Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE Pursuing 'Retired' Conor McGregor Is No-Brainer

1. WWE Would Welcome The Notorious One with Open Arms 

Conor McGregor's apparent departure from UFC has to be making WWE officials giddy. 

A megastar with a master's degree in trash talk and the kind of charisma that moves the needle may suddenly be a free agent. And imagining him sliding over to the squared circle is easy. McGregor has long exuded a WWE-like aura.

Thanks to some friction between UFC and the Irish fighter, the door is open for WWE to recruit McGregor.

Three months before UFC 200, the featherweight champ is clearly at odds with company head Dana White. On SportsCenter (h/t CBS Sports), White said he was pulling McGregor from the pay-per-view.

On Tuesday afternoon, McGregor claimed on Twitter that he was done with the sport:

This may end up being a temporary divorce between the two sides. McGregor may settle things with White or collect a massive paycheck for another MMA promotion like Bellator.

Still, the McGregor-to-WWE speculation that has since emerged had to be expected. McGregor is a bona fide star.

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As Gareth A Davies of the Telegraph noted, McGregor's UFC 194 win over Jose Aldo "brought a $10.1 million record gate for a UFC event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena." Rolling Stone named him one of last year's hottest sex symbols. His face has been on numerous magazine covers, and he shared the cover of the EA Sports: UFC 2 video game with Ronda Rousey.

Beyond his name power, his personality is a natural fit for the WWE world.

McGregor is brash and loud, vibrant and unique. These are all qualities of some of WWE's greatest names. 

When he has called out his UFC opponents, the interviews have sounded like promos straight from WWE.  

And while he's only 5'9'' and 170 pounds, making him an outlier in a land of musclebound titans, WWE has plenty of smaller opponents to pair him with these days. Finn Balor (5'11'') and AJ Styles (5'11'') would make thrilling foils for him.

The fighting resume he would bring into the ring with him helps make up for his size. As a bonus, he is still very much in his prime at just 27 years old. 

WWE is perpetually looking for ways to make sports cross over into sports entertainment.

It signed Ken Shamrock when UFC was in its early stages. It hired Floyd Mayweather to fight at WrestleMania. Shaquille O'Neil stared down Big Show at WrestleMania 32. McGregor would be a fine addition to that tradition.

The buzz the Irishman would create with a move to WWE would make him an invaluable asset.

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Questions linger, though. For one, is McGregor really retired? And two, while it's clear why WWE would want him aboard, it's not certain McGregor wants to enter the circus of the squared circle.

But you can't blame WWE for panting at the possibility of joining forces with UFC's top star.

2. Finn Balor Quietly Made History

NXT Championship history has already been made.

As seen on WWE.com, Balor is now the longest-reigning NXT champ ever. Adrian Neville held the belt for 287 days; Bo Dallas' reign lasted 261. Balor's run has now surpassed both of those marks and is quickly closing in on 300 days.

It's surprising NXT hasn't made a bigger deal of this. Breaking records is an easy way to add drama to a wrestler's journey.

WWE should play up the narrative that Balor is appearing unbeatable as of now. The more it manages to do that, the bigger the shock it will be when he finally loses the title.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Balls Mahoney

ECW star Balls Mahoney died last week at age 44, as noted by Josh Nason of F4W Online.

The big bruiser was never a technical master. Instead, he mixed a smashmouth offense with some surprisingly agile moves. 

Mahoney showed off that style in 1997 when he served as Lance Storm's first foe in ECW.

The late wrestler will be remembered as a man who carved out a long career thanks to guts and toughness more than athletic gifts—that and his love of swinging steel chairs.

4. TNA's Troubles

TNA appears to be on the ropes again. Rumors of more financial issues have dominated headlines about the promotion.  

Hall of Famer Jim Ross wrote of the situation on his blog, "Apparently a new investor or buyer is at play for the struggling company. Without significant, live event revenue and a viable, PPV component in the revenue mix it will not be surprising to hear of any pro wrestling company being in financial peril."

It's sad to hear this about TNA. The industry is healthier when more companies are thriving.

