The stars might be aligning for one of sports’ most popular personalities to jump into the world of professional wrestling. During an appearance on ESPN First Take earlier this month, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair revealed to host Stephen A. Smith that WWE was discussing bringing him in for WWE WrestleMania 39. Smith responded enthusiastically, but stressed he has some demands if he is ever to step inside the squared circle: he wants to be a heel, and no one can lay a finger on him. This led to some laughs from the First Take crew, leaving viewers uncertain of how serious Smith was about getting involved with WWE.
Videos by ComicBook.com
If a recent tweet is anything to go off of, it does seem like Smith is keen on doing WWE work at some point in his career. Following a dream promo matchup prompt that pitted Smith against current WWE mouthpiece Paul Heyman, Heyman blasted the ESPN host.
“Stephen A. Smith is not in my league. He’s a screaming voice crying out for attention from the Ocean of Obscurity,” Heyman wrote. “I, on the other hand, reside on the Island of Relevancy!”
This got the attention of Smith, who claimed that he would “take [Heyman’s] job” if his schedule was open.
“Land of obscurity! You’re very lucky I’m busy otherwise I’d have to come take your job, and show the fellas what REAL representation should look like in the WWE,” Smith replied.
Smith then clarified that the tweet was in jest, but that did not change the fact that he wants in eventually.
“Haa!!! Only kidding buddy,” Smith continued. “Love your work. But I AM coming one of these days.”
There’s no guarantee as to when and where Smith’s WWE debut could come, but all signs point to WWE WrestleMania 39 being the site. Reports have emphasized that WWE wants a significant amount of celebrities at the Showcase of the Immortals next April due to the event taking place close to Hollywood. As of this writing, there are no matches locked in for the WrestleMania card. Rumored bouts range from Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns taking on Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther facing Brock Lesnar, Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair defending against Rhea Ripley, and Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos battling a reunited team of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
