Colby Covington’s UFC future is up in the air after last night’s loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 245 . As The Inquisitr reported, the controversial fighter has declared an interest in joining WWE , which resulted in CM Punk weighing in on the matter.
Punk shared his thoughts on Covington becoming a WWE superstar on Twitter , stating that he thinks the right-wing mixed martial artist’s persona is too polarizing for today’s WWE product. However, Punk also believes that there should be more polarizing performers in WWE.
“I think he really wants it, but the shtick is too divisive for 2020 WWE. Which is ironic because that’s what rasslin’ is supposed to be sometimes.”
Covington is a big fan of WWE, and many pundits believe that his pro-Donald Trump stance and tendency to brutally trash talk opponents is a gimmick. He even enters the octagon to Kurt Angle’s WWE theme music, suggesting that sports entertainment has informed his approach to mixed martial arts.
While Covington is interested in joining WWE, his reason for threatening to quit UFC to join the company is purely monetary. According to the fighter, he isn’t getting the paydays that he deserves and WWE will take better care of him.
If he does join WWE, he will need to tone down with his outspoken support of the president. Despite the McMahon family’s association with Trump — not to mention that the commander-in-chief is a WWE Hall of Famer — the company has been apolitical since his election.
They settled it in the Octagon!
? 50Gs – @Usman84kg vs @ColbyCovMMA – @ToyoTires pic.twitter.com/nWJtQljZXY
— UFC (@ufc) December 15, 2019
Covington is known for wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and referring to himself as “Donald Trump’s favorite fighter.” However, no member of the WWE roster is as open about their political values in the current climate, as the company wants to appeal to viewers of all persuasions.
Of course, Covington could be a good addition to the roster. He is a charismatic personality, and he already has in-ring experience having been a part of the Impact Wrestling roster for a brief spell in 2017.
The controversial fighter also has some big supporters within WWE. As documented by ESPN , Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin discussed Covington’s potential as a sports entertainer, revealing that he thinks he has what it takes to make it in WWE.
“That guy is tough as nails. He’s a good fighter. He talks a lot of trash, and he can back it up. I wouldn’t see him having a hard time learning some of the workset of what it takes to be in the WWE ring,” Austin said.