Conor McGregor Responds to Cody Rhodes; WWE Rumors About Lita and Rhea Ripley on NXT | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

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McGregor responds to Rhodes’ WWE invite

Wrestling fans have long expressed the belief that UFC star Conor McGregor might be a perfect fit for WWE, and WWE Champion Cody Rhodes echoed those sentiments this week.

During a performance op The Schmo (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee from Ringside News), Rhodes discussed his desire to one day see McGregor in a WWE ring:

“I will say one person I would like to see dip his toes into the WWE would be Conor McGregor. … I think Conor should give it a try. The competitive environment in WWE is different than what people would expect – it is so much about who is the most disciplined, the most professional, makes it to the finish, makes it to a WrestleMania. Someone like him, who has competed at the highest level in so many incredible fights, maybe it’s time to explore more entertainment he would be great at it.”

McGregor later went to X to respond to Rhodes, noting that he would “see (Cody) soon.”

McGregor has suggested in the past that he would be open to doing something with WWE at some point, including in March when he said, “You never know, let’s see,” then Adam’s apple asked him about WWE.

McGregor, 36, is one of the most successful fighters in UFC history, having held both the featherweight and lightweight titles.

Furthermore, he has always been an entertaining showman and trash talker, qualities that seemingly make him ideal for the world of professional wrestling.

McGregor hasn’t fought since suffering a broken leg in a July 2021 fight, but UFC president Dana White said recently that he expects McGregor to return to the Octagon in early 2025.

Both WWE and UFC fall under the same umbrella as they are owned by Endeavor Group Holdings, which could make it easier for McGregor and other UFC fighters to pop up in WWE from time to time.

Michael Chandler appeared on an episode of Raw earlier this year to call for McGregor for a fight that may not happen now.

WWE has long been open to celebrity-athlete crossovers, and one can only assume the company would love to do something with a star as big as McGregor.

WWE has reportedly discussed Lita appearing in ECW Arena NXT

WWE has reportedly had discussions about Hall of Famer Lita as part of next week’s episode of NXT, which will take place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

According to Fighting selection (h/t H Jenkins from Ringside News), Lita was pitched to an eight or ten woman tag team match on the show, although it is unclear whether the decision was ultimately made to include her.

This week’s episode of NXT featured a brawl involving several members of the NXT women’s division, and a 10-woman tag was announced for next week’s show.

The match will pit Giulia, Stephanie Vaquer, Zaria, Kelani Jordan and TNA’s Jordynne Grace against Roxanne Perez, Cora Jade, Fallon Henley, Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx.

That seems to indicate that Lita won’t be part of the match, but she could potentially interfere, or a member of the babyface team could be eliminated ahead of time and open the door for her to take their place.

The 2300 Arena is also known as the ECW Arena, as it was the main venue for ECW shows for many years in the 1990s.

WWE has already made it clear that next week’s NXT will in many ways be a tribute to ECW, as former ECW stars such as Bubba Ray Dudley, Rob Van Dam, Dawn Marie and Francine have been confirmed to appear.

Lita was briefly in ECW in 1999 under the name Miss Congeniality, so it would make sense to get her on next week’s NXT if WWE can pull it off.

Ripley NXT Spot Reportedly Approved by Higher Ups

The bloody segment involving Rhea Ripley on Tuesday night’s episode of NXT reportedly required permission from people with significant influence within WWE.

According to Fightful Corey Brennanthe segment was “greenlit by a higher power over the brand,” meaning WWE head of creative Triple H, NXT head Shawn Michaels or head of media and production Lee Fitting made the call to make it happen.

Ripley made a surprise appearance on NXT, spotlighting the team of Giulia, Vaquer, Zaria, Jordan and Grace, who will compete in a 10-woman tag team match next week.

Later in the show, we saw Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez enter from the parking lot with a bat in tow. Crews rushed to a vehicle and found Ripley lying down with a significant amount of blood on her face.

According to Brennan, some in NXT were “concerned” about the amount of blood shown as part of the segment, but that didn’t stop decision makers from moving forward with the angle.

Ripley and Morgan have been embroiled in a heated rivalry for months, feuding over the Women’s World Championship and Dominik Mysterio turning his back on Rhea to join Liv.

Earlier this month at Bad Blood, Ripley defeated Morgan by disqualification due to interference from the returning Rodriguez, but the title did not change hands.

It’s clear that the feud between Ripley and Morgan is far from over, and the events of NXT may have taken it to another level.

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