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If TNA goes under, there will be one less place for wrestlers to find work. Drew Galloway and Ethan Carter III are among those who have followed disappointing WWE careers by making more of an impression at TNA. Seeing that avenue disappear would be hard.

And there was always the hope TNA would get to the point where it could provide legit competition for WWE, forcing the leader in sports entertainment to up its game.

Here's to TNA finding a way to avoid folding up. 

5. R-Truth Keeping Busy

R-Truth hasn't been able to express himself much in the ring. No matter. He's been cultivating his musical skills in the meantime.

The rapping wrestler has been sharing snippets of his new album KillingIt on YouTube: 

This isn't exactly Nas-level lyricism, but it sure beats Randy Savage's attempt at rap. Next time out, though, R-Truth needs to get Goldust on a track or two.

6. Not Fandango's Year 

Fandango is officially at the bottom of the WWE food chain. His sole purpose with the company right now is to net easy wins for everyone else.

On April 20, 2015, Fandango bested Curtis Axel. After that, victory has been hard to come by. It has been a full year since his last win on Raw, per his CageMatch.net profile (link contains SmackDown spoilers).

It's also telling that he has just seven bouts on Raw in that span.

The ballroom dancer is currently on a 17-match losing streak and is 0-16 in 2016. Before fans talk about how much WWE is "burying" Bray Wyatt or Kevin Owens, they should keep Fandango's record in mind. 

7. Give Alexa Bliss the Proper Stage

Bliss has been must-watch of late, a snarling heel abusing her opponents. She hasn't had much competition, however. NXT keeps pitting her against short-term guests like Tessa Blanchard.

There's a missed opportunity here: Bliss should be feuding with one of the division's top stars. 

She is too entertaining, too compelling not to be playing the foil for Bayley or Carmella. WWE should give Bliss her own story and make showcasing her a priority. Otherwise, NXT will be letting a home run hitter remain in the batting cage instead of wowing crowds in prime time.

Her pursuit of the NXT Women's Championship, with her battling Bayley and Company, could be one of NXT's best stories of the year.

8. Memorable In-Ring Debuts

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows have now attacked Samoan babyfaces twice. It's time for them to make their first foray into the WWE ring as a team.

The history of new acts' first matches with the company is underwhelming. Everyone remembers Chris Jericho's first appearance on Raw, but his battle with Road Dogg on SmackDown wasn't nearly as memorable.

There are, though, a number of Superstars who made quite the impression in their first WWE bouts:

• Kane as (Isaac Yankem) vs. Bret Hart: SummerSlam 1995
• Tazz vs. Kurt Angle: Royal Rumble 2000
• John Cena vs. Kurt Angle: SmackDown, June 27, 2002
• The Shield vs. Ryback and Team Hell No: TLC 2012
• Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn: NXT TakeOver: Dallas

One of the reasons this list doesn't stretch further back is that WWE so often introduced newcomers by way of a squash match. Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and the Honky Tonk Man, for example, first stomped on enhancement talent before moving on to bigger opponents. 

9. A Trope the Women's Division Needs to Move Past

When Charlotte and Natalya meet at Payback for the Women's Championship, they will do so with Ric Flair and Bret Hart in their corners. This is an attempt to extend an old rivalry to the present. It's a means to make the title match bigger.

What does it say about the women's division, though, that it needs the story to center on men to be elevated?

WWE already did this angle in NXT. Repeating it is lazy. There are countless other ways to make Natalya's chase for the championship a bigger fight.

Drawing electricity from the past can be effective, but WWE is in danger of overshadowing the women here. At this point, we know full well that Natalya is a member of the Hart family. Give us a reason to care about her journey beyond that.

Let her have her own story. 

10. Potential Fix for Social Outcasts Shortage

As WWE announced over the weekend, the company has suspended Adam Rose and Konnor of The Ascension for 60 days for violating the Talent Wellness Program policy. That leaves both The Ascension and The Social Outcasts one man short. 

Sean Ross Sapp of Wrestling Inc. threw out one idea on how to address the latter group's loss:

That sure beats The Social Outcasts not even recognizing Rose's absences, as they did on Monday's Raw.