWE Executive Vice President of Talent Paul “Triple H” Levesque had shown up at UFC 205, where McGregor defeated Alvarez for the lightweight championship. Triple H, who was one of the few WWE personalities McGregor “put over” during his period of anti-WWE ranting, told the Daily Telegraph that Conor had a good chance of being successful in the world of professional wrestling.

“He could come over, he’s got it all, man – he’s got the personality, the skills, the (ability to) talk. He’s an entertainer, for sure. What does he walk around at? 180 pounds? I have smaller guys now in the WWE. We have 200-pound guys who are stars. You don’t need to be 300 pounds anymore.”

The Inquisitr also reported on a recent Paul Heyman interview, where the veteran manager said that WWE’s “locker room” — mainly its wrestlers — should learn how to coexist with McGregor if he joins the company for some appearances, even if he did throw a lot of shade at WWE and its talent in the summer.

Neither Attar nor McGregor have spoken directly to anyone in WWE, but Attar said that he was glad to know that the legendary Triple H had some great feedback for his client.

“I think it’s phenomenal that a guy like Triple H was at the fights. I heard he said some positive things, which is always good to hear.”

None of these new developments are confirmations that Conor McGregor will be at WrestleMania 33, possibly making him the second non-wrestler (after NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, who is reportedly wrestling the Big Show) booked for the big event. But Attar’s comments about Conor and himself being open to talking contract with WWE make it far more probable that something may be in the works — WrestleMania 33 is still over four months away, so there’s a lot of time for things to happen, and a lot of time to plan for McGregor’s potential appearance.

[Featured Image by Michael Reaves/Getty Images]

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